News and Events

Veterans Entrepreneurial Boot Camp Returns May 15

admin@accionchicago.org () — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Governor's State University will host its award-winning Veterans Entrepreneurial Boot Camp on Wednesday, May 15 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with registration beginning at 7:45 a.m. The Boot Camp is presented by the Illinois Small Business Center at GSU. The event is free for veterans and $25 for non-veterans.

This full day of activities includes speakers, seminars, and expert panel discussions designed by veterans for veterans to promote veteran business start-ups and growth of existing veteran owned businesses. Choose four of 16 sessions, including Marketing on a Budget, Veteran Financing Opportunities, Internet and Social Media, Business Planning, Government Contracting, and many more.

Registration is required for the Boot Camp. You can follow this link to register.

Accion and La Idea Featured on Univision!

admin@accionchicago.org () — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Watch the video here!

Application Fee Reinstated

admin@accionchicago.org () — Thu, 02 May 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Over the past several years, due to the struggling economy, we have waived our application fee. This $30 fee has been reinstated, effective May 1, 2013.

Getting a loan from Accion starts with filling out an application. This application can be completed online by clicking here or submitting a paper application . There is no need to collect any paperwork at this initial stage. Once your application and the $30 fee are submitted, you will be notified by a Loan Officer within 2 business days if you are pre-approved for a loan.

Accion in the news!

admin@accionchicago.org () — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Last week, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) presented Dr. Muhammad Yunus with a Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his efforts to alleviate poverty. More than 100 other Congresspeople from both parties and houses attended the ceremony. Read more!

Seed Chicago Launches on Kickstarter!

admin@accionchicago.org () — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO, April 9, 2013 – World Business Chicago (WBC) and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel today launched Seed Chicago, a collaboration with Kickstarter that will highlight projects that create jobs and economic growth in Chicago’s neighborhoods. Using Kickstarter’s online platform, Seed Chicago aggregates attention to local small business and community projects on a curated webpage and will launch initially with 11 innovative projects from around Chicago.

Kickstarter’s crowdfunding platform unites project creators with potential backers, allowing anyone to pledge support online. Seed Chicago is one of Kickstarter’s first curated city pages focused on projects that drive economic activity at the neighborhood level. The 11 projects on Seed Chicago are all small businesses and community development projects in Chicago’s neighborhoods looking to create jobs and expand local business.

“Chicago is now and has always been a city defined by its neighborhoods, and for us to realize our aspirations for the city’s future, our neighborhoods must be engines of economic, cultural, educational and recreational opportunity,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Seed Chicago provides an innovative tool for Chicagoans and others to give back to our communities by funding projects that have a direct impact on economic growth.”

Seed Chicago is a direct result of the Plan for Economic Growth and Jobs, developed by World Business Chicago at the request of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel last year in order to accelerate Chicago’s economic growth. A central Plan strategy is to nurture neighborhoods and foster continuous development of local talent, business and real estate assets. Through Seed Chicago, small business and community projects harness technology to capture needed financial resources for growing their neighborhoods.

Accion Chicago and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) assisted WBC in identifying Seed Chicago’s 11 inaugural projects. More projects will be added to the page, with an open call for neighborhood-focused Kickstarter ventures to be announced. Small businesses and community development projects (to read more, click on the link above)...

Small Loans, Big Results

admin@accionchicago.org () — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 12:00:00 GMT

New partnership nurtures entrepreneurs' ideas in Gary

admin@accionchicago.org () — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:00:00 GMT

Samuel Adams, Brewing the American Dream

admin@accionchicago.org () — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Samuel Adams, Brewing the American Dream

Scheduled Website Maintenence

admin@accionchicago.org () — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Our website will be out of service from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. on November 13-14th. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. For assistance please call 312-275-3000 or email info@accionchicago.org.

Chicago Ideas Week

admin@accionchicago.org () — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Click the link to read about the Accion lab.