by John Jonelis
Here’s a Chicago Area startup that brings pleasure, relaxation, and satisfaction to tired business people, gets them out in the open air, away from the pressures of the big city, and teaches them to smile again. Does that sound like a worthy goal?
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I think so. Continue reading
Filed under Business, Characters, Games, High Tech, Low Tech, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital
by Howard Tullman
There’s no polite or easy way to say this, but winter is on its way in the venture world. It’s getting tougher and tougher for startups caught in the lukewarm limbo between ideas and invoices to get their early backers to up their bets especially when it’s not clear that they’ve found a viable business model and/or a way to stop the bleeding sooner rather than later. Too many pivots with too little to show for the dollars down the drain and pretty soon no one wants to hear your, “someday soon,” story or your next grand plan. Continue reading
Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Conflict, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital
by Mark T Wayne
We’re here to interview some reprobate named William Shakes for the job of special correspondent. I do not know why I’m a part of this. No sir! Continue reading
Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Conflict, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Influence, Jim Kren, loop lonagan, mark t wayne, Story, Writing style
by Tom McBride
The first time I heard the word “obsolete” was when I overheard my father talking to a stranger on a bus. They were speaking about a new expressway that the city had built, and the stranger said, “That thing was obsolete before they ever opened it.” Continue reading
Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Conflict, Death, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Influence, mobile, Relationships, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital
At Tempus, Ocient and Catalytic, Chicago’s most prominent entrepreneurs are moving on to their next big thing.
by Jim Dallky
Chicago tech is growing up.
One sign of a maturing tech ecosystem is the success of a city’s serial entrepreneurs, and recently we’ve seen some of Chicago’s most high profile founders and technologists move on to their next companies, and tackle big industries like the Internet of Things, cancer research, and artificial intelligence. Continue reading
Filed under angel, angel investor, app, Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital
An Open Letter to Management
by Lisa Earle McLeod
Attracting and keeping top millennial talent is a burning issue for leaders. Millennials are 35% of the workforce. By 2020 they’ll be 46% of the working population.
Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Conflict, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Influence, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital
by Scott M. Anderson
An investor, Sally, recently heard two pitches. The first was from A-Dot-Co, which will produce polka-dot jellybeans using a new patented process. The second was from BetterBean, will produce purple jellybeans using a trade secret method which improves existing manufacturing processes.
Having spent several years owning a candy company, Sally was interested in both opportunities. Continue reading
Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Influence, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital
Optimizing Human Behavior with a STEM Modelby Moises Goldman PhD
For the last 15 years I have given numerous seminars aimed at optimizing executive and managerial performance in technology driven firms. The goal is to optimize departmental performance resulting in the larger optimization of an entire firm. As the theory goes: If the whole is the sum of the parts, and each part is optimized, then the whole is optimized.
These experiences have challenged my ability to communicate with people involved in STEM fields. This group represents a highly gifted segment of the population, and they tend to be very results driven. How does one reason, interpret, and convince scientists to modify their own behavior? Continue reading
WHAT THE NEW ADMINISTRATION MIGHT MEAN FOR HEALTH CAREBy Erik Clausen
Several months have passed since the U.S. Presidential election, and…we’re still here, folks. After years of political rhetoric and theatrics, and a few months of uncertainty, we are starting to gain some clarity around exactly what the new administration and its policies might mean for the life science industry and, by extension, marketers within it.
Most importantly and as a wise man wrote before the election, “There is no need for panic.” Continue reading
Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Conflict, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, Influence, Politics, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital
by Denny O’Malley
Recently, Inc.com published an article about the best cities for early-stage companies. The premise: Chicago is the surprise winner.
Why would that be? San Francisco and New York are both beautiful, thriving cities that dramatically represent the diversity of American ideas. San Fran—younger, more venture-oriented, with beautiful natural vistas. New York—the classic, bustling private and public equity concrete jungle.
What do they have in common? It costs a kidney to pay rent for a closet. Continue reading
by John Jonelis
What happens when you invite the community into your high school and send your high school students into the community?
Amazing things! You create a THIRD SPACE in people’s lives.
Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Characters, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, High Tech, mobile, Startup Companies, Startups
by John Jonelis
What happens when you give kids—kids gifted in math and science—a real chance to bust out with their God given talents and excel?
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What happens? Good things! Good things happen! They happen here at IMSA – the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. I’ll give you an intimate peek at the inner works of this educational powerhouse so you can see for yourself what makes this one of the biggest success stories in the country. Continue reading
Filed under angel, angel investor, Business, Education, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurship, Giving, High Tech, Startup Companies, Startups, vc, venture capital
Controlled Design Management – Part 1
Controlled Design Management – Part 2
Controlled Design Management – Part 3
Controlled Design Management – Part 4
How Hyperlocal Social Economies Evolve
Investors Losing Patience with Pivots
Millennials are Becoming Obsolete–Already!
Chicago–the Best Incubator in America?
Driving Value When Funding Runs Low
The 10 Commandments of Startups
Your Business and Your Children
The Hidden Danger in Your Data
Underestimating the Competition
The Girl in the Black Leather Pants
The Apprentice Meets Digital Boot Camp
Fear of Failure Is Not an Option
The Secret World of 3D Printing
Fascination of a Thought Leader
If We Build it, They Will Come
Shark Tank Meets The Apprentice
The Gamemaker's Father 