Investors come calling at 1871 - Article #1 of 2
By John Pletz
December 18, 2012
The startup hub inside the Merchandise Mart, 1871, is off to a fast start.
A half-dozen companies have landed $11.6 million in funding since 1871 opened seven months ago, attracting individual entrepreneurs with little more than an idea and more-established startups with products and paying customers.
Read more: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20121218/NEWS08/121219802/investors-come-calling-at-1871
And watch the video: https://bcove.me/qx63i299
*****
Accelerators go corporate: Big organizations embrace a smart startup tool - Article #2 of 2
By John Pletz
December 17, 2012
Ed Kaczmarek is such a fan of startup accelerators that he's launching one—inside Mondelez International Inc., the snack business spun off from Kraft Foods Inc.
So is Constance Freedman, who oversees the investment arm of the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors.
Accelerators have become one of the most popular ways to build new companies, by gathering small teams of entrepreneurs for a few months of intensive focus to either turn their ideas into viable companies or fail quickly. No longer content to offer mentors or money to these startup factories, big businesses are co-opting the idea and launching their own incubators in-house. In addition to Deerfield-based Mondelez and NAR, Microsoft Corp., Nike Inc. and PepsiCo Inc. have launched their own.
