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. 

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. 

1871 and the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC) announced Friday that PNC Bank will be the title sponsor in 2017 for the 1871/IHCC joint accelerator program focused on fostering opportunities for Latinx-owned technology companies.

Applications are officially open for a new class of participants, who will begin at 1871 in March as part of an expanded offering of the incubator program made possible by a grant from JPMorgan Chase. The new cohort members will be part of the fourth cohort of the WiSTEM program, adding to the 37 companies and 45 entrepreneurs that have participated in the program to date.

1871 and the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center announced Monday that the 10th Annual Momentum Awards will be held November 2, 2017 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. The awards will honor the best and brightest of Chicago’s tech community in a variety of categories.

They’re 50 of Chicago’s hottest tech companies, players and supporters, and many of them have something in common: They have deep connections to the 1871 community. The ChicagoInno 50 on Fire Awards wrapped Dec. 8, with a ceremony narrowing the 150 finalists to 50 companies who are among the hottest in Chicago.