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    Application Launch Party – May 15, 2013 Application Launch Party – May 15, 2013

    Application Launch Party – May 15, 2013

Application Launch Party – May 15, 2013

Come celebrate the launch of applications for Impact Engine’s second cohort, Impact 2. Whether you’re applying to our program or just want to support the impact community, we hope you’ll join us as we begin the next phase of our program.

Our kick-off event will include a keynote on “Being Unreasonable” by Paul Hardej of FarmedHere, the nation’s largest indoor vertical farm.

PLUS: You’ll also hear firsthand from Impact Engine alumni about their experiences with our program and what it takes to start a for-profit impact company. *Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be provided. Limited space available.

DETAILS:
Wednesday, May 15th
6 to 9 p.m.
Haymarket Pub & Brewery
737 W. Randolph St.
Chicago, IL

Get your tickets >>

Applying to Impact Engine:

Impact Engine supports for-profit businesses making the world a better place. Our 16-week accelerator program provides entrepreneurs with the resources and tools they need to build companies that address today’s societal and environmental challenges. Receive $25,000 in seed funding, one-on-one mentorship, free workspace in downtown Chicago, access to accredited investors, the experience of a lifetime, and much more. Applications for our second cohort, Impact 2, open May 15th through June 30th. Learn more at TheImpactEngine.com/Program or follow application announcements at f6s.com/ImpactEngine.

 

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    StartingBloc + Impact Engine Happy Hour StartingBloc + Impact Engine Happy Hour

    StartingBloc + Impact Engine Happy Hour

StartingBloc + Impact Engine Happy Hour

We’re teaming up with the awesome folks at StartingBloc to host an innovation happy hour at 1871. Come mix and mingle with like-minded impact entrepreneurs, plus learn about StartingBloc’s new Detroit institute and Impact Engine’s 16-week accelerator program. We promise an inspiring evening of rockin’ ideas, networking, and learning. *Beverages and food will be provided. Limited space available.

DETAILS:
Wednesday, April 24th
6 p.m.
1871
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza

RSVP today >>

Applying to StartingBloc Detroit

The great people of Motor City have been very hard at work rebuilding their city and economy with wicked cool innovations such as Avalon International Breads,Colors – Detroit, Detroit Collision Works, The Empowerment Plan, Detroit Collaborative Design Center (DCDC), Detroit SOUP, Michigan Corps, The Detroit Bus Company, Hostel Detroit and many, many more! Proving that Detroit does hustle harder.

This August 1-5 StartingBloc in hosting one of their social innovation institutes to recruit 100 young leaders to learn how social enterprise and community economic development can rebuild a city from the grass roots via cross sector collaboration and collaboration between the market and the commons! Apply for the institute at www.startingbloc.org/application by April 30th.

Applying to Impact Engine:

Impact Engine supports for-profit businesses making the world a better place. Our 16-week accelerator program provides entrepreneurs with the resources and tools they need to build companies that address today’s societal and environmental challenges. Receive $20,000 in seed funding, one-on-one mentorship, free workspace in downtown Chicago, access to accredited investors, the experience of a lifetime, and much more. Applications for our second cohort, Impact 2, open May 15th through June 30th. Learn more at TheImpactEngine.com/Program or follow application announcements at f6s.com/ImpactEngine.

Video from Storytelling: The Impact Entrepreneur’s Dilemma

Communicating mission and money is a tough challenge for impact businesses, specifally for-profit ones. If they focus too much on mission, they’re often misconstrued for a nonprofit. But if they focus too much on financial outcomes, the purpose of their work gets lost. So how should impact companies talk about themselves? To debate this question, we brought together three branding and communications professionals for “Storytelling: The Impact Entrepreneur’s Dilemma.” The panelists touched on topics such as authenticity, leading with one “edge,” developing a point-of-view, living in beta, and tactics vs. strategies.

