Constant innovation is the name of the game, but how can this be accomplished within large enterprises? Over the course of three blog posts, we’ll share key takeaways from 1871’s recent Corporate Innovation Summit which was based on one of 1871 CEO Howard Tullman’s favorite truisms: “People don’t change when they see the light; they change when they feel the heat.” Read on for Part 2 of 3.
[Read more…] about Innovating within Corporations: Key Takeaways Part 2
Last month, Nirav Amin stood in front of a packed room at the new Apple Michigan Avenue. “How many of you are entrepreneurs or working on your own business idea?” he asked the crowd. More than half of the room raised their hands. Some had attended each event in the four-part “Accelerate Your Startup Idea” series aimed at educating, guiding, and supporting the Chicago community in pursuit of their entrepreneurial passions, and had finally arrived at this culminating session where they would soon have the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges.
Then it’s useless. Sometimes you need to take an indirect approach to find out what your customers really crave. In Japan, Nestlé’s coffee business got a jolt by focusing on office behavior, not coffee machines.
[Read more…] about Does Your Customer Research Prove What You Already Know?
As a community that believes in paying it forward, 1871 allocates a cash allotment for each team member to donate to a charity of their choice as a part of their employee benefits. Here on the blog, we’ll be highlighting the stories behind our team’s giving. This week, meet Laura Clark and Victor Baez.
1871 announced today its participation in Everyone Can Code (ECC), a coding education initiative that brings together Chicago Public Schools, City Colleges of Chicago, One Summer Chicago, the Mayor’s Office, and a number of Chicagoland businesses and nonprofits. The initiative aims to make coding and technology careers more accessible to students from all backgrounds.
[Read more…] about 1871 Joins Apple’s “Everyone Can Code” Initiative
1871 joined Transamerica Retirement Solutions and Mesirow Financial to announce a new retirement plan benefit that will soon be available to all 1871 companies and alumni members. The new offering will allow smaller teams and startup companies access to retirement benefits, which is powered by Pinnacle Financial Services, Inc.
The debate used to be about carrot or stick in coaxing performance out of your people. In a more nuanced business world, setting the tone may be as important as setting the guidelines.
With a network of more than 600 professionals from every industry, the mentor program is the crown jewel of 1871. Every day, mentors dedicate their time and expertise guiding our members from issues ranging from legal to tech and everywhere in between, forming valuable relationships and producing concrete outcomes. This week, we say hello to Kiley Peters, Owner and CEO of boutique digital marketing agency Brainchild Studios.
[Read more…] about “Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty.” —Kiley Peters of Brainchild Studios
Co-creation is the design of new products, services, experiences, or business models in a collaborative environment. It gives everyone a seat at the design table and allows all voices to be heard in a collaborative and interactive space. On Veterans Day 2017, member company AE Marketing Group led a co-creation lab to bring together top marketers in 1871 to help the veteran-led, CPG startup, Rumi Spice.
You need to make sure that your company is moving at the pace of change. That means never being comfortable with the current rate of change–because it keeps getting faster.
With a network of more than 300 professionals from every industry, the mentor program is the crown jewel of 1871. Every day, mentors dedicate their time and expertise guiding our members from issues ranging from legal to tech and everywhere in between, forming valuable relationships and producing concrete outcomes. This week, we say hello to Rick Kottke, VP, Program Manager at BMO Harris Bank.
[Read more…] about #WishIHadC3PO: Rick Kottke of BMO Harris Bank
1871 announced today that Trinity Christian College will kick off an associate membership at 1871, which includes access to shared co-working space, conference rooms, and certain events, as well as the opportunity for students to participate in Campus 1871, a weekend-long event that brings together approximately 300 students from 1871’s university partners.
[Read more…] about Trinity Christian College Joins 1871 as a Higher Education Partner
Today we kick off the sixth cohort of WiSTEM, the 1871 accelerator program that has graduated five cohorts, supported 64 companies and 72 individual women, and raised more than $10 million in capital collectively since the program’s inception in Fall of 2015.
It is hardly one of the cool kids on the tech block, but in a world where data integrity and trust matters, the company’s Azure cloud platform is a security blanket for big corporations.
Today marks the official launch of 1871.Live, a new streaming platform that will bring more than 17,000 hours of entrepreneurial and business-focused educational programming to multiple community center partners across the city. 1871 is one of eight community organizations awarded a grant by ChicagoNEXT and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation for the 2017 Blackstone Inclusive Entrepreneurial Challenge.
Many entrepreneurs skip the basics of marketing and struggle to find product market fit. 1871 member Solomon Thimothy is the co-founder of marketing intelligence platform Clickx and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs and clients implement effective marketing strategies. There is no cookie cutter way to success, but Thimothy shares certain themes that have emerged from his experiences.
[Read more…] about Marketing for Founders: 5 Ways Startups Can Acquire Customers
This month, 1871 launched a three-month partnership with UNIQLO, a popular global fashion retailer located on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, featuring in-store displays by five incredible 1871 member companies. We visited the store this week with a few of our participating entrepreneurs to get the scoop.
Today, 1871 launches the 1871 Advanced Member Program (AMP), a program geared toward later-stage companies which are scaling and have reached specific industry benchmarks determined by 1871. This is 1871’s latest offering to ensure the best and brightest companies are supported with resources relevant to their stage of growth.
[Read more…] about 1871 Launches Advanced Member Program (AMP) for Later-Stage, Scaling Companies