The 1871 team would like to thank Governor Pat Quinn and the State of Illinois for their generous support of our new center for digital startups.

Here is an excerpt from today’s State of the State address titled “Moving Illinois Forward”:

“We’re going to continue to think big in Illinois. Today, I’m announcing a $2.3 million dollar investment in “1871,” a new technology center at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago to foster and launch digital start-ups.”

Specifically, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) worked closely with us to make this investment a reality.  We look forward to giving the next generation of Chicago entrepreneurs a home with resources to build their startups and a community to plug into that will create new jobs in Illinois!