Growing nearly as fast as our startup community is the infrastructure to foster it:
·
1871- Located in Merchandise Mart, 1871 is a co-working
center for digital startups providing affordable workspaces, mentorship,
potential investors, and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs.
·
Lightbank- A venture capital firm focusing on
tech startups, Lightbank was founded by Eric Lefkofsky, the co-founder of Groupon. Lightbank has raised over $1.5 billion in
capital and created over $10 billion in equity value.
·
Startup Weekend- This 54-hour event is dedicated to bringing
together entrepreneurs, developers, and marketers to share ideas, form teams,
build products and launch startups over the course of a weekend. MB Real Estate
is proud to be a Gold Sponsor of Startup Weekend.
·
Dev Bootcamp- This tech training program offers a
nine-week intensive training program in web development and is coming to
Chicago this spring (read more).
Originating in San Francisco, Dev Bootcamp boasts a 95 percent placement rate
with average starting salaries of $85,000.
·
World Business Chicago- Assuring that Chicago is the
ultimate global business destination; World Business Chicago is a
not-for-profit that helps companies navigate the relocation and expansion
process.
·
Tech Infrastructure- Chicago has the third largest fiber
optic capacity of any metro area in the country and is home to three of the
world’s largest data centers (read more).
Combined with the city’s free public wireless internet initiatives,
Chicago has become one of the most digital cities in the world.
·
Talent Attraction- With several of the nation’s
top-ranked universities located in Chicago as well as additional initiatives to
draw tech-talent to Chicago, such as the ChicagoNEXT Council and Mayor Emanuel’s recruiting mission at the University of Illinois, Chicago
is becoming more and more enticing to talented recent grads.
Start-Up Hotspots
So, where is
all the magic happening? Here is our
list of the top five startup office spaces according to the criteria below
(ranked 1-5, 5 being the highest):
Criteria
1.
Affordability-
Can a newly established company afford the space?
2.
Community-
Are there other creative tenants in the building that can form a support
network?
3.
Growth-
Does the building have enough vacancy or flexible options to allow for growth?
4.
Landlord-
Is the landlord too risk averse for a startup? Will they be friendly to the
unique needs of a startup?
For more
information about Chicago as an emerging tech hub, click here.
For real estate tips for startups, read here.
For
questions/comments or more information about office spaces for startups, please
contact Craig McCaw at cmcaw@mbres.com or 312.558.3830.
