This morning I walked into a place that I’ve been many times before over the last couple of months, but this was different. On the 12th floor of The Merchandise Mart, around 9am, a bunch of digital entrepreneurs started to show up and began working on building their digital businesses. At around 10am, we all gathered in the Assembly space @1871Chicago to welcome our new launch startups plus Code Academy to our first day together in the space. Here’s a pic:
What an exciting day! This morning, we hosted a press conference with Governor Pat Quinn to announce some great news: 1871 will officially open its doors for business on May 2. The Governor has been a great supporter of 1871 as a catalyst to fuel the growth of the digital tech community in Chicago. We are truly grateful for the State’s generous $2.3 million contribution as it is a key component to ensure 1871 is up and running by May 2.
Earlier today, we notified the first companies whose 1871 membership applications have been accepted. More than 300 companies have applied to 1871 since the application process was opened in mid-January. An independent panel has been reviewing this pool of applicants to identify the most promising digital startups who have demonstrated the potential to succeed in executing their vision. We are very excited to welcome our first tenants to 1871 as soon as we open our doors.
Thanks to all of the startups and entrepreneurs who have applied for membership in 1871! We are so excited about the incredible response we’ve received to building out this vibrant community of peers, mentors, and investors.
In early May of 2011, I finally met a young entrepreneur I’d been hearing about from many folks around Chicago’s startup scene: Neil Sales-Griffin. We met up before he was the MC of the CEC’s Future Founders Citywide Business Plan competition. We grabbed coffee as he turned on his iPad to share what he was up to – something called Code Academy. I was blown away by Neil’s passion and focus on solving one of Chicago’s biggest startup challenges – our lack of great technical talent. He had an idea to start a education firm to train talented folks how to build web applications in 11 weeks. I bought everything Neil was selling, but wanted to see him execute – and execute he and his teammates did! Code Academy has been growing like crazy since launching in 2011 and the 1871 team is thrilled to announce our partnership. Two classrooms at 1871 will be dedicated to Code Academy!
By Todd Heiser, Design Director, Gensler
[Read more…] about Designing 1871: Thoughts from Todd Heiser of Gensler
Yesterday afternoon we hosted the second 1871 Hard Hat Tour on the 12th floor of the Merchandise Mart. The 100 spots sold out quickly after being posted on Thursday and we welcomed a great group of entrepreneurs, business leaders, government leaders, and other folks from the community. Right at 3pm the doors opened and hard hats were passed out because this is still a construction zone.
[Read more…] about Second 1871 Hard Hat Tour on Saturday afternoon
The 1871 team would like to thank Governor Pat Quinn and the State of Illinois for their generous support of our new center for digital startups.
[Read more…] about Thanks to Governor Quinn and the State of Illinois for supporting 1871!
It’s still under construction, but a huge space at the Merchandise Mart could become the cradle of the next generation of internet giants. We take a look inside the venture called “1871.”
[Read more…] about WTTW’s Chicago Tonight – first video in 1871!
Great post and audio interview by Niala!
[Read more…] about 1871: Chicago Entrepreneurs To Open Startup Tech Center – From WBEZ
We believed there was some demand in Chicago’s startup community for an incredible co-working space with dynamic programming – classes, events, office hours with experts – and the response shows that belief was right on. Entrepreneurs from all corners of Chicago have reached out to the team or visited 1871.com to learn more about this ambitious project we announced Wednesday morning. In addition, civic, corporate, and government leaders have been in touch to see how they can help make this an awesome place for startups.
Today we announced 1871, a center for digital entrepreneurs to instantly plug into a vibrant community of peers, mentors, partners, and investors. 1871 will be home to hundreds of entrepreneurs, developers, and designers who are building the next generation of successful digital technology companies in Chicago.
JOBS! Every week, we highlight a number of open jobs for our member companies. If you’re looking for an exciting career in the tech industry or an opportunity to work alongside Chicago’s best and brightest, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are the job openings for the week of February 25, 2019.
JOBS! Every week, we highlight a number of open jobs for our member companies. If you’re looking for an exciting career in the tech industry or an opportunity to work alongside Chicago’s best and brightest, then you’ve come to the right place. Here are the job openings for the week of February 20, 2019.
[Read more…] about 1871 Jobs Roundup: Week of 2/20/19 (Clone)
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 Darcy Bonner, Innovation, Strategy, and Business Development Manager at Schneider Electric.
[Read more…] about “Some things take patience.” – Darcy Bonner (Clone)
