1871 and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC) announced Thursday that their joint incubator program has opened applications for its second cohort, which is set to begin at 1871 in May 2017. The new cohort members will be following the 10 startups that successfully graduated on March 1 from the inaugural cohort. The incubator’s current title sponsor is PNC Illinois, whose sponsorship facilitates the resources to make the program a success.

1871 Business Development Associate, Colleen Maxwell, sat down with Andres Mendoza-Pena from 1871 partner and 2015 Momentum Awards Corporate Champion, A.T. Kearney.  She asked him more about A.T. Kearney’s commitment to the Chicago ecosystem and what the team has learned from 1871’s startups.

The largest and most diverse cohort of businesses to date have been selected for the fourth cohort of WiSTEM, 1871’s innovative and customized program designed to accelerate and cultivate opportunities for women in technology. The 14 women-owned companies will begin the 12-week program March 21.

Kristen Sonday is the founder of Paladin, an online platform that connects legal professionals to pro bono opportunities, and was also a member of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and 1871’s first cohort of their joint accelerator program. She was chosen from 45 applicants to serve as the 2017 EIR, focusing on diversity and inclusion efforts in the entrepeneurship community.

1871 announced Friday that it will offer DocuSign, the pioneer and global standard for eSignature and Digital Transaction Management (DTM), to its startup members complimentary to help them accelerate their businesses. Startups at 1871 will gain free, one-year access to DocuSign, adding to a growing list of perks made available to member companies. 

At 1871, each staff member is allocated a cash allotment to donate to a charity of their choice. On the 1871 blog, we’re highlighting the stories behind these donations. This week, we're featuring Vanessa Yeh, Manager, Brand Experience; Khadijah McGill, Administrative Assistant; and Jihan Bibb, Manager of Events. Read on to learn about their choice causes!

1871 will celebrate International Women's Day 2017 with HEART OF BOLD, a full day of free public events and workshops, culminating in a featured keynote by  Feminist Fight Club Author Jessica Bennett. The event will reflect this year's theme “Be Bold for Change” with programming tailored to empower and inspire women in tech and business. 

At 1871, each staff member is allocated a cash allotment to donate to a charity of their choice. On the 1871 blog, we’re highlighting the stories behind these donations. Read on to learn how Jessica William, Co-Facilitator of WiSTEM; Laura Fendrich, Manager of Recruiting; Teddi Weigel, Events Assoicate; and Adam Milich, Facilities Coordinator decided to give back.

With so many faces and characters in the 1871 community, it's no wonder you'll never get the same answer twice to a question. For Black History Month, we spent some time with our members and asked them: What African American entrepreneur, innovator or inventor inspires you?

At 1871, we pride ourselves on celebrating and fostering diversity every single day. For Black History Month, we took some time to speak with members on a variety of platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and video. We had one simple question: What black innovator, inventor or entrepreneur has inspired you?