Startups from Northwestern, U of C, DePaul get 1871 membership
Five businesses founded at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago and DePaul University were among nine grand prize winners in the inaugural Chicago College Startup Competition, an event presented by digital entrepreneurs’ hub 1871.
The companies will receive one year’s worth of membership and access to programming, mentors and potential investors at 1871, the flagship project of the nonprofit Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center.
Two runners-up get three months worth of membership.
Two of the nine businesses were founded at Northwestern University. Timing & Racing Around the Clock “seeks to simplify the running experience through innovative radio frequency identification timing equipment.” Share Transport is a cloud-based service for “maximizing a company’s transportation efficiency.”
Two were founded at the University of Chicago. Lumonik’s initial product, called the Hydraband, is a color-changing bracelet that monitors human hydration levels, enabling users to prevent dehydration. Fitness Cubed is creating “Cubii,” an under-the-desk exercise device to address sedentary behavior in the workplace.
A fifth was founded at DePaul University. Hashtagr is a search engine that aggregates hashtag posts from such sites as Twitter, Tumbler, Instagram, Vine, Facebook and Google+.
Also producing grand-prize winners were the University of Wisconsin, Miami University of Ohio, George Washington University and Michigan State University. The Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago had the two runners-up.