Technori Takes Equity Investment to Launch Technori Co-op

Technori Takes Equity Investment to Launch Technori Co-op, a Non-Traditional Startup Incubator Focused on Disrupting how Startups are Launched and Funded

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DV Partners, led by SMS Assist Founder and Chairman Mike Rothman, today announced a seven figure investment in Chicago's largest and most active startup platform, Technori. The funds will be used to expand its successful podcast show and event series, and to launch Technori Co-op, an entirely new startup incubator and investment platform.

"Nothing is more important to the growth and health of a startup community than the people who work tirelessly to identify, connect and positively promote the key players,"

CHICAGO (PRWEB) SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

DV Partners, led by SMS Assist Founder and Chairman Mike Rothman, today announced a seven figure investment in Chicago's largest and most active startup platform, Technori. The funds will be used to expand its successful podcast show and event series, and to launch Technori Co-op, an entirely new startup incubator and investment platform.

Technori helps startups gain traction by engaging with thousands of would-be investors, customers, and commercial partners such as, MB Real Estate, Bank of America, and Salesforce, through highly curated events and media. The Startup Showcase is one of the largest quarterly tech events in the U.S, and the first ever to allow attendees to invest directly in the presenting startups, via an exclusive partnership with Title III equity crowdfunding platform, Republic. Technori is also the creator of Chicago's most popular tech podcast and live radio show, hosted by its CEO Scott Kitun on WGN Radio.

To date, Technori has helped hundreds of companies raise more than $1 billion in venture capital and connect with thousands of first employees and customers by featuring founders on-stage at Showcase events, and in-studio at WGN Radio.

"Nothing is more important to the growth and health of a startup community than the people who work tirelessly to identify, connect and positively promote the key players," former 1871 CEO and current Illinois Tech Kaplan Institute Executive Director Howard Tullman said. "Scott has been one of the most important, consistent and valuable contributors to the tech scene in more ways and for more years than he's willing to admit and it's a big part of Chicago's success."

Rothman's investment in Technori is about accelerating and supporting Technori's mission of building the largest and most diverse tech community in the world, but it's also about helping startups gain access to strategic capital and connections - something Rothman has plenty of experience with.

As former CEO of SMS Assist, Mike Rothman raised several hundred million dollars for the company - at over a billion dollar valuation - from the likes of Goldman Sachs and Chicago-based Pritzker Group, among others.

"Technori has done an incredible job of providing founders like myself with exposure. But, there's a huge opportunity to make an even bigger impact on the startup community," Rothman said. "That's why I've partnered with Scott to extend the Technori services model to introduce the most innovative early stage incubation tool, called Technori Co-op."

Technori Co-op is an investment model that provides early-stage companies access to capital, board support and strategic advisory while enabling the founders to own a stake in the portfolio.

"We work to democratize how startups are launched and funded by allowing founders to use our exposure to equity crowdfund," says Technori CEO Scott Kitun. "The Co-op takes the best of those founders and gives them access to some of the most successful entrepreneurs and investors our tech community has to offer."

Initial Co-op advisors include, Lightbank Managing Partner Vic Pascucci, Blue1647 founder Emile Cambry, and Fanatics VP of Engineering Nate Lyman, among other influential tech leaders.

"Scott and Mike are visionaries. How this democratizes the startup process is incredible and I'm excited to be a part of it," said Pascucci.

"DV Partners has already made significant investments in tech startups, such as Dumbstruck, Residential Homes Group (RHG), and Theron Technology Solutions(TTS). And I'm sure whether we invest through DVP or launch a Technori Fund; we plan to deploy a lot more capital into disruptive technology companies," said Rothman. "But, speaking as a founder, the most valuable commodity is information - and we plan to use that to grow the value of our Co-op companies immediately."

TTS builds enterprise technology solutions that identify and improve operational efficiencies; founded by former SMS Assist Chief Product Officer Alex Rothman, Theron will also be participating in the Technori Co-op to provide portfolio companies with tech support.

"I learned very early on at SMS, it's not how fast you can build something, but how accurately you align it with a Go-To-Market strategy," said Alex Rothman. "Theron is here to share our industry expertise and offer founders what they'll need to build at scale."

According to Kitun, "this investment not only enables us to enter new markets and introduce the Technori Co-op, but also significantly grow our team, and develop the technology necessary to better reach our growing target audience."

For more information about applying for Technori Co-op, visit Technori.com, or follow and message directly through Facebook.

OTHER TECHNORI NEWS

Technori will now host its premier Startup Showcase events quarterly, with monthly lunch and learn workshops and founder's dinners - with an eye on expanding into new markets with pop-up events in 2019.

