Google for Entrepreneurs announced Thursday that Peanut Butter, an 1871 member company that helps employers offer student loan assistance, will join the 2017 Google Demo Day. Peanut Butter and other companies selected from across the network will travel to the Bay Area in June to to showcase their innovative technology to investors at the event and to an international audience via a livestream.

At 1871, it is part of our core values to provide resources and support to every single subset of our diverse community and to level the playing field for entrepreneurs so they have every ability to build their businesses successfully. Today, we are announcing a new benefit for our members that will allow themselves and their employees to deal with immigration-related issues efficiently and effectively.

 The Chicago Connectory, an Internet of Things (IoT) innovation space in the historic Merchandise Mart, launches today as a new center for IoT co-creation in Chicago and the Midwest United States. Startup organizations, corporations and universities will collaborate at the Chicago Connectory through membership, programming and strategic partnerships to create IoT solutions and business models.

1871 marked its 5th birthday in Chicago Tuesday by announcing a massive celebration for the elite tech community from the city and beyond that has helped build and nourish its unique ecosystem inside The Merchandise Mart over the past half-decade. 

In this profile of WiSTEM C4 members, Ritu Trivedi-Purohit, PsyD, Founder and CEO of thriveosity, tells us about her innovative solution to improve quality of life and health outcomes for cancer patients.

In this profile of WiSTEM C4 members, Kara Scanlin, CEO and Co-founder of Lystr, introduces her innovative IoT hardware solution and app that helps users quickly build grocery lists using the UPCs of items in their kitchens. 

In this profile of our WiSTEM C4 members, Lisa Souter, Founder and CEO of Sparkl, introduces her on-demand car wash that’s eco-friendly and caters to businesses and residential buildings in addition to consumers.

BMO Harris Bank today announced a partnership with 1871 – a leading technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem which is currently home to nearly 500 high-growth digital startups in the Merchandise Mart– that will provide a select group of FinTech startups the opportunity to participate in a three-month mentorship program. 

In this profile of WiSTEM C4 members, Brianna Wolin, CEO and Co-Founder of Find Your Ditto, tells the story of how her personal journey with chronic illness led her to create a tech-enabled solution for in-person peer support.

1871 is excited to announce WiSTEM’s new Programming Partnership with InvestHER.  Lakshmi Shenoy, 1871’s Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, spoke with Gerri Kahnweiler and Cayla Weisberg about the goals of the partnership and their vision for women entrepreneurs: