Skyward: Edition 2

An in-depth look into Forge 2024.

Skyward is back! After a long-awaited return, we’ve brought you a rather special edition. The Community Team here at Founders hasn’t been idle; the past months have been geared towards preparing for Forge, our flagship event that takes place during the spring semester. Forge 2024 took place in Chicago across March 23rd-24th, and this edition of Skyward is an in-depth look into this exciting weekend. 

So…What is Forge, Actually?

For those of you who don’t know, Forge is the final element of our events pipeline. From 54 in the fall, which brings co-founders together and helps aspiring entrepreneurs ideate and flesh out a startup framework, Forge is the next level. Set in Chicago, it is the premier entrepreneurship conference in the Midwest, bringing startups to venture capitalists and providing valuable mentorship. 

At its core, however, Forge has one purpose: to unite driven founders across the Midwest in one place, creating an atmosphere ideal for creating strong connections, exchanging transformative ideas, and forming the kind of communities that make a lasting impact. 

Together, we forge a path to the future. 

In this edition, we’ll be taking you along this path; and, maybe you’ll find yourself here with us next year.

Forge: Day 1 

Day 1 had an early start. In the freezing hours of dawn, teams shuffled into the Siebel Center of Design, still rubbing away the sleep from their eyes. Despite all of this, however, the atmosphere was brimming with excitement. Even if introductions were brief, handshakes and camaraderie were slowly being exchanged as we filed into the buses. Even though I drifted off to sleep shortly after we set off, I could still hear plenty of conversation around me: both about respective startups and other topics. 

I awoke just in time as we were a few minutes away from the Merchandise Mart in Chicago, the residence of the 1871 office. As I looked out the window, the towering buildings that made up the familiar Chicago skyline loomed over us, and it made everything else feel all the more real. Most of us were wide awake right now, sitting in comfortable silence as we took it all in. 

A few elevator trips later, we were face-to-face with the iconic 1871 sign. For many entrepreneurs, this was a dream come true. A non-profit that is an innovation hub for startup founders, leaders, investors, and so much more, 1871 is the place for us to be. Forge was hosted in their auditorium and the surrounding co-working spaces, and it all but elevated the experience. 

Fueled by coffees, warm tea (shoutout to TeaBot!), and fresh bagels, check-in started at 10:00 AM, and Forge officially kicked off! After an introduction from our events team, we began with a fireside chat with Eric Mills, the founder of Founders - Illinois Entrepreneurs himself! He started Founders back in 2013, and was deeply involved in the entrepreneurship ecosystem here at UIUC. Eric Mills is a serial entrepreneur and Y-Combinator alum, who is also a partner at 1871. His latest startup is BlackInk.AI, an AI-based tattoo image generator with over 700,000+ users, and talking to him made me realize that he had a lot more in store. He told us his own personal story as an entrepreneur and some key takeaways, while answering questions ranging from the tech + AI industry to startup pivots and more.

“Don't believe that you can't do any of the small things.” - Eric Mills 

This is a quote that really stuck with me: while it was a reality check in one way, it instilled a renewed sense of motivation for these committed student entrepreneurs. 

Afterwards, we took a break for lunch. For many students, the word “networking” brings about negative connotations and feelings of anxiety. However, the atmosphere here was charged with a different kind of energy, filled with genuine interest in every conversation. All of the startups were unique, set in different stages of their journeys – but, they had one thing in common: passion. Joined by a lovely cohort from UIUC Women in Entrepreneurship, the main co-working space was bubbling with conversation and new connections. 

At 1:00 PM, we started off the afternoon with a VC Panel with Chris Deustch, founder of Lofty Ventures, and Nick Arnett, Partner at 1517 Fund. They took on the panel conversation-style, centering their talk around the questions from the audience. In addition to providing valuable insight into the perspective of angel investors and venture capitalists, they also differentiated between various terms in the industry and even gave us book recommendations. 

“A founder needs to hate the problem, not be in love with the solution.” - Chris Deustch

After the panel, we were set to move on into our workshop section of the day, which began with a session with Brandon Yates, co-founder and CEO of Deepwalk. A UIUC alum, he and his team went through the standard Founders pipeline events, going as far as participating in Forge multiple times. He proceeded to walk us through the various misconceptions and pitfalls which come with being an entrepreneur, outlining his team’s wins and mistakes. Emphasizing the importance of taking care of yourself, he got slightly emotional as he reminded us to take time for ourselves and loved ones even when immersed in building a startup. 

