1871 proudly opened its new 41,000 square foot expansion. The two-floor technology center and ecosystem is more than 115,000 square feet on the 12th and 13th floors of The Merchandise Mart and has over 1000 members. The expansion marks the latest phase of 1871’s remarkable growth, which has seen it develop from a 50,000 square foot experiment launched in 2012 to a thriving community with over 400 member companies, 1000 events a year, thousands of hours of educational opportunities, and tens of thousands of visitors annually. The new space is on the 13th floor of The Merchandise Mart, directly above 1871’s 12th floor footprint. It is connected by an internal stairway, allowing the entirety of 1871 to function as a single entity. The expansion includes suites for some of 1871’s largest and most successful member companies as well as spaces for tenants, classrooms, conference rooms, and incubators. A few of the tenants of the 13th floor include:

• MATH Venture Partners
• Hyde Park Angels
• Chicago Ventures
• DeVry Education Group’s DV X Labs
• Windy City Lab
• Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (which is working with 1871 on an incubator for Hispanic entrepreneurs)