Kaplan Institute Executive Director Howard Tullman Speaks at Technori Held at IIT

Technori Startup Showcase May 29th

Technori Startup Showcase Tuesday, May 29th Howard Tullman, Crowdfind and ICOs Howard Tullman will open up Technori Startup Showcase Tuesday with a few updates on Kaplan Institute, before introducing our keynote speaker, MATH Venture Partners Managing Director, Mark Achler! Crowdfind has joined the list of presenting startups on Tuesday - you might have heard of them (or from them if you've lost your wallet at a concert) they've been on stage before... but not as an equity crowdfunding startup that YOU can invest in! [Joining the more than 50,000 people to have invested at Technori, register here] Speaking of investing, we will have our very first ICO (initial coin offering) launching on-stage at Technori, as well! Is there a better way to ring in the summer than being inspired by great speakers, cold beverages and startup investing? (No, the answer is NO!) Get your tickets - this one's on ME!   RSVP Copyright © 2018 Technori, All rights reserved. Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Kaplan Institute Executive Director Howard Tullman Talks about the KI on WGN - Technori Show with Scott Kitun

 LISTEN TO THE SHOW HERE: http://wgnradio.com/2018/05/05/startup-showcase-howard-tullman-parlay/

1871 CEO Howard Tullman Joins Other Legends at Technori to Fete Seth Kravitz

                                    HAT REMARKS 

            I want to start by acknowledging Seth Kravitz and his many contributions to the city and to our tech scene which is so radically different today than it was just a few years ago in 2010 when Technori was founded. He’s been a mover and a shaker – a history recorder and maker – and an example of all the ups and downs that are part of the life of any decent entrepreneur. I feel like I have lived through several of these lifetimes with him so I’m especially pleased to be here tonight. 

          Seth never quit, gave up, or stopped trying to change things for the better – to share his insights, wisdom and oratorical gifts with the rest of us – and to take advantage of whatever opportunities and challenges the world presented. This is an important lesson for all of us.  Being smart doesn’t mean you make all good decisions.  It means you learn just as much from your stupid ones as from the smart ones and that you make the best of all of them. The name of the game is to WIN, not to be right all the time.

          I was the subject of one of Seth’s earliest profile pieces and I was the keynote speaker at Technori’s first birthday party in December, 2011 way back when when HERE was a location - not a company’s name – and when NAVTEQ was the place where the birthday party was held. And a couple of years later, I gave the keynote at the 2013 Technori Auto Show event where I had the privilege of telling all the OEM manufacturers why no one under 25 was ever gonna buy a car from them again. Zipcar had a great motto at the time. They said they were “the car for people who didn’t want one” and we had no idea just how true that would come to be. UBER had been founded four years before in 2009 – and the world still thought that UBER was a German adverb and not Conan the Destroyer-to-be which would slowly demolish the cab business.

          And though he’s not a native, Seth’s always been a big Chicago booster as well. One of the decisions I’m proudest of was staying in Chicago and building almost all of my businesses here when New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, DC repeatedly beckoned. It was the right choice, Chicago’s always been home to me, and it’s a place (and a tech community) that I couldn’t be prouder to be a small part of. I’m grateful to my city and to all of the people who are here tonight who’ve been important friends, partners, investors, mentors and team members at critical times throughout my own particular journey.

          I’ve been engaged in this crazy process of trying to imagine, invent and then bring the future to life across half a dozen very different industries ranging from autos and insurance to education and entertainment for more than 50 years. And I’m beyond grateful because I can’t think of a single time in my entire career when I’ve asked for help, guidance, support or even prayer and anyone here ever turned me down. That’s the Chicago way – pushing people forward and extending a hand back to help those coming up behind.

I say every day that no one does anything important these days all by themselves. Anyone who believes that he or she is self-made has a very selective memory. I’m privileged every day at 1871 – with the help of a great team as well as enormous support from the community – to spend my time helping the next several generations of entrepreneurs pursue their hopes and dreams and turn them into real businesses. Spreading the gospel of growth and the joy of job creation and sharing the stories of what we’re building every day throughout the city is something I’d be happy to do for free.

I’ve learned that building a business and making a difference isn’t like running a Burger King, you really don’t get to have it your own way. But, I can tell you that, in my life, even with all the exciting ups and the difficult downs, I wouldn’t change a thing. But I do wish that I knew everything then that I know now. So, let me share just 3 simple ideas with you drawn from my long and painful past experiences:

(1)            Make It Personal

       People who say “it’s just business, nothing personal”                                         are full of shit. They don’t have the fire or the desire                                          to succeed as entrepreneurs because they’ve                                                      forgotten (or never learned) the most basic rule that:  the one                        who cares the most wins. No one cares how much you know (or                    how smart you are) until they know how much you care – about                    them, about the mission, and about succeeding. Don’t tell ‘em;                       show ‘em. You can’t win a race with your mouth.

