|
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1871 ANNOUNCES 12 COMPANIES IN THIRD WiSTEM COHORT
Cohort to launch in
mid-September; 15 women entrepreneurs will be involved; Two
peer-selected companies will each receive a $25,000 investment as part of
a new partnership with Village Capital Communities; $50,000 grant from
SBA will foster new opportunities
Chicago-based
technology incubator 1871 announced Thursday the twelve businesses that
will make up the third cohort of WiSTEM, 1871’s unique program designed
to cultivate success and opportunities for women in technology. The 12
companies and their founders will begin a sixteen-week curriculum on
September 20, 2016. Since the program launched Fall 2015, a total
of 26 companies participated in WiSTEM in two successful cohorts
“The fundamental goal of WiSTEM has always been to produce, support, and
positively impact the lives of women entrepreneurs,” said 1871 CEO Howard
A. Tullman. “WiSTEM has surpassed and continues to surpass these goals by
cultivating an environment that balances business and community and
fosters opportunities across a wide spectrum. We are excited to welcome
this new cohort of women to WiSTEM and the 1871 community.”
This cohort will benefit from a new $50,000 funding opportunity through a
partnership with Village Capital Communities, with the top two
peer-ranked companies each being awarded $25,000 as an investment. This
is a new element of the program that will be launched for the first time
with this cohort.
A focus on fostering opportunity for women entrepreneurs in technology
has been a key objective for 1871. As part of the WiSTEM effort, it is
customary for 1871 to welcome women business leaders to share their
stories with the entire community. United States Chief Technology Officer
Megan Smith, First Lady Diana Rauner, Springboard Ventures founder Kay
Koplovitz, uBeam founder Meredith Perry, Vosges Haut-Chocolat founder
Katrina Markoff, Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), and Digital
Citizen Fund co-founder and CEO Roya Mahboob have all recently visited
1871. 1871 has made it a point to connect with other women-led
organizations such as Ms. Tech, Women Tech Founders and Lesbians Who Tech
to create and host events centered around women entrepreneurs.
Additionally, it was recently announced that 1871 would be the host
location for Reboot Academy, an innovative organization that trains women
for re-entry into the technology workforce.
“It has always been my mission to inspire and empower women
entrepreneurs, “ says Vosges Haut-Chocolat founder Katrina Markoff. “The
new cohort will undoubtedly help shape America’s culture, economy, and
future at large.”
The members of the third WiSTEM class are:
Neurocern - Anitha Rao, MD, Co-Founder and CEO
Recordly - Anna Maikova, Co-Founder and Marketing Manager
Wekaw - Angela Wang, Founder, and CEO
WeSolv - Stella Ashaolu, Founder, and CEO
ClassCrasher - Marylynne Schwartz, Founder + Ellena Berger, Co-Founder
TheSocReports - Carol Fowler, Co-Founder, and CEO
FetchFind - Jamie Migdal, Founder, and CEO
SpringFour -
Rochelle Gorey, Co-Founder, and CEO
Taylored Wines -
Rachel Portell, Founder, and CEO
Kaizen Health -
Mindi Knebel, Founder, and CEO
VirtualKEY - Resha
Shroff, Founder, and CSO
Olfactif - Tara
Swords, Co-Founder, and CEO
“Women leaders
have become a rising demographic in the tech community, and 1871 has
worked tirelessly to build networks and opportunities for women
entrepreneurs,” said Jessica Williams, WiSTEM co-facilitator. “I am
excited to see how the previous cohort will be able to assist the new
members.”
“It is an honor to
work with and join the journey with this group of dedicated women
entrepreneurs,” added Nicole Yeary, WiSTEM co-facilitator, and Ms. Tech
founder and CEO. “It is inspiring to see the growth and evolution of each
company and their founder throughout the sixteen weeks. There’s no better
feeling than seeing our mission taking shape through our work with WiSTEM
and subsequently helping entrepreneurs develop game-changing solutions to
real and relevant problems."
The WiSTEM curriculum and its learning objectives are designed around
three pillars: technology, community, and capital. Leadership sessions
cover topics around business acumen and relationship building.
Peer-to-peer learning and knowledge-sharing are critical and every week
the "Cohort Confab" provides space for the entrepreneurs to ask
for help with present challenges and celebrate their successes together.
When it comes to connecting to capital, the program’s focus is on pitch
training and fundraising strategy. This not only helps the entrepreneurs
perfect their pitch, but also includes a parallel benefit of meeting
guest judges who happen to be investors, potential advisors, and industry
leaders. About technology, 1871’s existing network of expert mentors
hosting workshops and office hours helps tremendously in teaching the
entrepreneurs in WiSTEM the critical components of technology to hire the
best tech talent and to make the best decisions when it comes to running
their businesses.
