BLUE1647 NFP
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Mission Statement
BLUE1647 is an entrepreneurship and technology innovation center that fosters economic development in technology and 21st Century skills through people development (classes, workshops, and events around technology), workforce development (through youth and adult technology programs to prepare individuals for high-demand jobs) and Business Acceleration (through shared coworking-services). As a beacon of resource, BLUE1647 provides impactful individuals and organizations the resources to realize their ideas for a better world.
About This Cause
Founded by Emile Cambry in 2013, BLUE1647 serves as a beacon in community-based technology, entrepreneurship, and economic development in Chicago. The organization was launched with a tri-fold mission: to support entrepreneurs of color in a shared-working environment, to build a 22nd century workforce through technology engagement and training, and to develop an enterprise that brings relevant tech-enabled educational products into underserved communities. This vision acted as a critical and important response to the lack of diversity in technology and entrepreneurial hubs across the city. The market demand for inclusive spaces has proven true - in just 4 years BLUE1647 has seen over 42,000 people walk through its doors in Chicago and has grown its membership base to over 600 companies. The organization currently provides a diverse offering of technology training and entrepreneurial programs in 6 US Domestic markets, including Chicago, Compton, Gary, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New Jersey, Haiti and St. Louis. Inclusive entrepreneurship is that the heart of BLUE1647’s strategy and is deployed through three current strategic pillars: -BLUEINCUBATE -BLUEIMPACT -BLUEINVENT Each pillar is interconnected, creating a pipeline of activities that offer solutions for short, mid, and long-term needs of community, the technology sector, and more broadly inclusive economic development strategy. BLUEINCUBATE represents the entrepreneurial and technology accelerator, offering shared workspace and membership to start-ups, tech-enabled businesses, and people with ideas. Through its 1647 and upcoming Lacuna locations, BLUE1647 has created an innovation environment providing services that help people build and grow their business; integrate technology into their strategy; and network with stakeholders and investors committed to their success. BLUEIMPACT represents the organization’s belief in access to technology experiences, education, and training that will fuel 22nd century entrepreneurship and workforce opportunities. This work is multi-generational, and focuses on bridging the gap between diverse communities and technology skill development. BLUEINVENT represents the organization’s capacity to self-invest and create technology products that can help solve business challenges and drive scalable impact. To accomplish this, BLUE1647 has invested in tech-enabled platforms that can drive crowdfunding capital into member companies; augmented reality app development to increase educational engagement at BLUE sites; Live-streaming platforms to support broader access to tech and coding training across its national footprint; and internet products providing affordable high-speed internet to underserved neighborhood businesses in markets across the country. This combination of activities – INCUBATE, IMPACT, and INVENT creates an innovative body of work sourcing solutions for entrepreneurs of color – primarily African-American and Latino across Chicago and other partner cities.