9 Ways to Drive Startup-Corporate Collaboration and Innovation: Part 1

August 7, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

1871 recently held its Summer Corporate Innovation Summit. The summit, which brings together innovation leaders from both corporations and startups, offered a number of takeaways on how both parties can support each other in their mission to grow business and pioneer new ideas. In case you missed it, 1871’s Xenia Mastropetrou and Lari Rutschmann have put together a two-part series highlighting some of the summit’s key takeaways. Here’s part one. [Read more…] about 9 Ways to Drive Startup-Corporate Collaboration and Innovation: Part 1

August 2, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

For many people, shopping is therapy — and just like a good therapist, the best retailers are the ones that truly understand their customers. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen as often as most retailers or shoppers would like. Fortunately, Geetha Natarajan, CEO and Co-founder of WishYourPrice, is using her magic to help retailers step into the shoes of their consumers and get a feel for what they really want.

August 1, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

For this week’s Our 1871, we chat with Joel Pollick, Founder of Percent Pledge. Percent Pledge helps you donate a small percentage of your paycheck to the causes you care most about and just this week announced new partnerships with SpotHero and Feeding America!

August 1, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Whether entrepreneurship is your main calling or just a side hustle, we understand how tough it can be to launch and run your own company. If you have a great business idea, but don’t know where to start, then make sure you check out Groundwork — our free public workshop series that covers everything you need to know to start your own business.

July 31, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Through a partnership with VentureSCALE, the Midwest’s first and only sales and revenue focused accelerator will operate exclusively out of 1871.

July 31, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

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 July 31, 2018.

July 30, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

If you’ve ever fronted money for an event or been stuck with the group bill then you know how much it can hurt to pony up the extra cash for your friends or co-workers. And it’s not just your wallet that suffers; after all, no one wants to be taken advantage of or feel like they’ve been duped. It’s an issue that Mia Velasquez, Co-founder and CEO of Commit, is all too familiar with — and one that she’s dedicated to solving.

July 26, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Our 1871 is a series of articles, photos, and videos introducing you to the amazing people who power our community. Simple 1871 fact — the people make the place. Today we chat with Davinder Kohli, Founder of XentStudios, a startup that uses virtual reality to help kitchen and bath retailers showcase their products.

July 26, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Investment in EdTech reached record highs in 2015, and it didn’t stop there. GeekWire revealed that in 2017 EdTech investments reached the $1.2 billion mark. And industry experts expect this to continue to grow in the coming years, as new innovations are released to the market. In this guest post, EdTech blogger Dana Anderson shares her thoughts on how startups in this industry can secure funding.
[Read more…] about A Guide to Funding and Developing an EdTech Startup

July 25, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Technology is constantly evolving, but Shayna Atkins, Founder, and CEO of AtkCo Inc., offers learning with in-person certification courses, online curated curriculum, and coaching for lean product development to prepare employees for tech’s next curveball. In this interview, Atkins shares her insights on the rapidly changing Fintech space, the importance of recruiting from underserved communities, and why it’s important to have great expectations.

July 24, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Most of us don’t need to know anything about our insurance other than a provider name and an identification number, but like a Swiss watch, there’s a whole lot going on beneath the surface than most of us realize. Unfortunately, the similarities stop there — while most Swiss watches are efficient automated wonders of Swiss engineering, the insurance industry runs closer to the opposite end of the spectrum. Thankfully, Richard Perrott of WatchTower is bringing the industry into the 21st century.

July 19, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Yesterday evening, 12 women entrepreneurs from Chicago’s tech and entrepreneur community showcased their businesses in front of a full auditorium at 1871. The showcase, which helps each founder generate leads and connect with investors, officially marks their graduation from our seventh WiSTEM cohort. To celebrate this achievement, we asked them to share their experiences and most memorable moments with us in their own words. From tough moments and challenges to triumphs and business breakthroughs, we hope you enjoy hearing their stories as much as we did.

July 19, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Our 1871 is a series of articles, photos, and videos introducing you to the amazing people who power our community. Simple 1871 fact — the people make the place. Today we chat with mentor Anjli Jain, Managing Partner at EVC Ventures, a $50 million Chicago-based venture capital fund.

July 18, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Denise Umubyeyi and Jasmine Shells are putting their own spin on company culture with Five to Nine, a culture engagement solution that increases workplace connectivity and inclusion while providing analytics to drive people strategy. In this interview, Umubyeyi and Shells share their thoughts on community, culture, and confidence.

July 17, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

There’s a lot of fake news out there today. Take Twitter as an example — recent studies show that false information spreads six times faster than the truth on the social media giant. It’s an issue that Daniel Rendon, a former CBS employee and current CEO of SUJO, plans on solving. In this article, he takes a look at the very real impact of fake news and how we can prevent fiction from turning into fact.

July 17, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

July 12, 2018 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Our 1871 is a series of articles, photos, and videos introducing you to the amazing people who power our community. Simple 1871 fact — the people make the place.Today we chat with mentor Marcelo De Santis, who’s led innovation at companies like Kraft Foods, Mondalez, and Pirelli.

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