In January 2018, 1871 was selected by the Kauffman Foundation as one of six entrepreneurial support organizations nationwide to serve as a policy advocate for entrepreneurs. In partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, 1871 is using the grant to fund a three-year program that will convene entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers in one room to address the issues that are impacting entrepreneurs the most. The program features two policy forums a year to discuss the most relevant challenges facing entrepreneurs. Together, the objective is to find policy-driven solutions and amplify entrepreneurs’ and investors’ voices in Chicago, Washington D.C. and beyond. Read more about our grant from the Kauffman Foundation here.  

Conversion. Search Engine Marketing. Taglines. PPC. Brand experience. When you’re just starting out, the world of marketing and branding can seem overwhelming. There are so many approaches to getting your company and product seen that it becomes difficult to know where to start. At the fourth session of 1871’s Groundwork series -- a set of public workshops focusing on foundational topics for fledgling entrepreneurs -- Reva Minkoff of Digital4Startups, David Kelbaugh of Tacklebox Brand Partners, Shirley Yang of Muses, and Solomon Thimothy of Clickx broke down the best approaches to creating a strong branding and marketing foundation for startups.

We rely so heavily on smartphones and other connected gadgets, but what is it that enables those devices to function? One of 1871's newest members, Crown Castle, the company enabling much of your wireless world, gives us a glimpse into the realm of cell towers, small cells, fiber optics and all things shared communications. This blog is part of the company’s “Tomorrow’s Chicago Today” series, which begins with a panel discussion on communications infrastructure Wednesday, December 5.

"If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, then you don't know what you are doing." – Dr. W. Edwards Deming, Father of Quality Evolution. Dr. Deming's ideas of product quality largely inspired Japan's post-WWII economic boom in manufacturing. His celebrated 14 points for management have also stood as a standard for transforming business effectiveness since the 1980s. In this guest blog post, Wilma Paxton Doherty, a Senior Consultant at ON THE MARK, talks about how organizations can apply Agile thinking by using Dr. Deming's philosophies.

Brands matter. People connect with the tone and personality of a brand, not the technical concepts behind a business. Putting thought and effort into branding your startup will pay off in the long run when it comes to memorability and referrals. In this guest post, Grant Polachek, Director of Marketing at Squadhelp, discusses how early-stage startups can create a successful brand.

As Artificial Intelligence continues to advance, robots continue to increase their prevalence across industries and companies of varying sizes, including many startups. Robotics continue to surge in their industrial markets, with a market projection of 71.7 billion dollars by 2023, at a compound annual growth rate of 9.4% over the next 5 years. The increasing availability of low cost and readily implemented robots has increased the non-conventional application of industrial robotics. One sector responsible for the continued increased demand is the use of robotics in startup production and workflow. In this guest post, Irving Wittenbur of DO Supply talks about how robotics can benefit small businesses.

Happy Halloween, all! If you think you're impervious to all of the frights that await you today, think again -- EX3 Labs, an experience design and product innovation studio specializing in mixed/augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and Internet of Thing (IoT) solutions, shares today's guest blog on the seven scares that keep innovation leaders up at night. 

The city of Chicago is quickly cementing its reputation as a tech powerhouse in both the United States and throughout the world -- but like many other cities, there is still work to be done when it comes to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. In this post, guest author Linda Darragh, the Larry Levy Executive Director of the Kellogg Innovation & Entrepreneurship Initiative, shares her insights on how we can collectively create, support, and foster a pipeline of diverse and inclusive talent. 

Startups and small businesses outsource a number of things: server space, legal services, and accounting are common examples, generally recognized as outside of the business’s core expertise. But when it comes to human resources (HR) management and operations (outside of payroll, of course), founders and business leaders have a tough time wrapping their heads around how outsourcing can help their business succeed. In this guest post, Bob Cerone, CEO of Cognos HR, shares his insight on the hidden opportunities and benefits that HR outsourcing can have for your business as it grows.

In January 2018, 1871 was selected, by the Kauffman Foundation, as one of six entrepreneurial support organizations nationwide to serve as a policy advocate for entrepreneurs. In partnership with the Kauffman Foundation, 1871 is using the grant to fund a three-year program that will convene entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers in one room to address the issues that are impacting entrepreneurs the most. The program features two policy forums a year in which entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers will gather to discuss the most relevant challenges facing entrepreneurs. Together, the objective is to find policy-driven solutions and to amplify entrepreneurs’ and investors’ voices in Chicago, Washington D.C. and beyond. Read more about our grant from the Kauffman Foundation here.