Meet the 13 Women-Owned Startups Selected to
1871's 1st WiSTEM Program
ChicagoInno
Jim Dallke
26 June 2015
http://chicagoinno.streetwise.co/2015/06/26/meet-the-13-women-owned-startups-selected-to-1871s-1st-wistem-program/
ChicagoInno
Jim Dallke
26 June 2015
http://chicagoinno.streetwise.co/2015/06/26/meet-the-13-women-owned-startups-selected-to-1871s-1st-wistem-program/
1871's
long-awaited and delayed program for women in tech is
finally ready to launch, and the first cohort's 13 members have been announced.
WiSTEM--short for women in science,
technology, engineering and math--is an initiative by 1871 to create more
opportunities and resources for women in technology. The program will be
centered around three pillars: connecting female entrepreneurs with capital, tech
resources, and mentorship.
"A significant component of the work of [Chicagoland
Entrepreneurial Center] and 1871 involves fostering diversity and inclusion in
the technology and entrepreneurial communities," Laura Ferris Anderson,
CEC Treasurer and Chief of Staff, Office of the Midwest Chairman of JPMorgan
Chase, said in a statement. “WiSTEM is a key resource for supporting women
entrepreneurs, and we believe that more women will be inspired to develop
businesses with the launch of the program.”
The
program, which has gone through a rebrand and shifted away from being
an incubator, is part of Google for Entrepreneurs’ #40Forward initiative, and
is supported by the Lefkofsky Family Foundation and the Motorola Mobility
Foundation. 1871 says it is in the process of creating an advisory
board--which will include a number of the CEC board members--to help define the
overall direction of the program.
The
13 WiSTEM members will start their participation in the program immediately,
with the curriculum for the program beginning in September. The curriculum will
last three months and conclude in a demo day.
From
now until September, members will determine their areas of focus and begin
meeting with potential tech and finance partners, 1871 says.
Here
are the 13 members selected to WiSTEM:
Alex Buck, Co-Founder and CEO of Plumwise
Plumwise connects its members to providers for services they
need without having to sift through reviews. Plumwise vets and verifies
providers so users know they are getting a reputable service.
Amanda Greenberg,Co-Founder and CEO of Baloonr
Baloonr is a platform for teams that allows members to comment
and suggest ideas anonymously so they can express their thoughts without fear
of failure or judgment.
Annie Mohaupt, Founder and CEO of Mohop
Mohop produces sustainable, ethically-produced shoes that
customers order from their smartphone and are manufactured on-demand using 3D
fabrication techniques.
Catherine Merritt, Founder and CEO of MUMZY
MUMZY is a crowdfunding website for moms that allows them to
raise money for their passions and projects and connect with other mothers.
Elena Valentine, Co-Founder and CEO of Skill Scout
Skill Scout is an HR company that helps businesses attract and
identify talent. By changing online job boards and applicant tracking into more
of a relationship through through video job postings, social recruiting, and
hands on interviews, businesses can find the right people to help build their
teams.
Holly Bellmund, Founder and CEO of Werenro Group
Werenro Group’s main product is iTravel Benefits, a shared,
elective benefit that rewards employees who save for personal travel by
providing a company match.
Julie Novack, Founder and CEO of PartySlate
Launching later this year, PartySlate will be a digital platform
designed for party hosts and event professionals.
Linda Zabors, Founder and CEO of Honorary Chicago
Honorary Chicago is a source of gifts, tours, and events based
on the stories behind the honorary streets, days, tributes, and other
commemorations bestowed by the City of Chicago.
Michelle Smyth, Founder and CEO of Pay Your Selfie
Pay Your Selfie brings brands and consumers together using
selfies. It creates aperformance-based mobile marketing platform for
advertisers, and it pays users cash for selfies, turning their social currency
into real currency.
Parminder Batra, Co-Founder and CEO of TraknProtect
TraknProtect is a hardware tracking solution for the hospitality
industry that provides real-time location of items such as rollaway beds and
cribs on the hotel property to increase efficiency so that employees can focus
on activities that create an exceptional customer experience for the hotel
guests.
Reva Minkoff, Founder and President of Digital4Startups and DigitalGroundUp
DigitalGroundUp is a platform that offers short, interactive
online courses in digital marketing, and Digital4Startups is a digital marketing
consulting firm that has worked with over 30 companies in the last two years
Rose Afriyie, Co-Founder of mRelief
mRelief simplifies the qualifying process for social programs by
quickly showing people if they are eligible or not, and recently unveiled a
text messaging feature that makes the food stamp screening process even easier.
Veatrice Glenn, Founder and CEO of Insightful Decisions, Inc.
Insightful Decisions, Inc. is an ed-tech startup developing a
platform for middle through high school students to become "drivers of
their own destiny" by finding colleges aligned with their trajectory, and
keeping them engaged and accountable to their process to meet their goals.