“This new cohort of women will continue breaking boundaries in and around
1871, said Julie Novack, founder of PartySlate and member of the first
WiSTEM cohort. “This cohort is guaranteed to create a group of women who
will continue to make and reshape other women as leaders in the
technology community.”
# # #
About the third WiSTEM cohort companies
Neurocern is a
dementia software solution that empowers family caregivers and hospital
providers with neuroscience-based diagnostic and care solutions that are
unique for each patient, resulting in improved health and lower
healthcare costs.
Recordly - Anna Maikova
Recordly is an
interviewing and transcription app for media professionals, that uses a
smartwatch as a remote control for tracking and highlighting audio
recorded on the smartphone.
Wekaw believes
nobody is happy 24/7. They are a bridging technology service which
anonymously and immediately connects customers to talk to a professional
of their choice.
WeSolv - Stella Ashaolu
WeSolv is a platform that engages talented professional students and
companies by efficiently solving real challenges. WeSolv provides
visibility and access to both the world’s leading companies and students
through case competition-like Enterprise Challenges. WeSolv provides the
only existing centralized network of MBA students across the nation.
ClassCrasher
facilitates the discovery and booking of kids’ activities by making it
easy for parents to find the perfect class to fit any schedule without
the hassle of monthly subscription fees or limiting participation
to only drop-in classes.
TheSocReports
collects and delivers social media insights on a weekly basis that are
actionable so that subscribers can change their social media behavior for
better results.
FetchFind is the
world’s only integrated E-Learning and content marketplace for the pet
industry. Courses like pet first aid, canine behavior and customer
service basics turn pet enthusiasts into pet pros. Pet industry
businesses also use content to train and retain staff.
SpringFour
provides B-to-B solutions for banks, nonprofits, employers—or frankly any
enterprise that wants to help their customers or their employees take
control of their finances—to provide ready access to trusted, vetted
money-saving tools and resources through customizable web-based
applications.
Taylored Wines
connects oenophiles with world class, limited production boutique wines
via a beautifully simple and innovative marketplace. Through the
vineyard-to-glass marketplace, the antiquated wine distribution model that
connects consumers to the best boutique wines with a single click is
streamlined.
Kaizen’s Health
technology and people connect the rideshare industry with health systems
while addressing technology barriers and addressing the need for these
services from a public health perspective.
VirtualKEY
introduces a smart & secure way to exchange keys. The land grab
strategy hinges on providing the smartlock for free to increase smartlock
adoption and incent hosts to change from traditional methods.
Olfactif began as
a niche perfume subscription service, sending curated, high-end fragrance
collections to customers each month and selling the companion full
bottles on the website. Other lines of business include à la carte
samples for subscribers and nonsubscribers, as well as a separate men’s
subscription service.
About WiSTEM
WiSTEM was originally funded in part by the Google for Entrepreneurs’
#40Forward initiative and is also supported by the Lefkofsky Family
Foundation, Wild Ophelia, the Motorola Mobility Foundation, Coca-Cola,
the U.S. Small Business Administration, KPMG, and AT&T. The curriculum
is focused around three primary areas—connecting women technology
entrepreneurs to capital, technology, and community. The capital pillar
includes connecting women tech entrepreneurs with potential investors,
supporting women with additional training as they seek investment, and
working with investment groups that are seeking to invest directly in
women-owned businesses. The technology pillar focuses on providing
technical resources to women tech entrepreneurs and fostering
opportunities for women entrepreneurs to understand their technical
requirements and the best solutions available. Finally, the community
pillar revolves around mentorship, workshops, and community facing events
for the participants in WiSTEM and the general public. The curriculum portion
of WiSTEM will last sixteen weeks. There will be a Showcase at the
conclusion of the program. For more information, visit www.1871.com/WiSTEM.
About 1871
1871 is the home of more than 450 early-stage, high-growth digital
startups. Located in The Merchandise Mart, this 130,000 square foot
facility is also the headquarters of nationally recognized accelerators
Techstars Chicago and the Good Food Business Accelerator; impact
investing fund Impact Engine, and half a dozen industry-specific
incubators, and the state's leading technology advocate, the Illinois
Science and Technology Coalition. 1871 supports a number of programs to
promote inclusion of women and veterans in Chicago’s entrepreneurial
ecosystem, including its WiSTEM program to foster opportunities for women
entrepreneurs. It is also a host facility for the Google/CODE2040
Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) program. It is the second home to
Chicago-based VCs, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, MATH Venture Partners,
Hyde Park Angels, OCA Ventures, OurCrowd and Chicago Ventures, as well as
satellite offices for Northwestern University, University of Illinois,
University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, Illinois Institute of
Technology, and DeVry. 1871 has fast become recognized as the hub for the
city’s entrepreneurial/technology ecosystem and has been featured in Inc.
Magazine, TechCrunch, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Chicago
Tribune and Crain’s Chicago Business among other top media. 1871 is the
flagship project of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center. For more
about 1871, visit www.1871.com.
|
