Today, we hosted Barton George, Dell’s Director of Developer Programs and Cloud Technologies, who has become known as Dell’s “Cloud Evangelist” for his expertise in the application of software development and the cloud. Barton highlighted key trends in the tech and developer community that are making “the Developer King”:

1) Ease of access to open source software – This has significantly decreased barriers to entry for developer projects through such platforms as GitHub, Bitbucket, and Kiln.

2) Technology shifts towards Cloud technologies – According to Barton, 85% of net new software in 2013 is being built for cloud delivery, which will allow business to further scale more easily moving forward.

3) Internet – The explosion of Internet as necessary for business.

4) Seed stage funding – The shift towards open source and cloud technologies lowered barriers for starting companies and allowed seed funding to go further.

As the developer becomes “king,” Barton has developed Project Sputnik, Dell’s newest laptop, the Ubuntu-based Dell XPS 13, targeted solely for developers. It was a great intrapreneurship story for the startups here at 1871.

Written by Jenna Pugrant, CEC intern

CHICAGO – May 3, 2013 – Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration today joined leaders from 1871 – the first-of-its-kind digital startup hub – to release data showcasing its positive impact on the local economy. During its first year, the co-working center for digital startups in Chicago has generated 800 jobs and tens of millions of dollars in investment, while paving the way for future business leaders.

“The state’s investment in 1871 is already paying dividends by creating jobs, attracting local and national investment, and strengthening our state’s economy,” Governor Quinn said. “Fresh ideas and innovation are happening at 1871, and our state is benefitting from the creative forces at work within this community.”

“Chicago has as much momentum as any city in the country for developing a world class startup ecosystem,” Mayor Emanuel said. “The success of 1871 is a shining example of this community coming together to lead business innovation, create jobs and have a major economic impact.”

To pinpoint the tangible impact of the startup community, in April 1871 conducted a self-reported survey of the founders of its member companies. The study concluded:

• 800 jobs have been created by 1871 startups to date.
• A projected 1,342 more jobs will be created in the next 12 months.
• Nearly $30 million in capital has been invested into 1871 organizations.
• 1871 companies added almost $13 million in revenue to Chicago’s economy.

Operated by the nonprofit Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC), 1871 offers educational programming, access to mentors and investors and other resources to help early-stage entrepreneurs accelerate their path to success. At 1871 today, 225 startups are building their businesses alongside one another at what has become recognized as the central address for the city’s burgeoning entrepreneurial community.

In addition to creating jobs, bringing capital investments to the community and contributing to the local economy, 1871 is the proud first home of Chicago’s next generation of business leaders. A key benchmark of success for 1871 is when a member company advances to the next stage in its business trajectory, outgrows the space at 1871 and becomes alumni.

“1871 has provided the density of ideas, talent and connections which has put us on the path to success,” said Liz Salcedo, an 1871 recent alum and founder of Everpurse, a fashion-tech company building products that empower women. “1871 was our launch pad.”

Looking to 2013 and beyond, the CEC is dedicated to making the 1871 experience even more impactful for its members and developing more connections between startups and local corporations.

“It’s been an incredible first year that has exceeded our expectations,” said Jim O’Connor, Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors, CEC. “We’re grateful to the community which rallied around us, including influential business leaders who have contributed their time and resources to mentor the incredible visionary entrepreneurs who flocked to 1871 this year.”

Governor Quinn has worked to expand innovation through entrepreneurship in Illinois, investing in emerging fields and supporting startups across the state. The governor was an early supporter and investor in 1871, and worked to help take the center from planning stages to reality.

About The CEC & 1871

The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) is a non-profit organization that supports entrepreneurs on their path to building high-growth, sustainable businesses that serve as platforms for economic development and civic leadership. Its flagship project, 1871, fulfills CEC’s vision of a central address for entrepreneurs in Chicago. CEC runs and operates the workspace, develops programming, organizes events and ensures that the culture of 1871 allows entrepreneurs the greatest opportunity for success.

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This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in Startup Weekend for my second time, this time as a coach. My first Startup Weekend as an attendee resulted in a first place win and the decision to quit my job. Here’s why.

