Early Stage Membership

Founding a tech company can feel like uncharted territory.
Accelerate your startup at 1871 with our roadmap that guides you towards sustained success.

Resources to meet your milestones

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If you are shifting from idea to execution, finding your product-market fit, or launching your startup, 1871 empowers you to take the right steps at the right time. We deliver solutions that are curated to your unique needs, including

A structured yet flexible roadmap that charts important milestones and puts you in control of your growth

✅ A network of industry professionals and experts that you can connect with at any time for resources like mentorship, talent recruitment, and tech support

✅ A community of fellow innovators who will inspire and motivate you to surpass your goals

Early Stage Membership Perks

24/7 Access to 1871's co-working space

Take advantage of our vibrant office space, which includes complimentary coffee, a podcast studio, and conference room bookings. For a fee, members have access to dedicated desks and event space rentals.

Perks & Discounts

Enjoy $100,00+ in discounted tools and services from 1871 partners.

Weekly Workshops

Startup Roadmap includes workshops every Wednesday covering critical startup topics.

Deep Dive Programs

Join a cohort of founders and tackle each milestone on the Startup Roadmap through 16-hour programs, led by 1871 Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.

Expert Guidance

Engage in Flipped sessions, where you’ll receive feedback on an aspect of your solution from an experienced mentor. Rotating topics include Pitch Practice, Branding Review, and Product Review.

1:1 Mentorship

Connect with dedicated mentors through the 1871 mentor portal

1871 Team Support

1871 offers virtual sessions and orientations that guide early-stage members through 1871 programs, platforms, and resources. Have your questions answered and explore the breadth of your membership access

Industry Access

Enjoy complimentary tickets to all Innovation Summits, attend Innovation Labs experiences and events, and join an industry-focused digital community on the member portal to connect with founders, corporates, and investors

Find your co-founder

Engage in networking with early-stage founders seeking a co-founder.

Recruit Talent

Learn hiring best practices through workshops and utilize our job board for unlimited job postings. Additionally, enjoy discounted recruiting services provided by Hirewell, access our micro-internship platform, and recruiting events.

Strengthen your team

With a team membership, your entire team has access to 1871’s physical co-working space. Participate in skill-building workshops and enjoy a team-wide 50% off immersive training programs.

Amplify your voice

Participate in leadership programs for underrepresented founders and join identity-based community resource groups. All members have access to our 1871 Voices Community Events, which bring together underrepresented founders for networking, workshops, celebrations, and more.

Find your Pitch your startup:-founder

Participate in various opportunities to pitch your company to investors, potential customers, mentors, and others.

Member spotlight

Showcase your product and/or solution through our Member Spotlight series that live on social media and our website.

Investor and partner database

Showcase your progress and fundraising goals through the database that is regularly shared with investors and potential clients.

Individual Membership Pricing

  • Monthly Individual $200
  • Yearly $2000

Team Membership Pricing

  • Monthly $500
  • Yearly $5000

Open desk

  • 24/7 access to shared desk spaces in downtown Chicago
  • Physical mailing address
  • Office amenities + conference rooms
  • $150K+ free business services
  • Unlimited access to startup roadmap
  • Live workshops & events
  • Mentor network
  • Supporting programs
  • Community messaging platform
  • Brand amplification

$350 / Month

Dedicated desk

  • 24/7 access to a reserved desk space in downtown Chicago
  • Physical mailing address
  • Office amenities + conference rooms
  • $150K+ free business services
  • Unlimited access to startup roadmap
  • Live workshops & events
  • Mentor network
  • Supporting programs
  • Community messaging platform
  • Brand amplification

$500 / Month

Dedicated desk

  • 24/7 access to a reserved desk space in downtown Chicago
  • Physical mailing address
  • Office amenities + conference rooms
  • $150K+ free business services
  • Unlimited access to startup roadmap
  • Live workshops & events
  • Mentor network
  • Supporting programs
  • Community messaging platform
  • Brand amplification

$500 / Month

Looking for office space?

Let us know to see what’s available to build, customize, or set up shop at our Downtown Chicago space.

Your roadmap

We analyzed the pain points of over 250 founders and designed a roadmap to help you navigate startup fundamentals and propel you forward through every business milestone, from the idea stage through product-market fit. 

No matter where you’re at in your business journey, we offer programming education, mentorship, and resources to help you grow. This roadmap, what 1871-ers refer to as “PYROS,” has four tracks: Explore, Build, Launch, and Catapult. Each track is structured around the following three educational pillars: 

  • Product Marketing & Strategy
  • Startup & Business Fundamentals
  • Leadership & Development

1871 also connects you with a community of peers to support and push you every step of the way. 

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Supporting programs

Bring your full self to 1871. Our specialized identity and industry programs are carefully tailored to help you embrace your unique strengths, connect with industry insiders who will champion your success, and break down the barriers you face. To join any of the groups below, apply to be an early stage member.

Identity

BLK•Tech

Unlock a new world of opportunities among an intimate cohort of peers and mentors designed for Black-led startups. Learn More

LatinX

In partnership with the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC), this program provides tailored coaching to help LatinX entrepreneurs thrive. Learn More

WISTEM

WISTEM empowers early stage woman-identifying entrepreneurs to develop, launch, and build their tech businesses faster. Learn more

Industry

WMN•FINTech

WMN•FINTech in partnership with BMO Harris Bank pairs women-led startups that create services or solutions for the financial sector with industry-specific education and executive mentors.  Learn more

Hear from our early stage members

Keithan Hedrick
Co-Founder & CEO
Candi

“The Pyros-Build experience was amazing, and it provided us the roadmap and structure that we were seeking. I can’t overstate how much money we saved from going through the program and avoiding the costly mistakes we would have made otherwise. Building a company is hard, but you aren’t the first to do it. The famous cliche is not to reinvent the wheel. Pyros is the wheel—use it!”

Cheryl Kemps
Founder
IndieFit

“We have done other accelerators, but they didn’t come close to the quality of the workshops, mentors and support that we’ve gotten from PYROS. I still can’t believe the program is included with membership. Launch helped us take our C- financial model and turn it into an A+ decision-making resource. It has also equipped us with new growth ideas and a robust OKR framework that keeps us focused.”

Ready to learn more? Attend an info session.

Bi-weekly on Tuesdays | 1:00pm-2:00pm CST 

In this one-hour info session, our early stage membership team will walk you through 1871’s roadmap of support, which includes regular educational programming, 1:1 guidance, networking events, and much more—all accessible anywhere and anytime.

Hear From Our Members