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March Beacon
Friday, March 07, 2008 | Volume 5, Issue 1  
 

FRONT & CENTER

March Beacon

Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center Celebrates Region's Entrepreneurial Achievements with Inaugural Momentum Awards

J.B. Pritzker Honored as Entrepreneurial Champion; SAVO Receives 2008 Merrick Momentum Award to Recognize Business Success and Growth Potential

As part of its ongoing efforts to nurture high-growth businesses and recognize entrepreneurial achievements in the region, the Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center held the inaugural Momentum Awards on March 4 and brought together more than 600 people from the business community at the Ritz-Carlton Chicago. As part of the night’s events, J.B. Pritzker received the Entrepreneurial Champion Award and SAVO was recognized with the Merrick Momentum Award to acknowledge this high-growth, entrepreneurial business in the Chicago region. SAVO is a leading developer of on-demand sales enablement tools, which has been co-led by John Aiello and Drew Larsen since 1999.

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IN THE NEWS

Illinois Innovation Accelerator Fund (i²A) Closes on $10 Million and Announces Initial Investments in Three Illinois Companies

Calamos Family Partners, Raymond Spencer, and the Illinois Treasurer’s Technology Development Fund, Among Investors in Innovative Seed-stage Fund

The Illinois Innovation Accelerator Fund (i2A) announced on February 25 that it has closed on $10 million in capital commitments to make investments in innovative startup companies thanks to significant contributions from notable business leaders and the Illinois State Treasurer’s Technology Development Fund. The i2A Fund addresses the state’s capital gap in seed-stage investing that exists because investors have moved “up-market.”

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Blagojevich Administration Announces New Initiatives to Develop Entrepreneurship in the State

Governor Rod R. Blagojevich recently announced new initiatives to foster entrepreneurship in the state. The first, the Entrepreneur in Residence Program, will engage serial technology entrepreneurs to stay in Illinois and build new businesses while commercializing promising technologies from the state's top researchers and institutions. Additionally, 13 small businesses that won the 2007 Innovate Illinois program were recognized for their innovative, high-growth potential.

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Join the Illinois Venture Capital Association for the expanded two day 2008 Midwest Venture Summit (MVS) on March 17 & 18, 2008. MVS has become the Midwest’s premier gathering of VCs, entrepreneurs, business leaders and angel investors. The 2008 Midwest Venture Summit provides more networking and deal opportunities than ever before with attendees from the 13-state Greater Midwest area. Get More Details & Register

At this event, you can be a part of presenting exciting and innovative opportunities in the Midwest and network with the best or potentially best contacts - customers, VCs and professional service providers and entrepreneurs.

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