Apr
3
12:00 PM12:00

Side Hustle Showcase

We are excited to announce Loyola University Chicago’s first-ever Side Hustle Showcase. Hosted by Ignite Lab at the Quinlan School of Business.

What to Expect:

Selected students will showcase their side hustles in the Schreiber Center Lobby for two hours. Fellow students, faculty, staff, and guests will have a chance to walk through and learn more about each business. The Side Hustle Showcase is simply an opportunity to show off your entrepreneurial endeavors. Think of it like a Science Fair but for Side Hustles!

Important note: No on-site sales can be made at the event.


Selected Businesses:

Amerinkas: I am an Indigenous Kichwa and operate a small Native American online shop. Our products include jewellery, pottery, and Alpaca wool blankets & jackets. Almost everything in our inventory is entirely handmade by Native artists representing different Indigenous tribes from North and South America. We work directly with each artist to create intricate, one-of-a-kind pieces that capture the essence of Native culture and Southwest style.
Big Eaters: Big Eaters is a small business focused on delivering the best quality food from different backgrounds. With our main focus being on the customer we aim to deliver the best quality food around the Loyola campus.
Deesandco: A hair and beauty business. I provide services to mainly people of colour, doing many different protective styles including braids, locs, twists, weaves, cornrows, and many more styles. I have also done hair for people, not of color, and I'm working to expand my services to cater to the hair needs of multiple ethnicities.
Hudi: We sell decoration hoodies for car gear shifters. It protects the stick from damage and the hoodie can be perfumed for additional smell.
NIEBIESKI: NIEBIESKI is a Polish-inspired streetwear label created and based in Chicago. Simply meaning “blue,” the brand offers street-styled apparel for men and women, currently featuring t-shirts and soon looking to expand into hoodies and accessories. To tie the founder’s background, the label commentates on Eastern European culture, urbanity, and contemporary design.
Off_Supply: I buy/sell/trade sneakers and designer items for clients. I buy sneakers/designer items at a cost that I am able to resell for profit. Also, I source items for clients and do consignments with two local sneaker shops.
Restoration Resale: We source mostly contemporary and vintage electronics/mechanical things that have been neglected or broken from Goodwill outlet liquidation centres, clean, fix, and sell them on our eBay site.
RIZVISIONS: I'm here to elevate your small service-based business, generating an extra 15-20 leads per month through engaging short-form content on platforms like TikTok, Reels, and Shorts. My approach includes Content Creation: I transform your behind-the-scenes material into captivating, concise videos. Algorithm Mastery: By dedicating hours each week to trend analysis, I ensure your content stays ahead and gains viral traction. Social Media Management: I manage your posting schedule, engage with your audience, and maintain a consistent brand voice across channels.
Sheancreates: Sheancreates is a clothing brand that strives to spread the concept of love one step at a time. Sheancreates offers lifestyle hoodies that speak about the concept of love.
Zingg Photo & Video: My business provides an array of multimedia production and creative services. Some of these services include photo & video production, graphic design/illustration, branding, and social strategy, while currently specializing in corporate storytelling. My company is self-run, however, I have subcontractors across the country I frequently partner with for projects.

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1871 Intern Fair
Mar
11
4:00 PM16:00

1871 Intern Fair

  • Who? Everyone! Curious undergrad and graduate students with an interest or focus in tech, marketing, sales, computer science, business development, data analytics, etc. will make a great addition to one of 1871’s member companies or an 1871 internal team. ***Must be 18+

  • When? Wednesday, March 11th from 4:00 -7:00 pm.

  • Where? 1871 --- 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1212. Come check out our amazing office space in the Merchandise Mart were we host 500+ startups dedicated to changing the world through tech and innovation. 

  • What? Get the best internship of the summer! Join an 1871 member company or an internal 1871 team and spend the summer working with a vibrant community looking for dedicated students eager to learn and collaborate. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to the 1871 Membership team, membership@1871.com

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Campus 1871
Apr
6
to Apr 7

Campus 1871

For one weekend a year, 1871 brings together more than 100 students from local universities for the ultimate startup experience. Students come together to share ideas, collaborate and build an original startup business plan with mentoring and coaching from 1871 entrepreneurs. The weekend concludes with a pitch competition in front of a panel of top leaders in Chicago’s tech community for assorted prizes.

Campus 1871 Applications open January 14 and close February 1

Want to learn more? Check out their website, here

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Intro to Chicago’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem/Pitching Workshop with Future Founders
Apr
1
2:00 PM14:00

Intro to Chicago’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem/Pitching Workshop with Future Founders

Want to learn more about Chicago's entrepreneurial ecosystem? Have an idea for a business but not sure where to find resources in our community? Want to learn the basics of pitching? Then this is the workshop for you!

Join us for an interactive workshop where we will learn helpful tools to navigate Chicago's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Future Founders Startup Manager, Tina Hrabak, will join Ignite Lab to host an ‘Intro to Chicago’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem’ Workshop on Monday, April 1 at 2 pm in Corboy Law Center Room 423.