(2)            Make the Most of It

         No one gets hired these days to sit around and eat pieces of chocolate cake. Every day is a race to get bigger and better – to do things cheaper, faster, smarter, more accessibly, etc. – and no one is going to wait for you. But the trick is to step into these challenges and look at them as opportunities rather than obstacles – as chances to show your mettle and prove your worth – to be the one that people can count on in the clutch times – the go-to guy or girl. The best entrepreneurs all share a common mindset: “if you’re not moving forward, someone else will be” – and a common attitude; “sometimes wrong, but never in doubt”. Your faith (especially in yourself) needs to be stronger than your fear.

   

(3)            Make It Matter

         My worst fears were never about failing. Failing is just part of the process. The real devastating fears were about spending a significant part of my life doing something that really didn’t matter. Life’s too short for that and it’s important to spend your precious time here trying to make a difference – not just in your own life - but in the lives of others as well. We’re not all gonna cure cancer next week, but it’s an important discipline to take the time to ask yourself whether what you’re doing every day is worth doing and doing with all your heart and soul. If you can’t answer with a resounding “yes”, go find something else to do. The greatest luxury in life isn’t getting another house or a big new car, it’s being able to go to work every day and be excited and enthusiastic about what you’re doing and why. And, as we know at 1871, it doesn’t hurt a bit to be surrounded by hundreds of others going through the same struggles, doubts, and pain and loving it all the same.

We live in the greatest city, in the greatest country in the world, and the future is scary, uncertain and exciting – all at the same time. But together, we can keep inventing it, building it and making it better – because that’s what entrepreneurs do.

Thank you and congrats again to Seth and Technori.

           

          

WiSTEM Proxfinity Team presents at Technori

1871 Company Baloonr Presents at Technori

TECHNION PROFESSOR ALON WOLF VISITS 1871 TO DEMONSTRATE USAR SNAKE ROBOT

WATCH THE DEMO VIDEO WITH PRESIDENT OBAMA IN ISRAEL:

How to turn more startups into growth companies

How to turn more startups into growth companies
By John Pletz

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130924/BLOGS11/130929895

Want to know what it takes for Chicago's startups to take it the next level?

I'll be sitting down Oct. 2 with some of Chicago's best-known entrepreneurs and ringleaders from the tech community to find out.

My guests include Fred Hoch, CEO of the Illinois Technology Association; Seth Kravitz, co-founder of Technori and Bow Truss Coffee; Jeff Malehorn, CEO of World Business Chicago; Jim O'Connor Jr., co-founder of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center and managing director of investment firm MVC Capital; and Howard Tullman, founder of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy and managing partner of venture fund G2T3V LLC. It's part of Crain's Small Business Week.

It's a lively group of smart folks who I know aren't afraid to call 'em as they see 'em. Join us for what promises to be an entertaining conversation at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 2 at Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP, 225 W. Wacker Drive.

Chicago's startup scene continues to grow, but the big challenge ahead is transforming small companies into high-growth businesses with big budgets and payrolls. In his own blog post this week, Mr. Hoch contends Chicago has one of the nation's deepest pools of high-growth companies with revenue between $2 million and $250 million.

“These organizations make money, drive revenue and increase business," he wrote. "They are not always 'sexy' — or the next big thing — but they are the backbone of Chicago tech. . . .As these companies take on more talent and capital, they are beginning to shape Chicago's national identity.”

The Next Generation of Chicago Growth Companies Panel

A how-to blog for Chicago business

Go to There: The Next Generation of Chicago Growth Companies Panel

By David Wolinsky

|  Tuesday, Sep 3, 2013  |  Updated 9:45 AM CDT

Lyrids

The Illinois Technology Association and Crain’s Small Business are teaming up for a panel focused firmly on the future. Namely, the next generation of growth businesses in Chicago. 

Panelists like Fred Hoch (president and CEO of ITA), Seth Kravitz (co-founder and CEO of Technori), Howard Tullman (chairman of Tribeca Flashpoint Media Arts Academy) and others will be discussing resources available to help companies to successfully transition and the overall importance of such companies in boosting our economy. 

It all takes place Wednesday, Oct. 2 from 8:30 a.m. ’tip 10:30 a.m. at Edwards Wildman Palmer, 225 W. Wacker Dr. If you’d like to register, check it out here.

tribeca flashpoint academy ceo howard tullman gives technori keynote at chicago auto show 2013

TRIBECA FLASHPOINT ACADEMY CEO HOWARD TULLMAN GIVES KEYNOTE SPEECH AT TECHNORI - AUTO SHOW

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE: https://vimeo.com/59784083

watch the video here: https://vimeo.com/59784083