1871 announced today that nine college startups will get one free year in the entrepreneurial hub as winners of the inaugural Chicago College Startup Competition.
The winners were chosen out of a group of startups from across the country and will get free mentorship and access to 1871's programming throughout the year. Two runners up were also selected and will receive three free months.
The Chicago College Startup Competition is an effort by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Governor Pat Quinn and 1871 to keep talented early stage businesses in Illinois.
“The Chicago College Startup Competition is an important tool for attracting and keeping the most talented digital entrepreneurs, designers and developers in Chicago,” 1871 CEO Howard Tullman said in a news release. “This year’s selected college startups will benefit not only from 1871’s extensive range of programming, but also from their extended immersion in the 1871 entrepreneurial ecosystem.”
Keeping top tech talent in Illinois has been a challenge for years, and one report even showed that the state is the fifth largest source of talent for Silicon Valley.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Chicago’s economy and these young entrepreneurs are creating the small businesses of tomorrow,” Mayor Emanuel said in the release. “I congratulate the winners of the Chicago College Startup Competition on their accomplishment and expect to welcome them back soon, when they decide to grow their businesses here in Chicago.”
Here are the nine winners:
Fitness Cubed--University of Chicago: Creators of the Cubii--an under desk elliptical trainer--Fitness Cubed wants to keep people active at work. The Cubii just wrapped up a Kickstarter, raising nearly $300,000.
Lumonik--University of Chicago: The company's first product, the Hydraband, is a color changing bracelet that monitors human hydration levels in real-time, which can help people actively prevent hydration.
Timing and Racing Around the Clock LLC-- Northwestern University: This company looks to use radio frequency identification timing equipment to simplify the running experience.
Share Transport--Northwestern University: This startup looks to make business transportation more efficient by finding matches for everyday transportation requirements through analytics to optimize the logistic operation.
Hashtagr--DePaul University: This startup aggregates hashtags from Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Vine, Facebook, Google+ into one user interface.
Spectrom--University of Wisconsin-Madison: This company developed an on-demand coloring device that can be seamlessly integrated into any existing and future 3D printing machines.
Carbon Cash--Michigan State University: Carbon Cash wants to make people more energy efficient by informing users how much electricity they consume, teaching them how to use less, and rewarding them for saving through monetary incentives and psychological competitions with friends.
Omicron--George Washington University: This startup uses mobile and web tools to help young people expand their access to financial markets.
Hutster--Miami University, Ohio: This startup offers a student subletting platform to help guide them through the subletting process.
The two runners up:
Monkey Bars--Illinois Institute of Technology: This company organizes hackathons to help companies and organizations improve the way they learn, think and grow.
AnonyMonkey--University of Chicago: This app app allows high school and college students to share emotions semi-anonymously in groups that are centralized around each user's campus.
Image via 1871
