Congratulations!

• Vicki Sowa celebrated the grand opening of Bubbly Side of Life in Downtown Downers Grove with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, marking an exciting milestone. Bubbly Side of Life offers customized sparkling wine experiences, from champagne tastings to special events, bringing her expertise and passion for bubbles to the heart of downtown DG.
   
• Renetta Gunn-Stevens, CEO of Sophisticated Press LLC, hosted a successful book launch and signing with NBA legend Bill Cartwright at College of DuPage for his autobiography "Living Life at the Center." From self-publishing her debut book "A Dad's Redemption" to founding a successful publishing house in 2018, Renetta continues to empower entrepreneurs through publishing. 

New Funding Opportunities
Keep an eye out for an email coming this week from Melissa Villanueva, our Entrepreneur in Residence, sharing details about new grant opportunities and offering support to member companies with their applications.

NIU MBA Capstone Program
Northern Illinois University's MBA Capstone Program offers an exciting opportunity for local companies to receive comprehensive strategic business plans developed by Executive MBA student teams. Under the guidance of Professor Ed Buckley, these teams integrate their expertise in sales, marketing, finance, operations, and technology to create value for participating organizations. If your company is interested in having an MBA team develop a business plan, please contact Ed Buckley by February 15th at ed.buckley@allqualityinc.com or (847) 778-6960.

Meet our Strategic Technology Advisor
Want to learn more about Justin Mayer, our new Strategic Technology Advisor, and how he can help you access the right tools to scale company? Click below to learn more!

Coming up:

• Member Meetup, 02.05: Don't miss our next Member Meetup! We'll spotlight Zenah Khawaja from Semiautomatic Semiotics, and our IT Project Manager Anushka Verma will tell you how to access ID's annual survey. The survey asks about your company's journey - things like revenue, team composition, and key business developments. We maintain the highest standards of data security and confidentiality for all information shared by our members. All responses will be handled with complete confidentiality and combined to showcase the collective achievements of our community.
• Business Problem-Solving Workshop, 02.19: Join us at 5:30 p.m. at Innovation DuPage, where Susanna Watson, mentor with SCORE Fox Valley, will share practical approaches for solving business challenges. Drawing from her decade of experience as a business transformation leader, Susanna will share actionable strategies to bring more value to customers, eliminate waste in work, and make data-driven decisions. Get realistic recommendations you can immediately incorporate into your business routine. To learn more and register, click here. 
• NaperLaunch Academy - Growing a Business, 02.26: Hosted by the Naperville Public Library, this four-week series is focused on growing your business. In this program, you will learn the essentials of writing a business plan and a strategic marketing plan, utilizing library resources specifically designed to support your entrepreneurial journey. Additionally, you'll discover six fundamental professional selling skills and how to effectively apply them in sales transactions. To maximize your learning experience, participants are expected to attend all four sessions and complete homework assignments outside of class. This program is offered via Zoom. To learn more and register, click here. 

Sign up to present at an upcoming Member Meetup 
Showcase your business at a Member Meetup! We're looking for members to present as our Member Spotlight, ID Member Resource, or host a Problem Solving session. This is your chance to present your work, share your achievements, and connect with fellow entrepreneurs. Sign up here.

Let us help you share your success with the ID community!
Share a win from this week – big or small. It could be featured in our next letter! Email your accomplishment to: IDmaceyh@innovationdupage.org

Reminder: Innovation DuPage is open for members as a coworking space 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Many thanks, and have a great week,

Dan Facchini,
Managing Director,
Innovation DuPage