1871 RANKS 1st IN UNITED STATES IN STUDY OF NORTH AMERICAN BUSINESS INCUBATORS

TORONTO (November 3, 2015) — 1871 ranked 1st in the United States and 2nd in North America in the UBI Global list of Top University-Affiliated Business Incubators during the 2015 UBI Global benchmarking conference and award ceremony for North America. UBI Global utilizes an international research team that analyzes business incubators based on a wide range of factors, including their value to members and overall economic impact. Last year, 1871 was ranked 9th in the world on the list of Top University-Associated Business Incubators. UBI Global will announce its global rankings later this year. 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman traveled to Toronto today to receive the recognition and share 1871’s progress.

“The UBI Global ranking confirms that 1871 continues to be a leader in its support of innovation and the entrepreneurial community,” said 1871 CEO Howard A. Tullman. “By offering hundreds of member companies the best educational resources, individualized programming, mentorship from top industry leaders, and access to potential investors, 1871 works to make a real, positive impact on Chicago’s economy by helping entrepreneurs develop successful technology businesses.”

As a university-affiliated incubator, 1871 maintains close partnerships with top universities in Chicago and around the world. Northwestern University, University of Chicago, University of Illinois, Loyola University Chicago, DeVry University and Illinois Institute of Technology all have dedicated spaces at 1871 where students and faculty come to work on their businesses and immerse themselves in Chicago’s entrepreneurial community.

With over 400 participants who were specifically assessed, the information in UBI Global’s rankings helps incubator managers from around the world successfully run their programs by allowing them to see areas requiring improvement for their specific business models, ways of effectively utilizing operational budgets, and strategies to attract a new client base. Additionally, the rankings can aid governments, investors and early-stage companies to see where the top incubators are for industries.

“1871 is a top performing business incubator in the North American region,” said Director of Research and Co-Founder of UBI Global Dhruv Bhatli. “It performs exceptionally well on value for client indicators. Additionally, it strongly contributes to the growth of the local economy by catalyzing job creation. 1871 provides high-quality incubation services to its client startups, particularly on access to fund and access to network indicators. Based on UBI Global assessment of 1871’s performance, we recommend it to all future entrepreneurs in the region.”

UBI Global’s North American benchmarking conference and awards ceremony highlighted best practices, hands-on-tools, analyses and success stories. It featured inspiring presentations that allowed those who attended to network, learn from each other and improve performance in order to enhance economic transformation and local, regional and national development. 1871 CEO Howard Tullman joined the conference for a panel discussion on global incubation models.

“When Sente brings international startups to the United States with our international startup accelerator, we know that they will have a first-rate experience because of their time at 1871,” said Sente Advisory founder Serhat Cicekoglu. “We congratulate 1871 on another year of ranking as a top incubator.”

About 1871
1871 is the home of more than 325 early-stage, high-growth digital startups. Located in The Merchandise Mart, this 75,000 square foot facility is also the headquarters of nationally recognized accelerators, Techstars Chicago and Impact Engine; half a dozen industry-specific incubators in key areas such as real estate, education technology, food and financial technology; several emerging tech talent schools (Flatiron, The Fullbridge Program, Designation and the Startup Institute), and the state's leading technology advocate, the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition. It is the second home to Chicago-based VCs, Pritzker Group Venture Capital, MATH Venture Partners, Hyde Park Angels, OCA Ventures, OurCrowd and Chicago Ventures, as well as satellite offices for Northwestern University, University of Illinois, University of Chicago, Loyola University Chicago, Illinois Institute of Technology, and DeVry. 1871 has fast become recognized as the hub for the city’s entrepreneurial/technology ecosystem and has been featured in Inc. Magazine, TechCrunch, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and Crain’s Chicago Business among other top media. 1871 is the flagship project of the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center.

About UBI Global
Based in Stockholm, Sweden, and with an international research team, including founders Ali Amin, Dhruv Bhatli, Joel Eriksson Enquist and Lars Henrik Friis Molin, UBI Index is a thought leader in performance analysis of business incubators around the world. It helps business incubators become more efficient and competitive through a comprehensive benchmark where more than 400 incubators in over 70 countries participate. TechStars London Director, Jonathan Bradford, Chief Strategy Officer at Vinnova, Kjell Håkan Närfelt, and Paolo Borella, Director, Microsoft Nokia App Campus form part of the official UBI Index advisors.