Mesirow Financial Joins 1871 as a Corporate Partner

On March 8th, 2018 — powerful women from around the nation gathered at 1871 to participate in a full day of events, workshops, and panels that served to educate, inspire, and empower women across all industries. The event marked 1871’s annual commemoration of International Women’s Day and covered relevant topics for women in business such as authentic leadership, professional development, and gender equality. We’ve put together some highlights from the event in case you missed it, or you can follow this link to see all of the photos from this year’s event.

[Read more…] about Press for Progress: 1871 Celebrates Women Trailblazers and Pioneers at Unforgettable International Women’s Day Event

Last night, a dozen women entrepreneurs took the stage to present their businesses in front of a packed audience at 1871. From a vacation rental cleaning service to an employee engagement platform, each entrepreneur celebrated 12 weeks of hard work, grit, and passion as they pitched their business ideas and officially graduated from our sixth WiSTEM cohort. Not to worry if you couldn’t make it — we’ve captured the evening’s highlights right here. 

[Read more…] about Graduation Day: 1871 Celebrates Sixth WiSTEM Cohort With Unforgettable Showcase

When’s the last time you used a rotary-dial phone? How about a VHS player? Well, you might want to add your wallet to that list — because a growing amount of currency experts believe that cash, as we know it, is going digital. That’s the topic that ‘Disruption’ Joe Hernandez, Founder of the Chicago Blockchain Project, tackled to wrap up our Chicago Made series.

[Read more…] about ‘Disruption’ Joe Hernandez on Blockchain, Bitcoin, and Why Your Cash is Going Digital

We’re excited to present you with a very special Q&A session with Leslie Wong, a graduate of 1871’s WiSTEM program and Founder and CEO of Burgundy Fox, and Brady Campbell, VP of Strategy and Development at Galvanize. In this interview, the two share their thoughts and takeaways on community, mentorship, diversity, and entrepreneurship.

[Read more…] about A Very Special Q&A: Leslie Wong of Burgundy Fox and Brady Campbell of Galvanize Talk Community, Mentorship, and Women in Tech

From Wall-E to WarGames, there’s no shortage of films or pop culture references that highlight the dangers of modern technology. But despite what we’ve seen on the big screen, there are plenty of folks who are using technology for social good — including the panel that presented at Part 3 of our Chicago Made series: Nick Sky, Co-Founder and CEO of ChangEd; Art Caines, Co-Founder and CEO of MaxGrad; Leeatt Rothschild, Founder of Packed with Purpose; Joel Pollick, Founder and CEO of Percent Pledge, and Kelli Haywood, Founder and Executive Director of Dream On Education.

[Read more…] about Doing Business, Doing Good: Chicago Entrepreneurs at the Intersection of Purpose, Passion, and Profit

1871 member company Genivity, which provides clients with life-planning solutions, will pitch at Google Demo Day in San Francisco on March 28th. Each year, Google Demo Day brings a diverse group of startups from across North America to Silicon Valley to showcase their technology and meet investors and mentors. Startups are nominated by partners within the Google for Entrepreneurs Partner Network.

[Read more…] about 1871 Member Company Genivity Selected to Pitch at Google Demo Day

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 Monica Kathuria, a licensed clinical psychologist and owner of Encircle Psychological Services, LLC.

[Read more…] about “You mean I can’t just hang my name on a door and people will come knocking?” – Monica Kathuria

1871 ranked first in the world in the 2018 UBI Global list of Top University-Affiliated Business Incubators and will be celebrated today in an international ceremony in Toronto. UBI Global utilizes an international research team that analyzes and benchmarks business incubators based on a wide range of factors, including their value to members and overall economic impact. 

[Read more…] about 1871 Ranks 1st in the World in Global Study of Business Incubators

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 Awatif Yahya, Founder of Awe Horizons and Director of Strategic Partnerships at Ama La Vida.

[Read more…] about “Being a perfectionist often slows you down.” – Awatif Yahya

It’s official — we’re moving to Slack! To celebrate our migration, we’ve put together a list of tips for Slack users new and old. If you’re new to Slack, you’ll definitely want to read through these and if you’re a Slack veteran, check them out all the same so that you can dominate the office GIF game.

[Read more…] about 1871 Joins Slack: 5 Tips to Get You Started