After relocating to Chicago from California, I had but a handful of friends in Chicago. I saw Startup Weekend as a fun opportunity for me to network, meet new people and finally pitch an idea that I had been itching to build.

I showed up, pitched my idea, and recruited a team (full step-by-step guide to winning startup weekend here). It was then that I realized, if I wanted to get the most out of the weekend, a strong team was more important than my personal idea. I then scouted the room, interviewed entrepreneurs with ideas that caught my eye, and ultimately landed on the team of Jimmy Odom, of WeDeliver (formerly WhyDeliver).

As Jen shared in this post, we did everything wrong and still came away with a first place win. The weekend came to an end and I agreed to help the team when I could because I was still busy with my full-time job. Little did I know that a few hours here and there would turn into nights and weekends. The team, the idea, the momentum kept me up at night and became all-consuming.  As my priorities began to shift, I realized that building something incredible with this team is what truly made me happy and that if I didn’t go all-in at this moment in my life I would always regret my decision.

Now, I’m not suggesting anyone follow in my footsteps. We’ve chosen to bootstrap WeDeliver and with that choice comes its own set of hurdles. Ramen seems to be the meal of choice these days. What I am saying is that, as cheesy as it may sound, the stars aligned for me at Startup Weekend. I found my dream team with the right idea at the right time for the market. Startup Weekend truly changed my life, my team is like my family, and we are all going through this journey together.

In the months following Startup Weekend:

•          6 of our 7 team members are still with us from our original Startup Weekend team of 12.

•          Made it to the final 30 in over 900 applicants to TechStars Chicago.

•          A waiting list of over 50 top Chicago retailers eager to work with us.

•          WeDeliver’d for Startup Weekend Chicago 2013 and look forward to sponsoring, coaching, and participating in future events.

•          Our team mate Kirk is planning Startup Weekend Trinidad

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Daniela Bolzmann
@DanielaBolzmann

https://www.vizify.com/danielabolzmann

Daniela joins WeDeliver from the west coast where she most recently served in community and product marketing for almost 3 years at edtech startup, SymbalooEDU. She obtained her degree in entrepreneurship from California State University of Fullerton in 2010 and has successfully run her own online marketing consulting company, SocialSkoop, serving restaurants, retailers and the better-known Newport Beach Restaurant Association responsible for marketing over 300 restaurants in Orange County.

About WeDeliver

WeDeliver is an online platform giving local merchants an answer to the question, “How can I compete with large online retailers like Amazon?”

Headquartered in Chicago, WeDeliver is an on-demand delivery platform helping neighborhood businesses deliver to their customers.  www.WeDeliver.us

On Monday, 1871 played host to Ignite Chicago, the highly anticipated monthly series of TED-style talks aimed to set fire to a simple idea.  These presentations, which can be on any topic about which the speaker is passionate, are each five minutes long and are presented over the course of 20 slides that automatically progress every fifteen seconds.  For this iteration of Ignite Chicago, over 200 guests filed into 1871’s auditorium space to hear the 12 speakers give their two-cents on ideas they hoped to ignite in the crowd.

After some networking over pizza and beer provided by Tenth and Blake Beer Company, the night of far-ranging presentations began. Jill Howe kicked off the night with a talk titled “Ten Days in Zen Prison,” about the value of slowing down your mind to get ahead.   The night ended with author Elliot Greenberger on his upcoming book titled The Patron Economy and his quest to get companies to refer to their customers and users as “patrons.”

Some highlights in between Jill and Elliot included:

• Wedding photographer Eric O’Connor on reasons why running a marathon is the same as running a business: 80% of people fail at first, both in marathon running and in young startups. In a marathon and in starting a business, you’ll see people passing you – running faster, getting more funding, etc – but you must learn to focus on your own goals in the face of it all.
• Magister Freud, a self-introduced “Mad Scientist of Fortune,” spoke on the value of using “random reality” to guide your decisions. For example, when choosing which restaurant to eat at, pick three of your favorite restaurants and three completely new ones and assign each a value between one and six. Roll a dice and whatever side it lands on, go to that restaurant.
• Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations at Illinois State University Nicholas Hartlep gave a riveting talk titled “Demystifying the Myth of the Asian Model Minority,” in which he used a bit humor and an enthusiastic presentation style to expose the issue of stereotypes that affect Asian minorities in the audience.

