To Chicagoans, “1871” is deeply significant: It was the year of the devastating Great Chicago Fire. Perhaps even more significant, however, was that it was also the year Chicago’s innovators launched an aggressive rebuilding plan that has formed how the city stands yet today.
The community, spirit, and ingenuity that it took to rebuild a city lives on today on the twelfth floor of the historic Merchandise Mart. Aptly named 1871, the startup incubator is the flagship project of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC), a non-profit organization with robust support from all facets of Chicago’s business leadership community. The 5,000-square-foot facility, which opened in May 2012, is bringing together Chicago’s sharpest, brightest minds to embark on yet another aggressive journey to make our city the best it can be.
The tenants of the co-working center include entrepreneurs, digital designers and engineers – all brimming with ideas, passion and the drive to work hard to make things happen. In addition to the affordable workspace itself, tenants of 1871 also have access to a community of entrepreneurs, classes, lectures, seminars, programming, mentors and potential investors.
What 1871 brings to Chicago is of tremendous value. With a focus zeroed in on lifting up all of Chicago, 1871 is providing a forum for supporting early stage businesses, creating a more robust early stage venture community, and working to help Chicago achieve a great overall mission – creating more jobs.
For more information on 1871, please visit the 1871 website.
image via 1871’s Facebook page
