Earlier this month, we were excited to co-host our fourth Corporate Innovation Summit with Microsoft. The Summit brought together several of 1871’s corporate partners to share best practices around engaging with entrepreneurial ecosystems and startup technologies, as well as how to create a culture of internal corporate innovation.

For a founder referred to as the “Rockstar of Finance,” Tom Sosnoff looks the part. Donning a “Tastytrade” branded Kangol hat and button down and a faded pair of jeans, the legendary Chicago serial entrepreneur took the stage Tuesday, July 19 at 1871 to sit down for one of 1871’s longest running events, Chicago Founders’ Stories hosted by 1871 Board Member Pat Ryan, Jr.

The 1871/IHCC Hispanic Technology Incubator is a cohort-based accelerator that provides Latinx-led businesses with programming and mentorship. We asked each of the participating entrepreneurs about what makes them tick, and this week, we say hello to Ricky Regalado, CEO and Founder of RozaRoute, a B2B app solution for the commercial cleaning service industry.

With a network of more than 300 professionals from every industry, the mentor program is the crown jewel of 1871. Every day, mentors dedicate their time and expertise guiding our members from issues ranging from legal to tech and everywhere in between, forming valuable relationships and producing concrete outcomes. We highlight members of our mentor program on an ongoing basis, and this week, we say hello to Kimberly Brown of Centrally Human. 

Livio Bolzon of 1871 member company Codemoji has developed a platform to help students learn HTML and CSS using curriculum written in a language nearly everyone can recognize: Emoji. 

These aren't the best of times for the tech industry. Every day another jerk emerges as the latest poster boy of ego and entitlement, someone who can't figure out how to keep his hands to himself and/or his ugly mouth shut. And the many feeble attempts and faux justifications made in the name of speed and scale doesn't really advance the discussion or explain the situation, either.

Meet the fifth cohort of WiSTEM: A diverse set of entrepreneurs from a variety of industries beginning the accelerator program at 1871 July 18. The 13 companies will be participating in mentorship, workshops and tailored curriculum at 1871 for 12 weeks leading up to a showcase event in the fall. 

 1871 Board Member Maura O’Hara arrived home in 2003 from her last day at a high-level marketing job at Sears corporate to something unexpected on her kitchen counter.

1871's WiSTEM program has reached a new milestone: More than 50 companies are now graduates of the cohort program that accelerates the businesses of women entrepreneurs. With the fifth cohort of WiSTEM beginning July 18, we reached out to the newly graduated cohort to share their advice and experiences. 

Shutting yourself in what seems like a safe and secure space is an act of willful blindness. You need to look across your industry to leverage all the data available, including within your own company. And yes, there are platforms for that.