1871 releases two new pilots, DGTL, powered by Exelon, & Small Business Initiative to support small businesses with virtual resources that enable entrepreneurs and small businesses to overcome challenges with content available anywhere, anytime.

Friday, October 16th marked the success of the 11th Annual Tech Challenge event! This year was particularly exciting being the first Tech Challenge held by 1871 since the merger with ITA, and our first time putting on Tech Challenge virtually.

The 13th Annual Momentum Awards were unlike any that we’ve ever hosted before and there is no way it could’ve happened without our fantastic attendees and sponsors. Thank you for attending the virtual show, participating in the pre-show experiences, and—most of all—for supporting 1871 and the entire Chicago tech community.

Guest Podcaster: Brooke Bechtold

Have you ever thought something so simple as buying a coffee would significantly change a person’s life? Sound implausible? Think again.

HummbleBragg, a new Chicago-based podcast, is proud to tell the story of Curt’s Cafe in Evanston, IL. A small, but warm and inviting café, it’s a magnet and mortar to the community it serves. But more than the coffee it brews, the real mission of Curt’s Café is cultivating promise.

The first Momentum Awards show since the 1871 and Illinois Technology Association merger recognizes seven distinguished individuals and companies for their contributions and commitment to the Chicago technology and innovation community.

By: Terri Brax, CEO, Women Tech Founders 

Aviva Rosman is co-founder and COO of BallotReady, a startup that helps voters make informed decisions down the ballot. Aviva is also the recipient of the 2017 Midwest Women in Tech Award for Social Impact.

As a pioneer in voter education, Aviva recently spoke with Women Tech Founders to discuss how startup leaders can get involved this election season and what the tech community can do to build a culture of civic engagement for the long term.

Guest Author: Brendan Neuman

Creative enterprises start with ideas, and those ideas – initially – are brought into the world through founders and entrepreneurs. Unfortunately, one person’s ideas don’t make for growing, sustainable, and agile businesses. Instead, creativity, and the value it brings to organizations, is a team effort. While every individual holds creative potential, that potential depends on an environment and culture built for creative risk taking.

Guest Author: Lewis Lee, CEO, Aon’s IP Solutions

Guest Author: Gehrig Kunz

Blockchain is a paradox. The technology made famous by bitcoin has simultaneously boundless disruptive potential and boisterous skeptics. Like most things, the truth is likely somewhere in the middle. As a startup founder, the question that really matters to you is often left unanswered – what can you really do with blockchain today?

Israel Idonije, founder of FBRK Impact House, to be awarded the Chicagoness Award at Momentum 2020 for exemplifying the values of the Chicago entrepreneurial community.