Please RSVP here

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Agile M&A Workshop with DealRoom CEO, Kison Patel
Mar
28
4:30 PM16:30

Agile M&A Workshop with DealRoom CEO, Kison Patel

Join us on Thursday, March 28 from 4:30-5:30 pm for an interactive Agile M&A workshop with Kison Patel, CEO of DealRoom.

DealRoom, created by a team of former M&A professionals, uses Agile principles and software to solve efficiency issues within the banking/corporate finance industry, namely for complex commercial transactions like M&A. Data storage, diligence tracking and communication tools are all on DealRoom’s integrated smart platform, which allows users to eliminate duplicate work, track progress and gain insightful analytics.

Learn more about Kison Patel and DealRoom

This event will take place in Schreiber Center Room 908

Please RSVP here

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Ignite Lab Social Hour
Mar
14
5:30 PM17:30

Ignite Lab Social Hour

All Ignite Lab members are invited to the Ignite Lab Social Hour. Come meet other Loyola University Chicago students, faculty, and staff interested in entrepreneurship at an informal social gathering. We might even play a game or two. 

Meeting in Schreiber Center Room 1001

Please RSVP here

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Future Founders Workshop: Handling Failure
Feb
26
1:00 PM13:00

Future Founders Workshop: Handling Failure

Ever wonder what it is like to rebound from a defeat? Want to learn effective strategies to continue on after a misstep? Then this is the workshop for you!

Join us for an interactive lunch and learn where we will learn helpful tools to succeed in the future. Future Founders Startup Manager, Tina Hrabak, will join Ignite Lab to host a ‘How to Handle Failure’ Workshop on Tuesday, February 26 at 1 pm in Schreiber Center Room 908.

Please RSVP here

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A Conversation with Amy Francetic
Feb
19
6:00 PM18:00

A Conversation with Amy Francetic

In partnership with the Baumhart Center, Ignite Lab will welcome Amy Francetic, the Managing Director of Energize Ventures, where she leads a $150 million venture fund focused on bringing digital technology to energy and industrial businesses. Prior to this role, Francetic served as co-founder and CEO of technology accelerator Clean Energy Trust, which has invested in dozens of early-stage clean energy companies across the Midwestern US. Early in her career, Francetic was co-founder and CEO of a tech company that she sold to Lego Systems. For her leadership in business and technology, she has been named Corporate Citizen of the Year (Executives’ Club of Chicago) and Leading Woman in Technology (Illinois Technology Association).

This conversation will take place in Schreiber 1001. Dinner and refreshments will be served.

Please register here

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Women in Entrepreneurship Panel
Jan
28
5:00 PM17:00

Women in Entrepreneurship Panel

Ignite Lab, Next Founders, and Women in Business Present: Women in Entrepreneurship Panel

Are you a woman interested in entrepreneurship? Have you ever wanted to learn how females can succeed in the startup space?

Join us to hear how three women started and grew their own businesses

Melissa Ballate, Blue Daring

Early in her career, Melissa realized that everything that works, in business and life, is a perfect marriage of form and function. It was the inspiration for starting Blue Daring where she serves as their team’s leader and a senior strategist and thought partner to their clients—dedicated to helping them articulate their value and leverage their brands in meaningful ways.

Learn more about Melissa here


Katherine Nguyen, Building Blocks Toy Store

Building Blocks was introduced to Chicago in 1996 by educator-wannabe, play ambassador and retail aficionado Katherine Nguyen. She started her first retail business at age nine, buying candy by bulk and setting up "Kandie's Candies" out of a Tupperware box in her family's apartment in Queens, NYC. Other retail businesses (men's clothing, electronics, gifts) were to follow through college, mainly as a means to earn spending money. After working as a public accountant in the corporate world, Katherine quickly realized that retail was her passion and way to express herself. Growing up, she loved to play schoolteacher, tutor, and play with kids. It was clear that being an entrepreneur and serving families with educational, developmental, play-based products was her real mission in life. Today, Katherine shares all the fun with her 2 kids and they reside in North Center area of Chicago. These two kids certainly don't mind that mom brings work home ... a lot!

Learn more about Katherine here


Catherine Aldana, EAT STRETCH NAP

Catherine Aldana is the Founder of EAT STRETCH NAP™, a boutique wellness company that brings Yoga, Meditation + Mindfulness to the workplace. As a 6+ year Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) and Integrative Ayurvedic Practitioner she inspires people to live a happy, healthy, and meaningful life.

Cat is a Master Aerial Yoga Teacher Trainer of the nationwide chain of AIR® Aerial Fitness studios and a widely sought after wellness consultant and speaker. Her life's purpose is to create complete health and well-being in herself and others through the transformative power of beauty, grace, and ease.

Cat's offerings include yoga retreats, corporate and residential wellness programs, Ayurvedic consultations, group classes, and life coaching.

Learn more about Cat here

This event will take place in Schreiber Center Room 908

Please RSVP here

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Introduction to Customer Experience Mapping for Entrepreneurs
Nov
15
1:00 PM13:00

Introduction to Customer Experience Mapping for Entrepreneurs

“As competition and buyer empowerment compounds, customer experience itself is proving to be the only truly durable competitive advantage.” - Gartner Research

Ignite Lab is pleased to announce Highland Solutions will be coming to Loyola University Chicago’s Quinlan School of Business. Highland Solutions will talk to Ignite Lab members about how to improve a customer’s experience. Don’t miss this interactive workshop!

