1871

Happy National Entrepreneur Day! Entrepreneurs are the heart and soul of 1871. The passion, ingenuity, and perseverance of our founders is what makes this community so special. Never stop innovating 🚀! #Enetrepreneurship #1871Chicago #Innovation #Startupfounder #Startup #Tech

An open letter to all the builders, all the status quo changers, all the dreamers of a better world 🌎 on National Entrepreneurs Day (with special 🤗 🙏 💜 to the 1871 community), Did you know that 60% of Americans daydream and aspire to start their own business (including moi), just a tiny fraction actually do. You are that tiny fraction. Thank you for contributing to this world, our community, and also, thank you from me. You have changed my life. 😢 You give me evidence each day that the abundance is real. You prove day in and out that the pairing of technology and human ingenuity means that any problem can be solved. The day you decided to put your imprint on the world, IS the day you became a legendary leader in this community. Chicago needs you. The country needs you. Humanity needs you. It is critical that you keep doing what you are doing, AND that more of you summon the courage and the confidence to move the world forward. 1871 exists to inspire, equip, and support builders. We are your “AND”. We are in the hero-making 🦸 business, and you are our heroes. As a non profit, our only job is helping to increase your probability of success and shortening your time frame to reach that success. We believe there is nothing more important than entrepreneurship in solving global problems, catalyzing new business growth, creating jobs, narrowing the wealth gap, and investing in neighborhoods which in turn improves social mobility and social justice. 40 MM net new jobs have been created over the last 3 decades in the United States. 100% were created by small businesses and start-ups. While I am fully aware the last 2 years have been hard, it is still true that venture capital-backed companies are responsible for 11% of 🇺🇸 private sector jobs. I learned from Category Pirates that US VC investment accounts for < than 1% of GDP, and the revenue 💰produced by vc-backed startups is 21% of U.S. GDP...105X ratio of revenue generated to investment. 🚀 🔥 The combined mkt cap of the Nasdaq and NYSE (as of November 10th) is about $52 trillion, 40% comes from US startup founders backed by US based VCs. ~$21 trillion ! VC backed startup founders are the largest entrepreneurial value creators in history. Category Pirates Christopher Lockheed says “Everything is the way that it is, because people like you changed the way that it was.” Let’s remember that every company, small to large, started with an idea. You know better than me that the path of growth is not a straight line. It’s a series of peaks and valleys. It all begins with courage to do something different. If you ever have a day where you are questioning if what you do matters, know that it does. It really, really does. I am grateful to you all. 🙏 💯 Troy Henikoff Garry Cooper Ted Souder Sonia Sahney Nagar Randy Nornes Scott Holloway Kevin Willer Kristi Ross #NationalEntrepreneursDay #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #BuildingTheFuture #ThinkBig #InnovatorsUnite

Congratulations to the winners of our FoodTech and Supply Chain Pitch Showcases 🏆! Supply chain people’s choice: Olha Mullyar Supply chain judges choice: Mac Dougherty FoodTech people’s choice: Eddy Mejia FoodTech judges choice: Nipun Sharma These founders were part of the FoodTech and Supply Chain Innovation Lab and finished the program by pitching on stage to corporates, investors, and the community at the summit. We can’t wait to see what’s next for these trailblazing founders! Stay notified for next year’s Innovation Labs- https://lnkd.in/gm225eGp #PitchWinner #PitchCompetition #Innovation #1871Chicago #StartupFounder

1871’s newest resident, BuiltWorlds, is hosting their first monthly Member Meeting on 11.20! This joint event will bring together members of 1871 and BuiltWorlds to learn about upcoming programs and discuss key topics including construction tech, sustainable materials, energy transition, and the future of infrastructures like transportation and water 🏗. RSVP and view the full agenda featuring breakfast, networking, and speaker sessions: https://lnkd.in/gW6_Sg4i #BuiltWorlds #1871 #ConstructionTech #Innovation #ChicagoTech

Chicago is the Midwest's epicenter for innovation and expertise in buildings and infrastructure. From our new space in 1871 at THE MART, we want to help elevate and increase that innovation while also connecting the industry and strengthening relationships between the investors, contractors and innovators themselves. To kickoff our partnership with 1871 and reaffirm our commitment to supporting the Midwests buildings and infrastructure ecosystem, we'd like to invite you, our members and network, to join us at our new office space next week for a chance to learn a little bit more about the players in the area, the initiatives we have planned for next year, and the new resources, research, and programming we're putting together to help us achieve our short- and long-term goals. Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/gW6_Sg4i Please follow us for more opportunities to get involved with the BuiltWorlds community!

I need a word… - A word for the feeling I get when I’m watching a founder— who I just worked with a few times—go from flailing - with a lack of clarity and confidence - To collected, clear, and compelling - As they deliver their pitch before hundreds of people! - This was the feeling I had for the past two days watching founders from the 1871 Food Tech & Supply Chain Innovation Summit and Pitch Showcase. - Wait. Pause. Halt. ✋🏾⏸️🛑 A word just struck me like lightning ⚡️ - 🤗🤩😍It’s FLOWPHORIA (yes, I just made that up) - It’s a feeling of intense focus, exuberance, and gratitude all rolled into one. - And that’s exactly how I felt again and over again, from the rooms at Accenture on pitch pre-selection day to the pitch stage at 1871. 🙌🏽 - Thank you Betsy Ziegler, Gabby Snedeker, Joey Stern, Alysha-Aubrey Bursey, Billy Ndizeye, and the 1871 team at large, for trusting me with the mind, voice, and pitch performance of your founders. - Thank you to all the founders who, with voices shaking, trust me to give laser feedback—and implement it. - Look out for the announcement of the pitch showcase winners.🤗 - #voice #pitch #performance #founders #innovation #summit #showcase

Thank you to all who joined us at our FoodTech & Supply Chain Innovation Summit! What an incredible two days filled with an overwhelming excitement for the future of supply chain innovation 🌟. Thank you to our incredible speakers: Katrina (Pabon) Bergh, Bob Czechowicz, Allison Hofferica, Lior Ron, Felipe Capella, Jason Weingarten, Michael Sachaj, Rajesh Rangaswamy, Tracy Baran, Adrian Pask, Katie Whalen, Michael Sigel Thank you to our summit partners: Canadian Consulate General, EX3 Labs, Farmer's Fridge, Ferrero, GS1, The HEINEKEN Company, Levy Restaurants, Microsoft, Oishii, World Business Chicago See you next time! #Innovation #StartupExpo #Startup #1871Chicago #ChicagoTech #FoodTech #SupplyChain

What are you looking forward to today? Hear from the founders at our FoodTech and Supply Chain Innovation Summit what they’re excited for 🌟! #Innovation #StartupExpo #Startup #1871Chicago #ChicagoTech #FoodTech #SupplyChain

Kicking off day two of our FoodTech & Supply Chain Innovation Summit 🙌! We had an incredible day at Accenture yesterday and we’re bringing that same energy to 1871. We have an exciting day ahead filled with speakers, pitches, networking and fun! Stay tuned for a look at our Startup Expo 🚀! #1871Chicago #InnovationSummit #FoodTech #SupplyChain #Innovation

We are honored that our CEO, Betsy Ziegler, is speaking at Crain's Chicago Business Most Innovative Companies! She will be joined on stage by panelists Chris Gladwin and Kate Waimey Timmerman and moderator John Pletz, to discuss breakthroughs in the Chicago tech community. #Innovation #Panelist #Chicagotech