1871 and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC), the Midwest’s largest Hispanic entrepreneur community, join forces to hold a five-part event series to celebrate, connect, and empower Hispanic entrepreneurs.
1871and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC) are observing Hispanic Heritage Month with Celebrando La Innovación, a free series of five events that will include a pitching event, panel discussions, a fireside chat, networking opportunities, and a workshop. Beginning September 13 and running through October 4, the series will feature key members of Chicago’s Hispanic community who will speak and participate at each event. All events will be held at 1871.
“There’s a significant amount of research showing that diverse companies outperform their peers and drive greater innovation, and that’s why we’re so passionate about celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with this event series,” said 1871 CEO Betsy Ziegler. “We designed this series with the IHCC to focus on supporting, connecting, and empowering Hispanic founders, which will help pave the way for more diverse leadership in Chicago’s tech and business communities.”
The Celebrando La Innovación series includes the following events, all hosted at 1871, located in the Merchandise Mart.
Make the Connection! Pitch Night | September 13, 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm | Entrepreneurs pitch their businesses in the hopes of winning over the panel of judges and the cash prize.
Heart & Hustle: Stories of Latinx Entrepreneurs | September 20, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm | Hear the unique stories and perspectives of four Latinx entrepreneurs as they talk about their unconventional path to building a company.
Fireside Chat with Anthony Ponce | September 27, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm | Anthony Ponce left his prestigious job as a news anchor to drive a Lyft full-time. Through this transition, he struck out on his own and created a podcast called Backseat Driver. In this Fireside Chat, you’ll hear about his journey and what he learned from chatting with everyday Chicagoans.
1 Million Cups | October 10, 8:00 am - 10:00 am | 1 Million Cups is a free program designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs with their communities. This event will feature two Latinx entrepreneurs who will present their companies and ideas.
Google Workshop: Using Data to Drive Growth | October 4, 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm | This workshop is in Spanish. Learn about tools to help you collect and interpret real-time information about how customers are interacting with you online so you can make smarter decisions about how to reach key audiences on your budget, timeline, and terms.
“With more than 70,000 Hispanic-owned businesses in Illinois alone, it is important to take a moment and celebrate the immeasurable contributions that Hispanic entrepreneurs make to the business ecosystem,” said Kelley Francis, Interim President & CEO of IHCC. “IHCC is proud to collaborate on this event series with 1871 that will provide a platform for meaningful engagement and discussion on how to keep moving the Hispanic business community forward.”
In addition to the Celebrando La Innovación event series, 1871 partners with the IHCC to hold the Latinx Incubator, a 12-week program that provides Hispanic entrepreneurs with strategic programming, resources, technical support, and access to networks. Additionally, 1871 has launched a number of major initiatives to support underrepresented and minority business owners including WiSTEM, a 12-week accelerator program for women entrepreneurs, and ChiBuys, a first-of-its-kind program supporting women- and minority-owned food vendors. 1871 staff members also strive to make diversity and inclusion a priority in their recruiting efforts, events, programming, membership, and every other facet of the organization.
To learn more about the Celebrando La Innovación event series or RSVP for one of its events, follow this link.