2017 in Review We're so proud of how our business incubation and social innovation programs have grown in 2017. Check out the nifty infographic below to learn about how this has been a breakout year of growth for iSPI and our members! |
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Women in Start-ups and Investment Event We hosted our first ever Women in Startups and Investment event on November 20 and more than 50 women attended. Our guest speakers, Anna Palmer (Wondermile, Fashion Project, and XFactor Ventures) and Danielle David (Spoon University) shared their startup journeys and the obstacles that they have faced as entrepreneurs and as women engaged in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. |
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Event attendees also heard from iSPI members of female-founded companies including: Participants left feeling inspired and excited to create a local entrepreneurial ecosystem that engages women. A few key takeaways from the night were to "use your super powers for good," to "surround yourself with a strong and diverse team," and to "trust yourself." | | |
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State of Illinois Azure Hackathon The State of Illinois, Innovate Springfield, and Microsoft hosted a Hackathon event on December 5th and 6th that focused on building innovative technology solutions for antiquated systems. The teams got together and rose to the challenge, creating technology platforms that better serve our citizenry, relieve front-line service employees of low-value repeat tasks, and ultimately reduce costs and improve accountability. Congratulations to teams from Dept. of Natural Resources, illinois.gov, and Dept. of Revenue on their first, second and third placings, respectively. | | |
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Case Study: Custom Cup From ideation to implementation: hear how Custom Cup founders Brent and Kendra Boesdorfer turned a hobby into a thriving business. Participants will gain real-world insight into a successful local start-up, including how to manage time, people, and resources. | | |
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#FacebookGoals You may have noticed we've been experimenting with Facebook Live. In our most recent post, we set a goal to reach 1,000 Facebook likes, and within 48 hours we reached our goal and beyond. Thanks for supporting all of our #goals. Follow us on our journey championing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Springfield. |
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Member News >> members who are crushing it, too >> |
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“Aware is making a significant impact on the lives of visually impaired people in areas it is already in use," said Rasha Said, Sensible Innovations CEO and founder. "We have placed iBeacons at Glenwood High School in Chatham, Mary Bryant Home for the Blind in Springfield, the Rosa Parks Hempstead Transit Center in New York -- which in September we won a METRO Magazine award for our partnership with Nassau-Inter-County Express at BusCon -- and at The Chicago Lighthouse." |
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CONGRATULATIONS to SmashToast! iSPI Members are making some serious waves, and we want to give a loud and proud shout-out to Barnabas Helmy of SmashToast, Inc for winning two awards at this year's Startup Connection Venture Showcase. Be sure to say hello to this amazing tech and say goodbye to your old-fashioned remote controls for good with PUCK. |
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Welcome New Members We've added FOUR new names to our chalkboard wall and want to extend a good ol' fashioned iSPI howdy to: - Lead Robotix
- Melissa Hostetter College Consulting
- Sole Search
- Dynamism Consulting
Our continued growth is a direct reflection of the support we receive from community members like you. Thank you! |
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Website Updates Want to learn more about us? The iSPI website has new information about our staff and our social innovation program. Cruise through cyberspace with us, won't you? |
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What We're Into This Month >> Curated content from the iSPI team >> |
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