The Difference Engine Makes 1871 Its Home Base

1871 will provide meeting space to The Difference Engine as part of a new ongoing partnership which aims to help facilitate training and valuable connections for developers with non-traditional backgrounds. The Difference Engine, founded by 1871 member and WiSTEM alum Kimberly Lowe-Williams, is a non-profit with a mission of helping women, minorities, and older career changers take pre-existing tech skills and transform them into coding careers. 

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The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and 1871 are thrilled to announce that 1871 will be one of three Chicago institutions to partner with global apparel retailer UNIQLO, with visual displays from five innovative and design-forward 1871 member companies to launch inside the brand’s three-story, 60,000 square-foot flagship store on Michigan Avenue.

[Read more…] about 1871 to Commence Three-Month Partnership with Global Apparel and Lifestyle Brand UNIQLO

Constant innovation is the name of the game, but how can this accomplished within large enterprises? Over the course of three posts, we’ll share key takeaways from 1871’s recent Corporate Innovation Summit which was based on one of 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman’s favorite truisms: “People don’t change when they see the light; they change when they feel the heat.”

[Read more…] about Innovating within Corporations: Key Takeaways Part 1

Last Thursday evening November 2, more than 1000 of the Chicago tech and entrepreneurial community’s best and brightest gathered together to celebrate the landmark 10th Annual Momentum Awards Dinner, hosted by 1871 and Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC). The evening culminated in the presentation of six awards to deserving leaders and companies that have made major contributions to the city’s tech ecosystem.  

[Read more…] about Chicago Tech Community Celebrates the Power of 10X Thinking at the 10th Annual Momentum Awards Dinner

1871 recently hosted Anna Auerbach, Founder and Co-CEO of Werk, and Lee Mayer, Founder and CEO of Havenly, for an intimate fireside chat at 1871 about their entrepreneurial journeys. Through the conversation, Anna and Lee showed us that with perseverance and dedication towards one’s passion, you can succeed. What passion do you have that drives you to make a difference?

[Read more…] about Passion and Purpose: Takeaways From the Founders of Werk and Havenly

The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and 1871 announced Thursday that CEC Board Chairman James O’Connor, Jr. will be named the Entrepreneurial Champion at the 10th Annual Momentum Awards Dinner, held November 2 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago. This honor is given to an individual who has made a significant impact on the Chicago entrepreneurial ecosystem.

[Read more…] about James O’Connor, Jr. to be Named Entrepreneurial Champion at 10th Annual Momentum Awards Dinner

The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and 1871 announced Monday that Howard A. Tullman, 1871’s outgoing CEO, will receive the first ever Lifetime Achievement in Entrepreneurship Award at the 10th Annual Momentum Awards Dinner, held November 2 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago. This is a new honor that will periodically recognize a serial entrepreneur or businessperson who has left a significant, long-term and permanent mark on the Chicago community through his or her business and civic contributions.

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The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and 1871 will present the third annual Chicagoness Award to Lupe Fiasco at the 10th Annual Merrick Momentum Awards Dinner, to be held November 2 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Chicago. The award honors individuals and businesses that exemplify the values and unique traits of the Chicago entrepreneur, which include hard work, commitment to community, inclusion and a vision that fosters collective opportunity.

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Our amazing sponsors at Google for Entrepreneurs hosted the 5th Annual Trailblazers this past September in Santa Rosa, California, bringing leaders from around the globe who are passionate about growing entrepreneurship in their ecosystems. This year, 1871’s Director of External Affairs and International Relations Diana Lopez-Obaldo, who attended and reconnected with old and new friends, shares her takeaways from the retreat.

[Read more…] about Disconnect to Reconnect: “Glamping” with Google For Entrepreneurs

1871 held its latest quarterly Fintech Forum on September 29th, in partnership with Capco, to showcase Chicago’s strongest data and analytics experts and to help create engagement between 1871 startups and corporate partners in the fintech space. Here are four key takeaways on how to use reporting information to drive insights, automation, and a competitive advantage.

[Read more…] about The 1871 Fintech Forum: A Discussion of the Future of Data and Analytics