VOLUME XI of THE PERSPIRATION PRINCIPLES COMING SOON

PAWS CHICAGO HOLIDAY ADOPT-A-THON

Howard and Judy Tullman along w/ volunteers at PAWS Adopt-a-Thon 2014

PAWS Chicago's Seventh Annual 36 Hour Holiday Adopt-A-Thon was a huge success!  Last year, they found homes for 121 pets and THIS year they found homes for 150 homeless dogs, cats, puppies and kittens, making this their most successful Adopt-a-Thon to date!  The Adoption Center was bustling with adopters who came to meet their new best friends.  Congrats to

Great press for PAWS Adopt-a-Thon 2014

PAWS and volunteers Judy and Howard Tullman, Bonnie Spurlock, Kristina McGrath,  Joanna Mallers, Rita Moore, Meda Hatcher, Alexis Fasseas, Nancy Sterling and others.   The excitement continued into Sunday for their Celebrity Volunteer “12 Strays of Christmas” Holiday Open House where another 32 animals found homes!  Local animal-loving celebrities toured the Adoption Center, learned about its No Kill mission, visited homeless pets and helped raise awareness via social media.   #AHomeFortheHolidays

Event Queue is raising $3M to make large-scale events run more smoothly

Emerson Dameron

 

on Dec 22nd, 2014

Trained as an engineer, Lou Vasta said he was “thrown into the fire” of large-scale event planning as the Chicago transportation director of the 1994 World Cup. He adapted quickly, taking on clients such as the NBA and the World Soccer Federation before heading to Austin a little over a year ago to work on Formula One.

That's where the idea crystalized for an SaaS business that consolidates all the logistical heavy-lifting that goes into organizing a big public spectacle.

Enter Event Queue, which Vasta said is designed to “handle all the hard parts of big events – transportation, private security... If it goes well, you don't get noticed. If it goes badly, you're the talk of the town.”

Since Vasta does not have a technical background, he followed the same path as other non-technical Chicago founders and recruited not a CTO, but a technical co-founder, Terry Ryan, whose own tech business was acquired by HP in 2006. “I never thought I'd have anything in common with a computer science guy,” Vasta said, but the partnership quickly picked up steam.

"The technology exists,” said Vasta. “There are ways to get people in and out of events. You can make the event more efficient, create new revenue streams, and create natural evacuation plans. If a Boston Marathon event happens, you can get them into safe spaces. Evacuation plans for large event spaces are a joke.”

Rather than relying on an array of directional apps, Event Queue will provide a single service that will get users in and out of Bears games, downtown parades, and an array of other massive gatherings. Meanwhile, organizers and local merchants will be able to offer discounts and incentives, funneling the entire day's experience into the hands of people who know what they're doing.

"We've got enough money now that we're going to have a full-time staff after the holidays,” Vasta said. “We still need more money.” To that end, Event Queue is currently engaged in a seed round that Vasta hopes will bring in $3 million. Meanwhile, he's getting advice from former mayor Richard M. Daley, whom he met as a consultant, and 1871 leader Howard Tullman.

Clerk Mendoza, civic hackers and tech developers release first-ever Chicago residential zoned parking maps and applications for motorists

Clerk Mendoza, civic hackers and tech developers release first-ever Chicago residential zoned parking maps and applications for motorists

Unique collaboration helps residents navigate one of the City’s most complicated, and costly, programs

The Office of the Chicago City Clerk Susana A. Mendoza today joined today with technology developers to release the first-ever comprehensive residential parking zone map.

If you have ever tried to park in a neighborhood near U.S. Cellular Field and Wrigley Field, you know the City’s residential parking system can make parking tough for visitors.

Motorists, and their guests, will have a much clearer picture of the entire residential parking zone system starting today, said Clerk Mendoza during a press conference this morning.

More than 200,000 Chicago motorists live in residential parking zones and the system, which not only impacts them on a daily basis, but also impacts each and every family member or guest who visits these resident.

“For more than 20 years, the Office of the Clerk used a big book to track the zones in the City of Chicago. Now this information can be accessed on your cell phone or on your laptop, so you know if you will need a guest pass before you leave your home,” Mendoza said.

“This innovation didn’t cost the City of Chicago a dollar and the goal is to save Chicago motorists thousands of dollars, and hours of frustration, in the coming years.”

The City of Chicago currently has 1,429 active residential parking zones. Each of the 8,004 active zone records – or individually designated blocks – can have their own individual rules the active zones.

