10/11/1871: “All gone but wife, children, and energy”

October 11, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

A few days before we officially opened 1871 in the Merchandise Mart on May 2nd, 2012, Scott Kluth, the Fouder and President of local entrepreneurial success story, CouponCabin, gave us an incredible gift to mark the occasion. I’d like to mark this historic day for Chicago with the writing from this lithograph – which you can see next time you visit 1871.

October 3, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

I think we can all agree 2012 has been a momentous year for the local startup scene.

September 21, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Last Friday, September 14^th Governor Quinn visited 1871 to announce an innovative $10.3 million public-private education initiative called Illinois Pathways, to better prepare our state’s students for today and tomorrow’s jobs.

September 18, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Blog reprinted from comScore blog

September 12, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

By Hugh Musick, Associate Dean & Director of Education, IIT Institute of Design

September 11, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

by Yasha Saxena, CEC intern

August 30, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

1871 is all about bringing the Chicago ecosystem together to support and grow the startup community, and there is no better example of that same effort then in what Troy Henikoff, Sam Yagan, and Excelerate have built over the last 3 summers. I remember when there was talk of an “accelerator” program in Chicago and many folks were skeptical, but a small group of leaders got it done and it’s only improved each year! Ranked the #3 accelerator in the country by Forbes, Excelerate just graduated an incredible class of 10 startups from around the country and the globe. Wednesday was Demo Day at the House of Blues and the presentations by the graduating companies were amazing – the clear result of excellent coaches and mentoring help over the last 3 months. Here’s a run-down of the 10 startups for you to check out:

August 27, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Reprinted from Shared Learning Collaborative (SLC)

August 20, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Back on May 2^nd, we opened the doors to a new 50,000 square foot center for digital startups in the Merchandise Mart. We named this place 1871 to reflect the great spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship following the Great Chicago Fire. We hoped that a place like this would become a hub for startup activity in Chicago – and would provide a supportive community of like-minded entrepreneurs building early-stage companies alongside one another. We hoped that bringing together incredible partners like Code Academy, Excelerate Labs, Impact Engine, and the Illinois Science & Technology Coalition (ISTC) – as well as top local universities and venture capital partners – would provide access to the talent, capital and mentorship startups need to grow their businesses. We hoped for so much and so far it has exceeded our expectations!

[Read more…] about 100 Days of 1871

August 15, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

By Yasha Saxena, 1871 Team Intern

August 9, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

By Frank D. Muscarello, CEO of MarkITx

August 9, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

By Jeff Dunn, Director of Educational Technology R&D for DeVry

I lead efforts to make sure that all DeVry institutions are on the cutting edge in using technology to deliver a world-class learning experience for every one of our students. And in Chicago, the cutting edge starts at 1871.

August 8, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

(Exciting news from Impact Engine on their inaugural accelerator class taking place at 1871. Below is the press release they put out today.)

August 7, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

If your company has its own office space but you’d like the opportunity to get your employees involved in Chicago’s digital community, 1871 has a new Associate Membership program that might be right for you. Designed for digital companies or divisions with more than 8 employees, the Associate Membership offers 24-hour access to 1871’s co-working space and conference rooms as well as all the workshops, speakers and networking events. And, because the membership is transferable, it can be shared among staff members within an organization to take advantage of all the great resources inside the community.

August 2, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Food Genius is moving out of 1871 today and into our own office, just three months after we moved in.

July 31, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

The next speaker for our event series “1871 Talks” was none other than Howard Tullman, labelled by Inc. Magazine as “the most accomplished, best-connected entrepreneur you have never heard of.” A serial entrepreneur, investor, advisor, art collector, teacher, lecturer, lawyer, marathon runner, and friend of both Bill Clinton and Tyra Banks, Tullman has done it all.

July 20, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

By, Eric Duboe, 1871 team intern

July 19, 2012 by J Blaszczykiewicz

This morning 1871 was lucky enough to have Mark Achler, Senior Vice President of New Business, Strategy, and Innovation of Redbox, come speak on the importance of integrating values into company culture. Starting off his early morning presentation with a round of heartwarming jokes, it was clear how important connecting with people is to him. A string of notable accolades under his belt, notably the serial entrepreneur of four companies, a partner at a venture capitalist firm, and currently an intrapraneur at Redbox, Achler could only stress the importance of values in helping him through every step of his career.

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