Here’s How One Runner is Revolutionizing the Way we Hit Record

December 5, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

“Just put one foot in front of the other.” If you’re building a business, you’ve probably heard this line more than once. However, Matthew Thor, a software engineer at Screencastify, takes the saying a bit more literally than his peers. As a runner who once came in 84th place at the Chicago Marathon (out of an estimated 45,000 participants), Thor is no stranger to endurance, initiative, and hustle. In this post, he talks about the importance of focus, balance, and competition.

December 4, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

JOBS! Every week, we highlight a number of open jobs for our member companies. If you’re looking for an exciting career in the tech industry or an opportunity to work alongside Chicago’s best and brightest, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are the job openings for the week of December 4, 2018.

December 3, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

We rely so heavily on smartphones and other connected gadgets, but what is it that enables those devices to function? One of 1871’s newest members, Crown Castle, the company enabling much of your wireless world, gives us a glimpse into the realm of cell towers, small cells, fiber optics and all things shared communications. This blog is part of the company’s “Tomorrow’s Chicago Today” series, which begins with a panel discussion on communications infrastructure Wednesday, December 5.

November 30, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

“If you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, then you don’t know what you are doing.” – Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Father of Quality Evolution. Dr. Deming’s ideas of product quality largely inspired Japan’s post-WWII economic boom in manufacturing. His celebrated 14 points for management have also stood as a standard for transforming business effectiveness since the 1980s. In this guest blog post, Wilma Paxton Doherty, a Senior Consultant at ON THE MARK, talks about how organizations can apply Agile thinking by using Dr. Deming’s philosophies.

November 28, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Women make up half of the total college-educated workforce in the United States yet only 29 percent of the overall science and engineering workforce. It’s an issue that Stephanie Hein, CEO of MakerGirl, is working to solve. In this article, she talks about why it’s important to show young women the value of STEM — and have some fun in the process.

November 27, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

November 21, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Brands matter. People connect with the tone and personality of a brand, not the technical concepts behind a business. Putting thought and effort into branding your startup will pay off in the long run when it comes to memorability and referrals. In this guest post, Grant Polachek, Director of Marketing at Squadhelp, discusses how early-stage startups can create a successful brand.

November 20, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Last week, 1871 and the CEC held the 11th Annual Momentum Awards Dinner in celebration of Chicago’s fast-growing community of innovators, pioneers, and entrepreneurs. This year’s event observed the theme of an emergent tech ecosystem, which includes emerging technologies, leaders, and opportunities that embody the creative potential of change and innovation. During the ceremony, a number of awards were presented to local companies and entrepreneurs who embody the emerging and creative potential of change and innovation – in case you couldn’t make it, we’ve got everything that you missed right here.

November 13, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

As Artificial Intelligence continues to advance, robots continue to increase their prevalence across industries and companies of varying sizes, including many startups. Robotics continue to surge in their industrial markets, with a market projection of 71.7 billion dollars by 2023, at a compound annual growth rate of 9.4% over the next 5 years. The increasing availability of low cost and readily implemented robots has increased the non-conventional application of industrial robotics. One sector responsible for the continued increased demand is the use of robotics in startup production and workflow. In this guest post, Irving Wittenbur of DO Supply talks about how robotics can benefit small businesses.

November 13, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

November 12, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

This Veterans Day, 1871’s Yun Tai — an Army veteran — takes a look at the intersection of the veteran and tech communities. In this post, he’ll reflect on why veterans are natural born innovators, excel at entrepreneurship, and continue to serve their communities even after they’ve left the military.

November 7, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Last week, 1871 and ANA, Japan’s largest airline, held a joint Fireside Chat to look at disruptive technologies and the future of global transportation. In front of a packed room, ANA Digital Lab Design team members Kevin Kajitani and Akira Fukabori, spoke about their innovative project, AVATAR, a platform that can transport a human’s senses, actions, and presence to a remote location in real time, leading to a more connected world. 1871 CEO Betsy Ziegler also shared a number of cutting-edge tech trends that will shape the future for years ahead.

November 6, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

November 1, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

As the old Kenny Rogers tune goes, ‘you got to know when to hold’em and you got to know when to fold’em.’ Nobody understands that sentiment better than Sergio Suarez Jr., the former Co-founder and CTO of the popular ticket reservation platform dibit and the Co-founder of Tackle Ai, which uses artificial intelligence to extract key data points from any unstructured document. Along with his entrepreneurial endeavors, Suarez Jr. is also an accomplished poker player. In this post, Suarez Jr. shares his story along with his tips on to how to successfully play the hand your dealt.

October 31, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Happy Halloween, all! If you think you’re impervious to all of the frights that await you today, think again — EX3 Labs, an experience design and product innovation studio specializing in mixed/augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Thing (IoT) solutions, shares today’s guest blog on the seven scares that keep innovation leaders up at night.

October 30, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

The city of Chicago is quickly cementing its reputation as a tech powerhouse in both the United States and throughout the world — but like many other cities, there is still work to be done when it comes to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. In this post, guest author Linda Darragh, the Larry Levy Executive Director of the Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative, shares her insights on how we can collectively create, support, and foster a pipeline of diverse and inclusive talent. [Read more…] about How to Develop a Diverse Pipeline

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