These zones cover 20 percent of all residential streets and failure to know the system costs motorists $75.00 for each ticket they receive for illegally parking in a residential zone.

The new map is available at http://chicityclerk.com/city-stickers-parking/about-residential-parking/. 

Clerk Mendoza was joined on Thursday by Alderman James Cappleman and Alderman Michele Smith as well as 1871 CEO Howard Tullman and Smart Chicago Collaborative CEO Dan O’Neil.

These maps are not only available for the first time, but the data is now available in an accessible format via the City of Chicago Department of Innovation Technology’s Open Data Portal for technology developers and others.

In just a few weeks, local innovators have created products, or enhanced existing applications, that will help renters, guests and motorists.

Follow the links below to access the new residential parking zone maps and view the products created by developers using data sets provided by the Office of the City Clerk and the City of Chicago Department of Innovative Technology.

Smart Chicago Collaborative Residential Parking Zone Map:

http://shua123.github.io/zone-parking/

ParkNav.com Residential Parking Zone Google Map:

http://orc.parknav.com/permit

Developer-friendly data sets can be accessed via the City of Chicago’s Department of Innovation Open Data Portal:
https://data.cityofchicago.org/Transportation/Parking-Permit-Zones/u9xt-hiju

1871 Celebrates 640 Labs Acquisition

New Inc Magazine Blog from 1871 CEO Howard Tullman

READ THE WHOLE PIECE HERE: http://www.inc.com/howard-tullman/expert-advice-is-overrated.html

READ IT ALL HERE: http://www.inc.com/howard-tullman/expert-advice-is-overrated.html

1871 Team Holiday Party

Red Rocket's Best Startups of 2014

Red Rocket's Best Startups of 2014

Red Rocket gets introduced to a couple hundred startups each year, in the normal course of doing business, or via our involvement with FireStarter Fund, TechStars, Techweek, VentureShot, Founder Institute or other startup groups or events.  We wanted to honor the best of these startups that we met, or got reacquainted with, in 2014, in Red Rocket's 3rd Annual "Best Startups of the Year".  This list is not intended to be an all-encompassing best startups list, as there are many additional great startups that we are not personally exposed to each year.  And, this list is not intended to be only for businesses that launched in 2014, it is open to startups of any age, that they or their advisers had some personal interaction with us in the last 12 months.  The business simply needed to have a good idea, good team or good traction, that caught our attention.  Congrats to you all!!

THE BEST STARTUPS OF 2014 (in alphabetical order):

Abe's Market (CEO Richard Demb) - B2C E-commerce for Natural & Organic Products

Change Lane (CEO David Harig) - B2C Mobile Oil Change Station at Your Home

ClutchPrep (CEO Marcio Souza) - B2C Video Guides for College Textbooks 

Datatopia (CEO Paul Brizz) - B2B Buy and Sell Data Marketplace

DoggyLoot (CEO Jeff Eckerling) - B2C curated ecommerce and deals for pet supplies

Dryv (CEO Dan Parsons) - B2C Dry Cleaning Delivery App

eForward (CEO Josh Morales) - B2C Low Cost Overseas Shipping

Fitness Cubed (CEO Arnav Dalmia) - B2C Under Your Desk Pedal Exerciser 

HealthIPASS (CEO Rajesh Voddiraju) - B2B Healthcare Payments Platform

Inventables (CEO Zach Kaplan) - B2C Digital Invention Manufacturing for Masses

Legal Funding Central (CEO Joshua Schwadron) - B2C/B2B Legal Funding for Plaintiffs

MightyNest (CEO Chris Conn) - B2C School Donations From Kids Ecommerce

MoxieJean (CEO Sharon Schneider ) - B2C upscale resale ecommerce for kids clothing 

Office Hero (CEO Marcelo Lanzarotti) - B2B Lease Free Office Space Finder

Options Away (CEO Robert Brown) - B2C Call Options For Airfares 

Project Fixup (CEO Sarah Press) - B2C Takes Work Out of Online Dating
Public Good (CEO Jason Kunesh) - B2C philanthropy portal site

Ridogulous Labs (CEO Sean Kelly) - B2C Smart Dog Collar Technology

Sensor Jet (CEO Julia McLachlan) - B2C Fire Supression System for Home Kitchen

Shelfbucks (CEO Erik McMillan) - B2B in-store beacon promotion platform

Social Market Analytics (CEO Joe Gits) - B2B/B2C Social Listening for Stock Trading

The Tie Bar (CEO Michael Alter) - B2C E-commerce for Men's Accessories

ViralHeat (CEO Jeff Revoy) - B2B Predictive Social Analtyics

Wavve App (CEO Andrew McNealy) - B2C At-Location Dating App

WeDeliver (CEO Jimmy Odom) - B2B Same Day Delivery Service

And, don't forget to check out the 2012 winners and the 2013 winners, many of whom continue to be doing great things.