PANELISTS:
David Gardner, Co-founder, ColorJar
Mana Ionescu, President, Lightspan Digital
Suzanne Muchin, Co-founder & Partner, Frequency540

Video: How to Become an Impact Entrepreneur

We had the privilege of hosting an event at Google Chicago last night as part of Google’s “cubed” event series, which focuses on impact entrepreneurship. Five panelists from different sectors of the impact community joined us for a compelling discussion on “How to Become an Impact Entrepreneur.” The group spent time talking about the “back of the envelope” moment. How do impact entrepreneurs go from having an idea to executing on one? The answer: eureka moments are few and far between. In reality, the idea builds on itself until it becomes something tangible. Other topics included moving from survival mode to success mode, getting to scale, and building an effective team. 

PANELISTS:

Raman Chadha, The Junto Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership
George Page, Founder & CEO of Portapure
Sharon Schneider, Founder & CEO of Moxie Jean
Tasha Seitz, Partner at JK&B Capital and Founder of SVP Chicago
David Vinca, Founder & CEO of eSpark Learning

MODERATOR:
JR Kerr, Frequency540

Yeah, We Know How to Have Fun

By |February 20, 2013|Video|0 Comments

Inside Our Accelerator Program

We often get asked what our program is like, what services we provide, and how it’s run. Rather than speak at length about our rockstar accelerator, we decided to show everyone with this fun recap video. Besides, there’s nothing better than hearing about something from the folks who lived it: our entrepreneurs.

Impact Engine Video Spotlight: Portapure

The World Health Organization estimates that 884 million people do not have access to safe, clean drinking water, and nearly 5,000 children die every day because of this problem. Portapure designs and manufactures water purification products for communities that are affected by this issue. Its gravity flow filtration solution removes debris, toxic heavy metals, organic chemicals, parasites, bacteria, and viruses from contaminated water at a price that’s significantly cheaper than other options. Haitians spend approximately $3.50 a week for clean drinking water using traditional solutions. With Portapure they can save 10 to 26 percent on their annual income. Here’s founder and CEO George Page on Portapure’s solution to this big problem.

Video Spotlight: Raise5

Raise5 is an online fundraising platform that helps people support the causes they care about through their own skills and talents. Because whether you’re a billionaire or a teacher, everyone should be able to give to charity in a way that fits within their lifestyle and budget. By posting a skill or service such as logo design or copy editing to the Raise5 marketplace, individuals can raise money for their favorite causes. Nonprofits can also empower and mobilize their supporters by creating a branded Raise5 storefront page where goods and services can be sold. Here’s co-founder Shayan Nahrvar explaining how it works.

Video Spotlight: Light Up Africa

Thirty-five million Kenyans suffer from Light Poverty, a crippling condition that adversely affects their quality of life—from education to health to economic instability. And while there are 50 products on the market in Kenyan that claim to provide access to electricity, none address the root cause of Light Poverty. Light Up Africa is developing both a product and a platform that helps Kenyans generate and store energy via kinetic motion—to power a small light or charge a cell phone—while also encouraging them to become entrepreneurs. Between the savings on kerosene and mobile phone charging, a typical family could save 12 percent of their monthly income. What’s more, Kenyans can also earn additional income by charging their friends’ cell phones. The end result is a business model that integrates technology into the bottom of the pyramid to create a new form of currency: energy currency. Here’s Alan Hurt, founder and chief lighting officer, on the company’s first product and distribution strategy.

Video Spotlight: Effortless Energy

Home energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way to stop climate change. What’s more, simple steps such as better insulation and air sealing can save American homeowners between 20 to 50 percent on their energy bills, increase the value of their homes by up to 14 percent, and improve indoor air quality. But adoption of these measures has been minimal. Dealing with energy auditors and contractors all cost time and money. Effortless Energy simplifies the process by seamlessly taking care of all the energy analysis and installation details while covering the up-front costs. Here’s co-founder and CEO Claire Tramm discussing the benefits of Effortless Energy.

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