1871 AND Level39
ANNOUNCE FRIENDSHIP AGREEMENT
Chicago-based 1871 and
London-based Level39 begin a fruitful partnership that will provide drop-in
membership access to community members of the two organizations
London, United Kingdom
and Chicago, Illinois (April XX, 2014)—Following 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman’s successful visit to a
number of the major incubators and accelerators in London and to Tech City in
Shoreditch, 1871 and Level39 announced a partnership that will facilitate
access to each other’s communities and facilities through a Friendship Agreement
that provides reciprocal membership benefits. Located in London's new Canary Wharf financial
district and in the heart of Chicago's "startup city" respectively,
Level39 and 1871 are leading hubs for digital entrepreneurs that work to foster
disruptive innovation in traditional business sectors.
“This partnership reflects the spirit of cooperation and
collaboration that is inherent in the missions of 1871 and Level39,” said 1871
CEO, Howard A. Tullman. “Expanding international relationships in the community
of digital entrepreneurs allows for the most innovative ideas and businesses to
succeed on a global level. Our technology connection with London started more
than two years ago through the efforts of the U.S.-based team of the UK Trade
and Investment. More recently, 1871 hosted UK Prime Minister David Cameron for
a tour and chat with its members, and later Tullman joined UK Minister for
Science and Universities David Willetts for a presentation and panel discussion
on his new programs."
"This
agreement will, quite literally, open doors for Chicago companies to expand,
innovate, collaborate and access lucrative European markets from within London's
thriving tech community,” said Colette Buscemi, Head of Trade and Investment at
UK Trade & Investment, based at the British Consulate-General in Chicago. “Chicago
is already on the radar for UK companies in the financial tech sector, as
illustrated by Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to 1871 two years ago. The
relationship between 1871 and Level 39 will highlight the natural synergies
even more. UK Trade & Investment is dedicated to opening doors for British
and American companies, and we look forward to helping them do more business in
London and here in Chicago through this new agreement."
The agreement, which primarily focuses on the financial tech,
retail tech and smart cities tech sectors, will provide free drop-in membership
access at 1871 and Level39 to individuals or corporate entities that hold
memberships at either of the locations. Drop-in membership will include access
to co-working facilities, meeting and conference rooms, visitor Wi-Fi and
reception assistance.
"The friendship agreement with
1871 is a very important collaboration for the Level39 ecosystem of startups,
corporates and investors,” said Level39 Deputy Head, Claire Cockerton. “It
builds on a growing portfolio of international tech cluster partnerships,
across the US and beyond, enabling a more frictionless process of trade,
investment and expansion opportunities for UK businesses. We are very excited
to work with such an entrepreneurial, dynamic and multi-disciplinary team from
Chicago; now, a world-renowned centre of business opportunity in our specialist
sectors."
Attracting interest, opportunities
and young companies seeking to enter the US market from around the world is a
key new focus at 1871, and the massive digital startup site has already been
host to thousands of international visitors. 1871 is in active discussions with
other incubators and co-working spaces in London and elsewhere around the world
as part of an ongoing effort to make additional tools and resources available
to the members of 1871 so that they can continue to be responsive, flexible and
pro-active as their businesses expand.
In addition to the aforementioned
benefits, 1871 and Level39 are exploring the creation of a "virtual
corridor" connecting the two spaces, with the primary purpose of expanding
programming from one site to the other and creating added benefits and
interaction.
In addition to the interaction with
Level39, 1871 is also working with Accenture (which operates an accelerator
connected with Level39 in the same facility) both in Chicago and around the
world to help select and evaluate current and future members of 1871.
About Level 39
Level39 is Europe's largest technology accelerator space for
finance and retail technologies. Sitting on the entire 39th floor of the iconic
One Canada Square at Canary Wharf, Level39 is uniquely placed to bring together
the hottest tech talent from London's tech city and global players in the
finance and retail marketplace. Level39 was established by the Canary
Wharf Group in 2013 and is headed up by successful Fintech entrepreneur Eric Van
der Kleij.
About 1871
1871 is an entrepreneurial hub for digital startups. Located in The
Merchandise Mart, the 50,000-square-foot facility provides Chicago startups
with programming, access to mentors, educational resources, potential investors
and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs that help them on their path to
building successful businesses. 1871 is the flagship project of the
CEC.