iSPI at Illinois Women in Leadership Luncheon On February 16, Innovate Springfield Executive Director Katie Davison presented alongside Downtown Springfield, Inc.'s Lisa Clemons-Stott at the Illinois Women in Leadership Luncheon. In addition to speaking about their organizations, Katie and Lisa described the ways that Springfield citizens can support the positive development of their downtown. |
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iSPI on the Radio Despite what most millennials might tell you, terrestrial radio is not dead! In fact, it thrives, and Springfield happens to have both a talk radio station and a rad college radio station. Katie got to hang out with WMAY's Greg Bishop and WQNA's Brian Galecki of Black Sheep Radio. |
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Sangamon CEO & iSPI Social Innovation Mentor Monday focuses on life after High School On March 7, the Sangamon CEO program collaborated with iSPI's Social Innovation Program to host a training and support session for the Sangamon CEO mentors and mentees that focused on imparting advice to address the students' post-high school worries. Thanks to the students and mentors for a great discussion! Check out a student-created video clip of the event on the Sangamon CEO Instagram Page. |
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Social Innovation Program featured in Case Study The developers of the Brain Architecture Game have written a case study on how Innovate Springfield's Social Innovation Program engaged the Leadership Springfield class in learning about children's brain development. Click here to read the case study. |
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March Workshop 2: Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Thursday, March 23, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. |
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When starting out, many entrepreneurs have an idea that grows into a product or service so large in scope that: A) it becomes impossible to implement or B) they want to refine the product or service until it is absolutely perfect before taking it to market. |
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The Minimum Viable Product (MVP) has the absolute minimum features needed to launch a product in order to collect feedback that will help refine that product and develop its features. An MVP can help you gauge need and demand for your product and allows you easily fine tune it to make it more viable. This workshop will be led by Innovate Springfield member Barnabas Helmy, who will describe the MVP process that ultimately produced the Puck. Register for this workshop and view our upcoming schedule of workshops by visiting our website. |
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Investor Pitch Event at iSPI Thursday, March 30, 4:30 - 6:30 |
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Have you ever wondered what it is like to invest in a start-up company? Or how to get involved in investing? Are you an entrepreneur interested in learning how to raise money from private investors? Join Innovate Springfield (iSPI) and NextGen Ventures as we host an investor pitch event at iSPI.
We will hear from three up-and-coming iSPI entrepreneurs pitching their business opportunities to a group of investors. Before the first business pitch, we will walk through some nuts and bolts of investing in startups, including: - Accessing and financing startup investment opportunities
i.e., Crowdfunding, Angel Investors, Venture Capital, Private Equity, IPOs, and Debt - What startup investors seek
- Valuations and deal structures
- Exits
Learn more and register here. |
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The Sangamon County Youth Mentoring Summit Nadia Gronkowski iSPI Social Innovation Program Coordinator |
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“All local children who could benefit from a mentor [should] have a mentor.” “No adolescent should have to go through adolescence without at least one responsible adult looking out for him or her.” |
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These strong statements are the Sangamon Success report’s answer to providing out-of-school support for less-advantaged youth. Youth mentoring holds important potential benefits for less-advantaged youth, and in order to support local mentoring programs in aligning with research-informed best practices, the Continuum of Learning is organizing the Sangamon County Youth Mentoring Summit. In June 2017, the Sangamon County Continuum of Learning will host the first-ever Sangamon County Youth Mentoring Summit, a day-long exploration of evidence-based best practices in youth mentoring. Learn why and Read More... |
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Check out the Sangamon Success Report, and stay tuned for updates on the Social Innovation Program in each iSPI monthly newsletter. |
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Rolling Meadows hits the Black Market On February 24, Rolling Meadows Brewery announced the release of their Black Market Bock, a chocolate beer that is now available at local bars and grocery stores. Why 'Black Market Bock'? RMB says, "The name comes from the history of a local candy store in the 1930s purchasing black market sugar to make its chocolate, as sugar was in short supply and was being rationed at the time." Visit their website to learn more and to book a brewery tour. |
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Visit the 1007 Culture Hub Grand Guesthouse During the month of April, friends of iSPI receive a 50% discount at 1007 The Grand Guesthouse -- iSPI member Elizabeth Farrar's AirBnB. Just mention iSPI in your reservation request. Up to 6 guests can stay and enjoy the beautiful kitchen and dining room space. |
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1007 is a little bit AirBnB and a little bit language school. It serves as a cultural gateway for people visiting Springfield from other countries and for those who would like to explore other cultures. |
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