Hispanic Tech Spotlight: Nika Koda and Paulina Parra Ramirez of Hermit

Not everything worth doing is worth doing to the nth degree. Just like you can overthink and over-engineer your technology, you can foolishly try to achieve levels of immediacy, proximity and precision that frankly no one really needs or cares about — except maybe a few of your geeky engineers. Pursuing perfection is a perfectly good way to burn through lots of cash, waste a lot of time and energy, and frustrate your own people in the process.

[Read more…] about Don’t Waste Your Time Chasing Perfect

It’s not just about a newspaper or morning TV headlines, anymore. With media being made available instantly at our fingertips, startups need to make careful decisions about how they tell their story to ultimately capture the attention of the customer. 1871 mentor and independent media consultant Mark Daniel offers some solutions. 

[Read more…] about Media is Only Part of the Plan

Just like the life of an entrepreneur, being a parent can be unpredictable, challenging and sometimes, require some outside advice to make sure you’re doing everything right. In the spirit of World Parents’ Day July 23, we reached out to the members of our community juggling both parenting and living the startup life for their insights, counsel and lessons learned. 

[Read more…] about World Parents’ Day: The Life of an Entrepreneur Parent Means Always Being a Boss

For a founder referred to as the “Rockstar of Finance,” Tom Sosnoff looks the part. Donning a “Tastytrade” branded Kangol hat and button down and a faded pair of jeans, the legendary Chicago serial entrepreneur took the stage Tuesday, July 19 at 1871 to sit down for one of 1871’s longest running events, Chicago Founders’ Stories hosted by 1871 Board Member Pat Ryan, Jr.

[Read more…] about Founder’s Five: Taking Deals and Quick Decision Making with Tom Sosnoff

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. We highlight members of our mentor program on an ongoing basis, and this week, we say hello to Kimberly Brown of Centrally Human. 

[Read more…] about Meet a Mentor: Kimberly Brown of Centrally Human

These aren’t the best of times for the tech industry. Every day another jerk emerges as the latest poster boy of ego and entitlement, someone who can’t figure out how to keep his hands to himself and/or his ugly mouth shut. And the many feeble attempts and faux justifications made in the name of speed and scale doesn’t really advance the discussion or explain the situation, either.

[Read more…] about There’s No Excuse for Being a Tech Jerk

1871’s WiSTEM program has reached a new milestone: More than 50 companies are now graduates of the cohort program that accelerates the businesses of women entrepreneurs. With the fifth cohort of WiSTEM beginning July 18, we reached out to the newly graduated cohort to share their advice and experiences. 

[Read more…] about Words of WiSTEM