From the aforementioned sampling of speakers, you can see the topics presented at Ignite, while certainly applicable, are not just for entrepreneurs – they’re relevant for anyone. Ignite Chicago is a perfect example of how 1871’s space is connecting and spurring innovative ideas both inside and outside of the Chicagoland entrepreneurial community.

Interested in attending the next Ignite Chicago or even being one of the speakers that ignites an idea? Check out www.ignitechi.com.

Sponsors for Ignite Chicago include:

1871

Justin Barbin Photography

Dietz MediaTenth and Blake Beer Company

Startup Weekend

Fear Experiment

This event is a reflection of Brent’s vision and leadership – having turned a series of wireframes into a venture backed business that solves real problems for educational institutions.  It is also an important milestone for Dashfire and a testament to our model to enabling startups.  And it falls just a week after we announced our Dashfire Launch, a startup program aimed at replicating what we have achieved with EverTrue, BucketFeet, Bloomboard and other technology startups.  Spearheaded by my partner, Kelsey Lutz, Dashfire Launch targets MBA students at Chicago Booth and Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and awards the winner $35K in hands-on actionable services including business modeling, design, development, branding, digital marketing, and hosting to launch their startup.  The program’s goals are to enable non-technical entrepreneurs and showcase the power of collaboration in Chicago.

Enabling Entrepreneurship.  We’ve seen this story over and over.  Aspiring entrepreneur wants to build a company but cannot secure a tech co-founder or find a reliable team.  They revert to writing a business plan or pitching a Powerpoint.  This is exactly why we started Dashfire.  We partner with non-technical entrepreneurs, strategize on the business model, and provide software design and development to go to market.  #nomorepowerpoints.  Entrepreneurs can use their product to acquire customers, generate revenue, build a team, and raise capital. Business schools serve as valuable entrepreneur hub for us as they provide entrepreneurs the tools to accelerate their startups (read more here).  Notably, half of Dashfire’s partner companies were founded by MBAs.

Chicago’s Startup Community.  This is a viable community and we are proud to be a part of it. Thank you Groupon. Thank you 1871.  And to the Chicago isn’t the Valley comment, we say, it doesn’t have to be.  You can make movies outside of Hollywood and trade stocks outside of New York; innovation can’t be restricted to geography.   Accordingly, we work with startups nationally, but currently have 11 live startups that are based in Chicago.  They have all benefited from the collaborative nature of our city. Dashfire Launch allows us and our sponsors to reinvest in Chicago, collaborate, and continue to supply our eco-system with new ventures.

Applications for Dashfire Launch are due on April 8th.  The summer program starts in June and will last 10 weeks out of 1871.  We have already read some excellent applications and are excited for what’s in store!

Chicago’s reputation as an entrepreneurial powerhouse continues to grow.The informal 1871 Thought-Leadership tour continued in February with a trip to Miami. You may recall that in December SimpleRelevance, Rapleaf and Phillter-it went to Park City, Utah to talk to the Email Evolution Conference for a panel discussion about the future of email. Last month the climate was warmer and the content was similarly compelling, with 1871’s fearless leader Kevin Willer taking FoodGenius, 30second Mom, and SimpleRelevance to Miami to talk to the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) about how emerging companies are changing the future of marketing, advertising and content.This invitation was hard-earned. The ANA extended the invitation after being impressed by their visit and briefing at 1871 last year. This time they brought 1871 to them.

Spark Media’s Scott Hess got the event started with a fascinating look at the generational differences between millennials and their forbearers, and how that impacts brands and advertisers. Next, Kevin presented to the audience about emerging trends in entrepreneurship, how the new creative class is disrupting traditional industries, and most importantly how those in the audience can get involved in building entrepreneurial economies locally.