Customer Experience Mapping is a key practice for businesses to be able to truly understand what customers care about. The insights gained from this activity are critical to enable your organization to deliver exceptional in-person and digital experiences and succeed in the age of the customer.

Learn how these collaborative, creative activities can produce valuable Customer Experience Maps that will fuel your team's insight and innovation.

You’ll Learn:

  • How leading companies use customer experience as a critical competitive advantage

  • The building blocks of Customer Experience Mapping activities

  • How to introduce Customer Experience Mapping to your own organization

About Highland:

Highland Solutions is a customer experience firm with fierce commitment to keeping people at the center of our work. We use our skills in CX strategy, custom software development, and CRM implementation to help innovative leaders understand their customers and take smart risks. We love working with customer-centric and mission-driven organizations who want to adopt the principles of more disruptive businesses to take their impact to the next level.

Meeting in Schreiber Center Room 1001

Please RSVP here

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A Conversation with Betsy Ziegler
Nov
1
5:00 PM17:00

A Conversation with Betsy Ziegler

Ignite Lab and the Baumhart Center invite you to join us on November 1st for a special conversation with Betsy Ziegler.

Ziegler is the first female CEO of 1871, now the Number 1 ranked tech incubator in the world. Previous to 1871, Betsy was the Chief Innovation Officer at the Kellogg School of Management, responsible for portfolio innovation as well as integrating technology into the Kellogg educational experience. Prior to Kellogg, she served as a principal at McKinsey & Company, a leading management consulting firm. Alongside leading 1871, she is a member of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago Board of Directors and an advisor and investor in many young technology companies.

The conversation with Ziegler will take in Beane Hall on the 13th floor of Lewis Towers at 111 E Pearson. The conversation will be intimate and interactive and allow you to ask questions and to share your insights.

Please RSVP here

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Project Management Workshop with Dr. Gezinus Hidding
Oct
22
4:30 PM16:30

Project Management Workshop with Dr. Gezinus Hidding

Ignite Lab welcomes Dr. Gezinus Hidding, an Associate Professor in the Quinlan School of Business. Dr. Hidding will conduct an interactive workshop on project management to allow Ignite Lab members to learn how to manage their entrepreneurial startups more effectively.

Learn more about Dr. Hidding here.

This event will be held in the Schreiber Center, Room 406.

Please RSVP here

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Alumni Unveiling of Ignite Lab
Oct
16
5:30 PM17:30

Alumni Unveiling of Ignite Lab

  • Wintrust Hall Schreiber Center 9th Floor (map)
  • Google Calendar ICS

Join Loyola University Chicago Alumni and Ignite Lab Members for an evening of networking and celebrating entrepreneurship at Loyola.

Ignite Lab is Loyola University Chicago's recently launched incubator to help students, staff, and faculty with their entrepreneurial dreams.

Ignite Lab startups are looking for mentors either with entrepreneurial experiences or work experience in specific industries. 

October 16 will be a special night to introduce Ignite Lab to Loyola Alumni. It will feature commentary from Kevin Willer, the Founding CEO of 1871 and current partner of Chicago Ventures, and then short presentations from two Ignite Lab Members. This will be followed by networking with light refreshments. The night’s full schedule is below.

o 5:30 - Open Networking

o 6:00 - Opening Remarks from Kevin Stevens, Dean of the Quinlan School of Business

o 6:05 - Kevin Willer Comments on the Chicago Startup Ecosystem

o 6:20 - Short Presentations from Two Ignite Lab Startups

o 6:35 - Call to Action from Dr. Ugur Uygur, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship

o 6:45 - Food, Drinks, and Networking

STUDENTS, please register here

ALUMNI, please register here

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1871 University Open House
Oct
8
5:00 PM17:00

1871 University Open House

1871 is where the doers, makers, and disruptors of tomorrow come to work hard, shape new technologies, and reset the boundaries of what's possible. Join us at our University Open House where you'll have the opportunity to tour the #1 ranked university-affiliated incubator in the world, learn about all the resources that can help you on your own startup journey, and of course mix and mingle with other likeminded students! Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle, so don't miss out on this awesome event that will springboard you into Chicago's innovation ecosystem.

Refreshments will be served!

Schedule:
o 5:00-5:30 p.m. Networking
o 5:30-5:45 p.m. Welcoming Remarks from 1871 CEO Betsy Ziegler 
o 5:45-6:30 p.m. Tour of 1871 with your university reps

Please register here

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Ignite Lab Social Hour
Sep
28
4:00 PM16:00

Ignite Lab Social Hour

All Ignite Lab members are invited to the Ignite Lab Social Hour. Come meet other students, faculty, and staff interested in entrepreneurship at an informal social gathering. We might even play a game or two. 

This event will be held in Beane Hall, the 13th Floor of Lewis Towers

Please RSVP here

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