The Chicago tech scene keeps expanding, and the announcements made April 19 of 1871‘s completed expansion and the addition of 700 new tech jobs, confirm it.
1871, the city’s first-of-its-kind digital startup hub, has opened its new expansion space with the help of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. The tech hub located inside the Merchandise Mart went from being a 50,000-square-foot experiment in 2012, to now a two-floor tech center stretching more than 115,000 square feet.
The expansion allows 1871 to house larger companies that have outgrown their current space but want to continue to grow within the 1871 environment, as well as venture capital firms seeking to engage the Chicago market, educational programs, and community partners, according to city officials.
In addition, more than 700 jobs have been added to 16 Chicago tech companies. The companies expanding their teams in Chicago, include the following:
• blitsy, an arts and crafts supplies e-commerce company, is adding 30 jobs• BuiltWorlds, a multimedia company offering news, analysis, and events that promote innovation and connections, is adding 20 jobs• Civis Analytics, a cloud-based technology platform, is adding 75 jobs• Closerlook, Inc., a full-service digital marketing agency for pharmaceutical marketers, is adding 50 jobs• DevBridge Group, a technology consultancy for manufacturing, financial services and technology, is adding 20 jobs• DialogTech, the market leader in call analytics and optimization, providing data-driven marketers with the only end-to-end call attribution and conversion platform, is adding 25 jobs• HighGround, anHR cloud platform designed for employees and to help companies transform the way they develop and engage their workforces, is adding 25 jobs• ITsavvy, an information technology products and solutions company, is adding 30 jobs• kCura, which develops e-discovery software Relativity for managing large volumes of evidence during litigation of investigations, is 100 jobs• Luxury Garage Sale, an omni-commerce luxury consignment brand that sells new and gently used designer clothing and accessories, is adding 40 jobs• Mattersight,which provides companies to have better conversations with customers through a stack of patented, personality-based SaaS applications, is adding 35 jobs• Reverb, an online marketplace for musicians to buy and sell the gear they use, is adding 50 jobs• ReviewTrackers, a software company that monitors reviews as they get posted, is adding 60 jobs• SpotHero, a parking marketplace that enables drivers to reserve parking deals, is adding 25 jobs• Trustwave, a security services company that helps businesses fight cybercrime, is adding 150 jobs• Yello, helps companies hire the right candidate at the right time, is adding 40 jobs
“Today both 1871 and Chicago’s tech scene are growing so I want to thank these companies for committing to adding jobs and supporting the incubator where some of them started out,” Mayor Emanuel said. “These tech companies are establishing the next generation of Chicago’s economy – an economy that is thriving due to the city’s central location, access to transportation, unmatched talent and business friendly environment.”
