Meet a Mentor: Linda Darragh of Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern

September 13, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

With a network of more than 300 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 Linda Darragh of Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

September 13, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Kim Foerster knows everyone is a character, and she has a patent-pending 26 point algorithm to back that up. Along with Co-Founder and COO Pete McEntegart, the WiSTEM member and CharacTour CEO is setting out to connect casual TV and movie watchers and superfans alike based on the characters whose personality traits they most match.

September 12, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

The obstacles are always greater when you lack the funds to support your genius entrepreneurial idea. Victoria Elena Nones, Founder of Women in Comedy and 1871/IHCC Hispanic Technology Incubator alum, shares five key takeaways from her own entrepreneurial journey on how to maintain the right attitude when building a business on a shoestring.

September 12, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Earlier this year, my wife Tiffany mentioned an idea to me that might be a possible collaboration between 1871 and Energy BBDO, the Michigan Avenue-based advertising agency for whom she works. The idea was fairly straightforward — that the group of 25 or so Energy BBDO interns would work with 1871 startups over the summer to develop and pitch full advertising campaigns.

September 8, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

1871 had an exciting start to the week by welcoming six companies from Tel Aviv University to our space for a two-week program. Also on Insta: Some awesome views of The Mart, a look at some of the students who spent the summer coding at 1871 and some shots from the lens of our photographer, Greg Rothstein.

September 8, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Intimidated by a term sheet? Scratching your head on SAFE versus convertible notes? Don’t even know where to start when it comes to approaching an investor? It’s not uncommon for bootstrapped startups to be a little lost when it comes to the concept of asking for funding, but luckily, Hyde Park Angels is willing to share their wisdom.

September 8, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Sell a million copies of a book, and you get your name in the New York Times. Produce a platinum album, you top the Billboard charts and even get a plaque. But create, market and sell a best-selling toy or board game? —barely anyone knows your name. WiSTEM member and ChiTAG founder Mary Couzin is looking to change that.

September 5, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

In this guest contribution to the 1871 blog, Fillo’s co-founder Daniel Caballero talks about overcoming challenges while getting his product on the shelf and in front of consumers. Now on shelves across Chicago and online, Caballero shares his insight into what it takes to get from idea to sales to scale.

September 5, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Israeli Companies will Use 1871 as Home Base in Chicago as They Prepare to Enter U.S. Market; 10-Day Intensive Program Welcomes Startups from Tel Aviv University’s Management of Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MoTIE) Program

September 1, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

It was a week to celebrate at 1871, as we marked the conclusion of the second IHCC/1871 Joint Incubator, wished a coworker well on her upcoming nuptials and welcomed internationally renowned author Doris Kearns Goodwin to our space.

September 1, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Rather than trying to take on increasingly large and powerful companies, a better strategy is to make your firm essential by fusing with their infrastructure.

September 1, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Jane Shersher, an 1871 mentor and founder of Ava Today — which helps businesses and entrepreneurs stem burnout in the workplace, shares some simple tricks to handling stress.

August 31, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Hundreds gathered at 1871 on August 30th for the second 1871/Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Joint Incubator Showcase, where 13 Latinx-led startups pitched their businesses and celebrated completing an intense 12 week program of mentorship, workshops and support from the greater entrepreneurial community.

August 25, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

This week in Instagram: 1871 started off the week right by bringing the team together to view the Solar Eclipse. The last time a total eclipse was visible from coast to coast in the US was on June 8th, 1918. Our team was lucky enough to snag viewing glasses to catch the event in full effect.

August 25, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

Even though they’re learning the ins and outs of tech and business building while classes are out, Chicago students have had anything but a summer school experience at 1871 this summer. We welcomed students from both Rêve Academy and CoderSpace for a pair of innovative programs aimed at increasing opportunities in tech for young students and positively impacting communities.

August 25, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

We’ve talked and worried for years about the potential harm to businesses that unforeseen results and unintended consequences can cause, especially when the companies involved are new and relatively immature. When you read the typical after-action analyses, which try to make sense of these seemingly “abrupt” changes or the “surprise” upsets, they are almost always directed toward studying how well or poorly the particular actor, entity, or business fared as a result of the inability to anticipate or mitigate the nasty changes brought about by its own deliberate actions. Of course, these kinds of problems don’t simply effect newbies.

August 24, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

After planning her fair share of weddings and bachelorette parties for free, Christina Hecker decided it was time to make a little money on matrimony. Hecker, a member of WiSTEM’s fifth cohort, is the founder of Wedmony — an online platform that aims to connect couples planning their weddings and offers them simple tools to help them keep on schedule during the process.

August 23, 2017 by J Blaszczykiewicz

It’s an understatement to say tech has changed in the past 30 years, and Lisa Portnoy has been at the forefront of watching its evolution.

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