1871 is a Chicago-based business incubator with a focus on technology. As a result of Illinois State University’s involvement with the Illinois Innovation Network, faculty and students are now able to take advantage of 1871’s programs and services. Over the past year, several members of the campus community have done just that.

Collaborate

Dr. Valerie Wright, assistant professor in the Mennonite College of Nursing, and Ashley Bollhorst created the card game COLLABORATE to teach nursing students about interprofessional collaboration. Now Wright is a member of 1871. She decided to participate with 1871 because of its reputation as a leading innovation hub that offers comprehensive support to startups.

“The opportunity to join 1871 at no cost, as entrepreneurs from Illinois State University, was particularly appealing. We believed that 1871’s resources and community would be instrumental in refining our project and accelerating its development.”

Wright, who serves as game concept creator and content writer, and Bollhorst, who is responsible for user experience and visual design, participated in the “Explore” stage of 1871’s Startup Roadmap program. This stage is designed for entrepreneurs who have an idea or early-stage product and are eager to test it. The program provides a structured curriculum that includes weekly workshops, deep dives, and peer discussions, all aimed at guiding startups through the initial phases of development. Topics covered range from market validation and business model development to pitching and networking strategies. The sessions were held online for 2 hours each week for a total of 12 sessions. Wright shared, “Through the Explore program, we gained valuable insights into market validation, customer discovery, and effective pitching techniques. These learnings have been directly applicable to our work with ‘COLLABORATE.’” Wright said they identified their target audience better, refined their value proposition, and developed a more compelling narrative around the game which has enhanced their ability to communicate its benefits to potential users and stakeholders.

Learn more about COLLABORATE:

Innovation Labs

Throughout the year, 1871 offers innovation labs. These events are described as “disruptive, industry-focused experiences, designed to connect innovators and maximize chances of high-impact collisions.” These labs help individuals accelerate the growth of their ideas and become more competitive by identifying solutions and partnerships. In 2025, 1871 is offering several Innovation Labs: climate tech, health tech, food tech, fintech, insurtech, sports and entertainment, construction, supply chain, Web 3, and arficial intelligence.

Dr. Eli Sherrill—associate professor in the Department of Finance, Insurance, and Law—recently participated in the lab focused on financial technology, referred to as fintech. Sherrill participated virtually in the Partner Fireside Chat.

“I am impressed with the strong lineup of speakers 1871 was able to organize,” Sherrill said. “Being able to hear from such large companies as United, Discover, and BMO is an exciting opportunity, especially when the speakers are experts in the field of fintech.”

Sherrill said fintech is a topic most students do not know much about, but that there are many fintech opportunities in Illinois. “Summits like 1871 are a great opportunity to expand their understanding in this growing area.”

Campus 1871

In February, Wendell Miller, an Illinois State senior integrated marketing communications and advanced marketing analytics double-major, participated in Campus 1871. This two-day, in-person event is designed for college students to explore careers and companies with a technology focus; it exposes students to Chicago’s tech community through a variety of educational sessions and activities. Miller was the only student from a school outside of the Chicago area to attend.

“I have done lots of networking events. This was by far the best one that has ever happened,” Miller said.

Miller’s favorite part of the event was the Innovation Studio. The students were in teams with an industry focus area of finance, networking, sustainability, or technology. The team was given a prompt with a target market and had to create a startup company in 30 minutes. They pitched their company to a panel of experts and received feedback.

Miller received third place in November at the College of Business’ Means Center for Entrepreneurship Start-Up Showcase. He had a chance to talk to 10 people about his company, Ozyn. “Some people grilled me to ensure I knew all the details about my company,” Miller said. “I got really positive feedback.”

Miller received a free membership to 1871 and connected with ThinkChicago. He plans to take advantage of the mentors available through those networks and connect with product designers to develop a prototype. “This will save me months and months of time.”

Watch a brief video of Wendell Miller talking about his experience at Campus 1871.

Anyone interested in learning more about 1871 or its upcoming innovation labs should contact Harriett Steinbach in the Office of Research and Graduate Studies.