Elisa All of 30 Second Mom kicked off the 1871 presentations. She gave great context about her background as a serial entrepreneur (she previously built and sold iParenting to Disney) and how that informs her perspective on her current venture.

All detailed the importance of 30-second informative videos on a variety of topics and dropped a few hints about some exciting upcoming content partnerships she’s working on. 1871 is building a reputation as a hotspot for female entrepreneurship largely thanks to dynamic founders like Elisa.

Erik Severinghaus of SimpleRelevance stepped up next, with a survey of how big data is disrupting a number of industries from politics to baseball.

His message was a stark one – marketers, agencies, and the broader industry must either adopt to quantitative, data driven marketing or be relegated to the sidelines as the world changes around them. Erik detailed case studies of how data is improving email and social marketing.

Erik challenged the audience to challenge startups with ambitious problems, define metrics for success, and harness the energy of emerging companies to create value within their organization.

Justin Massa batted cleanup, taking the big data theme into the food industry.
Like Erik, Justin praised election analytics king Nate Silver of the 538 blog, then gave a detailed analysis of how data can be used to determine effective menu language, down to the level of how to describe the smoking of bacon.

FoodGenius is uniquely positioned for that type of analysis, analyzing half the menus in the United States! Justin’s presentation left the audience hungry for more information, and frankly, craving some bacon.

The 1871 foray to the ANA conference is just the latest evidence that Chicago’s reputation is growing, it’s innovators taking a step to the fore of the world’s technology stage and gaining recognition as a thought leader in digital entrepreneurship from coast to coast.

Mayor Rahm Emanuel, J.B. Pritzker and our very own Kevin Willer all said a few words before the never dull Ballmer took the stage. The first half of his talk was an impressive litany of highlights Microsoft has achieved since the launch of Windows 8 last October as well as a cool show-and-tell of new technologies.

Then, Ballmer sat down for a Q&A with Rob Rutenbar, Bliss Professor and head of the computer science department at University of Illinois, and regaled the audience with early stories of Microsoft and sage advice for all startups.

(Photo courtesy of Vincent Cabansag, Starter League)

Startup Advice #1: Big Vision Helps

Ballmer shared an old college story where Paul Allen ran into the dorm room Ballmer and Bill Gates were in, and exclaimed to Gates “we have to build every piece of software for this machine.” The machine was the first microprocessor driven computer and was featured on the cover of Popular Electronics.

Never mind the fact that the machine on the magazine cover was the only piece of hardware of its kind. Gates and Allen built an environment to simulate and tool-ate. Ballmer pointed out this kind of simulation is much cheaper today thanks to tooling already in place, which brought him to his second point of advice.

Startup Advice #2: You Can Stand on the Shoulders of Others

By the time Gates convinced Ballmer to quit school and join Microsoft it was a 30-person company. Ballmer quickly figured out that those 30 people were doing the work of 45. When he approached Gates to hire 15 employees Gates replied, “ I didn’t ask you to drop out of school to bankrupt our company.”

Gates had yellow notes all over their apartment to constantly remind him how much money was coming in and going out. He never wanted to lose sight of the finances. This anecdote dovetailed in Ballmer’s obvious but important third point.

Startup Advice #3: Don’t Bankrupt Your Company

He reminded startups in the audience that, sure, they are there to make a popular product, but they are also there to keep in mind what happens with the money.

“We all know statistically what happens to most startups. Please avoid that.”

He went on to provide the recipe for success he believes all cities with great startups share:

1. They have great universities.
2. They are great places to live.
3. They have 1, or 2, or more big companies that have made it in the tech field, which helps fuel the VC funding.

When Microsoft was starting out, that anchor tech tenant in Seattle was Boeing. Perhaps Chicago’s future anchor tenant was in the audience for this very speech.

He closed by wishing everyone well and reminding entrepreneurs that even though there’s a risk in failing, there’s no real risk in trying because whether they fail or succeed they will be smarter, better, and have more opportunities moving forward.

Thanks to Heidi Lading, part-time marketing team member for writing this column.