Congratulations to you all!!  Keep up the good work.  

FORBES: An Unexpected Source of Innovation: Chicago Tech Center 1871 Expands

An Unexpected Source of Innovation: Chicago Tech Center 1871 Expands

By Vicki Gerson

Innovation can crop up where and how you least expect it. In our series “An Unexpected Source of Innovation,” we will visit some of America’s little-known hubs of technological creativity!

Chicago is well known for being the heartland of manufacturing … but a center for technological innovation? Not so much so, many people would assume. However, as with many assumptions, nothing could be farther from the truth! In fact, according to a study conducted by the Illinois Innovation Council, Illinois ranks second in the nation (after California) in the number of high-tech startups.

One of the catalysts for innovation in the city is Chicago’s leading tech startup center, named 1871 after the famous Chicago fire. 1871 is positioned to cater to the growing tech and entrepreneurial community in the Chicagoland area where members will be able to take advantage of mentorship programs, educational sessions and meeting rooms.

Originally funded by a $2.3 million grant from the State of Illinois and private sponsorships, it’s located in the Merchandise Mart with the purpose of increasing innovation and job growth in the region. Venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker provided early funding for 1871, while corporate sponsors such as CDW, Google and Comcast also supported it. The goal was to go beyond building the next Groupon or next Google, but to offer a place where people would be able to look back and say that Chicago’s 1871 was the place where great tech companies got started.

Chicago is a world famous city, but it is not necessarily known as an innovation hub. It may be time to change that perception.

Known as “Chicago’s Entrepreneurial Hub For Digital Startups,” the center opened its doors on May 2, 2012 with 50,000-square-feet of space on the 12th floor of the Merchandise Mart. The center is being run by the non-profit Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center, which received more than 300 applications for space. At first, the center housed up to 400 individuals and roughly 100 startups. One of the main objectives of the center is to help businesses build themselves up to the point of self-sufficiency.

The Big Picture

Technology affects all areas of the economy in every state, from real estate to education to finance to food. 1871′s companies are creating innovative tech products and services that are changing the way traditional industries operate.

New businesses are also critical creators of jobs and economic growth. 1871′s graduates have raised more than $40 million and created more than 1400 jobs. As the center of the entrepreneurial and tech communities in Chicago, 1871′s ultimate goal is to support the companies that are fostering economic growth throughout Chicago and Illinois.

Because most startups have very little cash or are unable to get bank loans, the center provides entrepreneurs with office space. Comcast’s investment in 1871 gives tenants free access to a high-speed Metro Ethernet Dedicated Internet Service, TV service in the common areas, and phone service.

With $2.5 million additional money from Governor Pat Quinn this year, 1871 was able to expand itself by 50 percent, adding 25,000 square-feet to accommodate additional entrepreneurs who wanted to become members. With the new space, 1871 is currently home to more than 300 companies where entrepreneurs can become a collaborative community.

A Glance at Some of the Innovative Businesses Here

1871 has incredible diversity among its startups:

·         Quick2LAUNCH can, in less than 48-hours, help corporations develop visually compelling presentations and templates for PowerPoint. It also has a graphic design service for presentations.

·         Youtopia is an education gamification platform (toolkit) that uses points, badges and leaderboards to make what students are already learning – from elementary through college – addictive and fun. Its platform unlocks new pathways to learning.

·         Georama helps travelers discover vacations based upon their interests. Travelers can plan, book and share trips.

·         WeDeliver is a same-day, on-demand delivery service using a web-based platform.

As Daniela Bolzmann, co-founder and CMO of WeDeliver says: “This is a place where every startup can call home. For me, 1871 is home. It’s where I met my cofounder, and it’s where we work for months at a time. Many times we spent more hours at 1871 than we did at our own homes. It’s a place where we’ve connected with our peers, met mentors, built our company and even trained our fleet of delivery specialists. The culture at 1871 is inspirational – the passion and fury that’s going on in the hallways is contagious.” Chicago is certainly hoping that this inspiration and passion continues to spread!

Vicki Gerson is an award-winning print and on-line writer for consumer, trade and custom publications who focuses on company profiles, business features and business blogs.