Our 1871 | Jasmine Shells of Five to Nine

They can smell blood from up to a quarter of a mile away and it’s hard not to tremble when they gawk at you and flash their seven rows of 45 teeth. They are the Sharks (cue Jaws music here), and they’re tenacious, self-made millionaires and billionaires that don’t have time for lousy ideas. But while the sharks are scary, the treasure is often worth the trip; that’s why we asked Dan Stelmach, a recent Shark Tank guest and Co-Founder of ChangEd, to share some tips on how entrepreneurs can dive — and thrive — in the tank.

[Read more…] about From Startup to Shark Tank: What it Takes to Swim in the Tank

1871 joined YWCA Metropolitan Chicago yesterday evening for a panel discussion on the key behaviors and strategies that foster safe and healthy workplaces. The panel featured industry leaders, including 1871 CEO Betsy Ziegler, who shared a number of best practices and procedures on how companies of all sizes can create — and maintain — a healthy professional culture. In case you missed it, we’ve shared some of the panel’s most memorable highlights below.

[Read more…] about 1871 and YWCA Hold Empowering Panel to Address Sexual Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace

You’ve spent the last 10 years killin’ it in your field, and now you’re ready to pay it forward and mentor the next generation of lean, mean entrepreneur machines. But even with all of your experience, it’s not quite a simple as doing a brain dump while holding a founder in a headlock. Here are 6 tips that will help you become Yoda for business leaders and founders.

[Read more…] about 6 Tips to Mentoring Entrepreneurs and Building Long Lasting Relationships

As a startup, it’s easy to get caught up in the massive amounts of day-to-day work — but that doesn’t mean that entrepreneurs can forget about the customer experience. Scott Nowicki, Enterprise Sales Manager at Quiq, a platform that makes it simple for consumers to connect with companies, shares a number of messaging tips and consumer-driven technologies that are guaranteed to improve the customer experience.

[Read more…] about 5 Surprising Ways Messaging Can Change Your Business

Darcy Bonner is the Manager of Innovation, Strategy, and Business Development at Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation. Schneider Electric makes it it possible for IoT-enabled solutions to seamlessly connect, collect, analyze, and act on data in real-time delivering enhanced safety, efficiency, reliability, and sustainability.

[Read more…] about “The most important skills are tenacity, curiosity, grit, passion, and empathy.” – Darcy Bonner

Jon Chua, a Management Consultant at Kenway Consulting and MBA Candidate at the The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, discusses the impact of machine learning in Chicago’s business, technology, and innovation communities. The University of Chicago is an 1871 University Partner and will be hosting their 2nd Annual Chicago Machine Learning Venture Capital Summit this coming Thursday, April 12. 

[Read more…] about How Machine Learning Has Changed the Business Landscape in Chicago