Success is not a plaque or a dollar sign. It can’t be bought or ascribed. Success is a personal reward borne out of a subscription to one’s core values. 1871 mentor Susan Kuczmarski of Kuczmarski Innovation discusses how the empowered leader of the future will have to embrace six unique qualities that are unknown to many leaders today.

Founders know that equity is a powerful commodity for a startup; used effectively, it allows you to attract top talent and save on cash. But, simply giving employees equity isn’t enough. Your equity compensation needs to be a part of a broader strategy that fits with your company culture and goals. 1871 workshop leader Iman Malik of Carta gives us the low-down on equity trends. 

1871 now offers password and asset security services provided by Keeper Security at a discounted rate for one year to all 1871 members, the most recent addition to a growing list of business perks available to our community.

WiSTEM, 1871’s accelerator program for women-founded businesses, will be receiving a $50,000 grant from the Small Business Administration for the second year in a row through the SBA Growth Accelerator Fund Competition. WiSTEM is one of 20 programs nationally to receive a grant totaling $1 million combined.

On October 30, 1871 hosted the Tech Jobs Tour, a forum which helps diverse, non-traditional talent find jobs in the technology space. The national tour features top tech experts who are women, people of color, LGBTQ, veterans and people with disabilities. Megan Smith, former CTO of the United States and CEO of shift7, gave the keynote speech and stopped by 1871 earlier in the day to meet with women entrepreneurs in the space.

1871 will provide meeting space to The Difference Engine as part of a new ongoing partnership which aims to help facilitate training and valuable connections for developers with non-traditional backgrounds. The Difference Engine, founded by 1871 member and WiSTEM alum Kimberly Lowe-Williams, is a non-profit with a mission of helping women, minorities, and older career changers take pre-existing tech skills and transform them into coding careers. 

The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and 1871 are thrilled to announce that 1871 will be one of three Chicago institutions to partner with global apparel retailer UNIQLO, with visual displays from five innovative and design-forward 1871 member companies to launch inside the brand’s three-story, 60,000 square-foot flagship store on Michigan Avenue.

Constant innovation is the name of the game, but how can this accomplished within large enterprises? Over the course of three posts, we'll share key takeaways from 1871's recent Corporate Innovation Summit which was based on one of 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman's favorite truisms: "People don’t change when they see the light; they change when they feel the heat.”

Last Thursday evening November 2, more than 1000 of the Chicago tech and entrepreneurial community's best and brightest gathered together to celebrate the landmark 10th Annual Momentum Awards Dinner, hosted by 1871 and Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC). The evening culminated in the presentation of six awards to deserving leaders and companies that have made major contributions to the city’s tech ecosystem.  

1871 recently hosted Anna Auerbach, Founder and Co-CEO of Werk, and Lee Mayer, Founder and CEO of Havenly, for an intimate fireside chat at 1871 about their entrepreneurial journeys. Through the conversation, Anna and Lee showed us that with perseverance and dedication towards one's passion, you can succeed. What passion do you have that drives you to make a difference?