mHUB Chicago
mHUB (Chicago)mHUB Accelerated Incubation is a six-month, hands-on startup accelerator focused on the product development and commercialization of early-stage, high-potential hardtech startups. mHUB will focus on startups building and growing demand-driven technologies in industries such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), medical devices, connected buildings and home, communication technologies, smart cities, smart mobility and energy technology.
The first cohort focused on IIoT technologies, supported by corporate partners AVNET and Panduit, will begin accepting applications in late September at www.mhubaccelerator.com with teams anticipated to land onsite in March 2021.
Applications for the MedTech cohort, supported by industry partners Baxter and Edward Elmhurst Health Venture Capital, will open in summer 2021 with the program commencing in Chicago in Q4. MedTech is the second vertical accelerator cohort of six that will launch over the next three and a half years and be supported by mHUB’s Product Impact Fund. More information on the accelerator and the Product Impact Fund can be found at www.mhubaccelerator.com.
mHUB, located in Chicago’s River West neighborhood, is the nation’s largest and fastest growing innovation center for physical product development and manufacturing. The shared workspace community is home to more than 1,200 product designers and developers, entrepreneurs, engineers and manufacturers, a network of mentors, industry experts and investors, and a source of intellectual and economic capital. With 11 prototyping labs within its 63,000 square foot facility, mHUB provides members access to more than $5 million in resources including a microfactory for onsite low-volume production runs. Members access the community and resources through a monthly membership fee.
mHUB’s mission is to develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem around physical products and hardware innovation and accelerate industry growth by cultivating a community of collaboration and connectivity between innovators, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers.
The non-profit 501(c)(3) organization celebrated its grand opening on March 2nd, 2017. Today, mHUB is led by Haven Allen, CEO & co-founder, Bill Fienup, Director of Innovation Services and co-founder, Manas Mehandru, COO, and Melissa Lederer, CXO.
Community
The centrally located facility, formerly a Motorola Mobility prototyping and testing lab transformed into a hardware product innovation center, is composed of a vibrant community of more than 1200 individuals who’ve launched more than 600 products since mHUB’s opening.
Within the community, users have access to resources necessary to spark physical product innovation. This includes a 50+ course curriculum for entrepreneurs, 20+ mentors with extensive experience across numerous industry sectors, weekly thought leadership and networking events, technical training, and more.
mHUB has over 5000 square feet of event space where it organizes and hosts more than 300 events a year. These include networking events, thought leadership panel discussions, corporate meetings, and other professional gatherings.
mHUB’s founding partner is Marmon, while leading partners include Arrow Electronics, Bank of America, Chamberlain Group, General Electric, Molex, and UL. For a full list of partners, visit: https://mhubchicago.com/page/partners.
Prototyping Labs
mHUB members have access to 11 prototyping labs and technical training that support in prototyping and product development. Labs include: 3D Printer Lab, Cold Metals Lab, Electronics Lab, Finishing Lab, Hot Metals Lab, Laser Cutting Lab, Plastics Lab, Testing Lab, Textiles Lab, Water Work Lab, and Woodworking Lab.
mHUB Product Development
mHUB Product Development provides businesses and manufacturers access to mHUB’s talent, equipment, and industry experts to accelerate innovation. The program provides manufacturers fast and talented R&D talent to solve their problem statements, while extending the runway for entrepreneurs to work on their own businesses through contract work.
mHUB Accelerated Incubation
mHUB Accelerated Incubation is a six-month, hands-on startup accelerator focused on the product development and commercialization of early-stage, high-potential hardtech startups. mHUB will focus on startups building and growing demand-driven technologies in industries such as Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), medical devices, connected buildings and home, communication technologies, smart cities, smart mobility and energy technology.
The first cohort focused on IIoT technologies, supported by corporate partners AVNET and Panduit, will begin accepting applications in late September at www.mhubaccelerator.com with teams anticipated to land onsite in March 2021.
mHUB Product Impact Fund I
mHUB’s Product Impact Fund I Is a $15M venture fund that invests in seed and early-stage physical product and hardware companies with deployment from 2020 To 2023.
The fund will invest in 60 high-performance startups that participate in six sector-specific cohorts of mHUB’s Accelerated Incubation program. The Fund will invest $75,000 cash and $56,750 in product development, resources and programming during a six-month highly structured incubation (with two full years of support) in exchange for 5% equity with pro rata rights. 30% of the fund will be reserved for follow- on capital to exercise pro rata rights for a select set of portfolio companies’ Series A rounds.
To learn more about investment opportunities with mHUB including as a Venture Fund Limited Partner, direct investment into cohort companies, or to attend investor-only Demo Days, visit mHUBChicago.com/ProductImpactFundI