Our second workshop of the day was with Charlotte Trecartin, founder of CharCharms. Also a UIUC alum, she started CharCharms during her college career in the midst of the pandemic and went viral on TikTok. Brimming with energy, she listed various online marketing hacks for both B2B and B2C startups and answered an array of questions from our participants. Our audience was mostly composed of students from tech backgrounds, so this workshop was certainly a refreshing and informative one. 

With workshops done for the day, we transitioned into the final element of our Day 1 schedule, mentorship sessions! Paired with mentors that matched the needs of every startup, teams switched between multiple tables to gain constructive feedback on various elements of their work.

And with that, Day 1 came to a close. Recharged with new perspectives from our mentors and speakers, our teams set off to refine their pitches (with detours to explore the city, of course). 

Forge: Day 2

Day 1 was the foundation of Forge, filled with inspiring speakers and valuable advice. We were now set to advance to the real test: pitching! 

Day 2 started off on a wonderful note, with Nick Arnett from 1517 as our keynote speaker! Rather than solely taking on a more in-depth look into entrepreneurship, his speech was more personal, also underscoring some of the lessons that he encountered during the course of his life so far. One of the many highlights of this talk was when he read out a passage from Carl Sagan’s book Pale Blue Dot, reminding ourselves to stay grounded while taking on the grueling, complex journey that is being an entrepreneur. I could feel the entire audience go silent, letting the words really sink in. 

“There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.” - Carl Sagan 

Nick Arnett also spoke about imposter syndrome, something that I’m sure many of us face in our daily lives. Full of compassion and reassurance, his keynote speech was apt for the challenges that Day 2 was about to bring. 

“We are all experiencing March 24 2024 for the first time.” - Nick Arnett

It wasn’t just the startup teams present – the members here at Founders felt the same spark of inspiration. Statements like “We need to make a startup right now,” and “I feel like I need to do something” were sprinkled throughout conversations afterwards. Over lunch, a few of us sat hunched over a table dissecting different startup ideas, carrying inspiration forward to try and make that spark alight. 

With that, the pitches finally began! Judges and startups made their way to different rooms to participate in 2 pitch rounds, out of which 6 startups would advance to the final round. This waiting period was a difficult one: after talking to all of the teams, it was hard to imagine that only a select few would get to pitch at the end. Despite the pressure, all of our teams gave it their very best shot, polishing their pitches until the very end. 

Q: Favorite aspect about Forge so far?

A:  “The mentorship sessions! Putting our idea out there and getting constructive criticism was really valuable.”  - Aiman Naqvi, co-founder of BrainStorm 

A: “Getting to know the other startups! MetaFrazo was really cool.” - Shikhar Dube, co-founder of BrainStorm

Forge: The Finale

Around 3:30 PM, we all finally gathered in the auditorium for the announcement of the 6 finalists, after which the final pitches would follow. The anticipation was rising –  after a packed day full of nerves, practicing, and pitching – the curtains were ready to drop and the finale was set to begin. 

After the words, “drumroll, please!”, the auditorium exploded in sound, and the 6 finalists were announced: Ek Tohfa, MethaFarm, Omnipher, BrainStorm, Equilocalm, and MetaFrazo! After a brief 10 minute intermission, the final pitches would begin; there was barely any time to process it all.

The pitches were captivating. From agricultural and BCI technology to one-of-a-kind lip balm, we tried to take it all in. 

More than anything, it was more exciting to listen to them after getting to know these driven entrepreneurs so closely over the course of two days. After listening to their stories and getting inspired by their passion, it was difficult to think that their entire journey would have to be condensed into a singular pitch. That’s reality – but it shows an entirely new perspective of just how resilient student entrepreneurs are. Despite the results, the light in their eyes burned bright, and I could tell that this wouldn’t be the last time that I would see these faces.

After much deliberation, the final winners were announced: Equilocalm, MetaFrazo, and Omnipher! With a warm round of applause, Day 2 drew to a close. Forge had different meanings for all of us: for some, it was their first serious test for their ventures. For others, it was at a later point in their journeys, an attempt to get their startups to the next level. But, one thing stayed constant: the effect of these two days would go a long way for a long time. 

Forge 2024 was one for the books: a memory that all of us will look back on fondly, an interlude in our student lives, and a glimpse into the ideas that make the future. 

We hope you enjoyed reading this edition of Skyward! Don’t forget to subscribe to our mailing list to get all of our updates.

Until next time,

The Founders Community Team

Written by: Vaanathi Chonachalam