Chicago Officials Celebrate 1871 Startup Hub Expansion
City officials recently celebrated the expansion of 1871 and the addition of more than 700 new jobs to the city's growing tech sector.
1871 Chicago
Chicago—Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced earlier this week that 16 local tech companies have added more than 700 new jobs in the city recently, an announcement that coincides with the expansion of1871, the city’s first digital startup hub.
“Today both 1871 and Chicago’s tech scene are growing so I want to thank these companies for committing to adding jobs and supporting the incubator where some of them started out,” Mayor Emanuel said in a statement. “These tech companies are establishing the next generation of Chicago’s economy–an economy that is thriving due to the city’s central location, access to transportation, unmatched talent and business-friendly environment.”
Tech companies expanding their Windy City presence include: blitsy, BuiltWorlds, Civis Analytics, Closerlook Inc., DevBridge Group, DialogTech, HighGround, ITsavvy, kCura, Luxury Garage Sale, Mattersight, Reverb, ReviewTrackers, SpotHero, Trustwave and Yello. In total, these company are adding 775 new tech jobs to the city.
“Chicago is fortunate to have such an engaged tech community, that works together to advance the city and its businesses,” said Jeff Malehorn, president & CEO of World Business Chicago. “Our efforts to attract talent, increase access to capital and facilitate connections to cultivate growth would not be possible without this supportive and nurturing community.”
Located within the Merchandise Mart at 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza #1212, 1871 Chicago is a co-working space and technology innovation hub established back in 2012. The hub recently added a new 41,000-square-foot expansion on the building’s 13th floor. According to ChicagoInno, 1871 is currently home to more than 500 startups and hosts 1,000 events and workshops each year.
Image courtesy of CloudSpotter Technologies via 1871 Chicago’s Facebook page
