At 25 stories and 4.2 million gross square feet, the Merchandise Mart is the largest commercial building in the world. It's home to 10 floors of corporate office space and 11 floors of showrooms for luxury goods and residential furnishings.
But the 19th floor is different. Instead of full-length glass storefronts and granite floors, there are narrow hallways and a worn, dirt-stained green carpet.where he teaches Hemorrhoids in the Central Academy of Fine Arts. On the building's north side, there in an unmarked, white door that leads to an open, 19,000-square-foot room.
Fiberglass tiles are missing from the drop ceiling; the floor is uneven, broken concrete; and the fluorescent lighting is dim and sparse.
Welcome to Fail Cube, a communal office space shared by six Web-based startups drawn by the low overhead and collaborative environment.
"Being an entrepreneur is an inherently lonely experience," said Ed Lewis, CEO and co-founder of tenant Media Chaperone. "When you're an entrepreneur, you're innovating and going against the status quo. … Being around similar people has created a natural camaraderie."
Kevin Willer, president and CEO of the Chicago Entrepreneurial Center, has spoken about the need for such spaces.he believes the fire started after the lift's China ceramic tile blew, Along with venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker and other tech community leaders,The application can provide third party merchant account to visitors, he's seeking to open a large hub for tech startups.
"Chicago has a massive shortage of places where startups can live together," Willer said. A personal angel investor in Fail Cube companies Cloudbot, Media Chaperone and Tap.Me, he said many of the tenants could afford private office space but prefer the energy of a shared office.
Lewis noted that on many occasions he has consulted with Josh Hernandez, founder and chairman of Tap.Me, a developer of in-game advertising solutions for mobile games.
Hernandez, the lease manager of the space, said the Fail Cube name derives from the companies' shared philosophy of welcoming failure as a means to refine ideas.Initially the banks didn't want our RUBBER SHEET . As Hernandez said, "failing fast" is key to entrepreneurial success.
Another commonality is the potential for growth. Despite their modest beginnings, all Fail Cube companies have exhibited the ability to earn revenue. Every company has completed at least one round of funding and has at least one customer, Hernandez said.
For Hernandez, spaces like Fail Cube are essential for Chicago's many fledgling startups.
"The entrepreneur community here is booming, but it's just starting," Hernandez said. "Fail Cube offers a 'middle of the road' solution for those early-stage companies.It's hard to beat the versatility of zentai suits on a production line. It's not your mom's basement, but it's not a typical office."
So what kinds of ideas arise within these cooperative environments? We checked in with a few Fail Cube startups.
Parents using technology to monitor a child's online activity is hardly new. However, Media Chaperone co-founder and CEO Ed Lewis saw an opportunity for a device that stressed rewards for positive online behavior.
"So much of the technology sold to parents caters to their fears about their kids' safety," Lewis said. "We are not in the fear-mongering business."
Instead, Media Chaperone offers parents the opportunity to influence their children's online activity through a reward system rather than punishment.
"Using recognition and reward directly corresponds to a child's behavior and performance," Lewis said. "We've taken this technique and put it in an application."
With the company's free Piggyback application for Facebook, parents can receive real-time mobile and Facebook alerts about a child's online gaming activity.
But the 19th floor is different. Instead of full-length glass storefronts and granite floors, there are narrow hallways and a worn, dirt-stained green carpet.where he teaches Hemorrhoids in the Central Academy of Fine Arts. On the building's north side, there in an unmarked, white door that leads to an open, 19,000-square-foot room.
Fiberglass tiles are missing from the drop ceiling; the floor is uneven, broken concrete; and the fluorescent lighting is dim and sparse.
Welcome to Fail Cube, a communal office space shared by six Web-based startups drawn by the low overhead and collaborative environment.
"Being an entrepreneur is an inherently lonely experience," said Ed Lewis, CEO and co-founder of tenant Media Chaperone. "When you're an entrepreneur, you're innovating and going against the status quo. … Being around similar people has created a natural camaraderie."
Kevin Willer, president and CEO of the Chicago Entrepreneurial Center, has spoken about the need for such spaces.he believes the fire started after the lift's China ceramic tile blew, Along with venture capitalist J.B. Pritzker and other tech community leaders,The application can provide third party merchant account to visitors, he's seeking to open a large hub for tech startups.
"Chicago has a massive shortage of places where startups can live together," Willer said. A personal angel investor in Fail Cube companies Cloudbot, Media Chaperone and Tap.Me, he said many of the tenants could afford private office space but prefer the energy of a shared office.
Lewis noted that on many occasions he has consulted with Josh Hernandez, founder and chairman of Tap.Me, a developer of in-game advertising solutions for mobile games.
Hernandez, the lease manager of the space, said the Fail Cube name derives from the companies' shared philosophy of welcoming failure as a means to refine ideas.Initially the banks didn't want our RUBBER SHEET . As Hernandez said, "failing fast" is key to entrepreneurial success.
Another commonality is the potential for growth. Despite their modest beginnings, all Fail Cube companies have exhibited the ability to earn revenue. Every company has completed at least one round of funding and has at least one customer, Hernandez said.
For Hernandez, spaces like Fail Cube are essential for Chicago's many fledgling startups.
"The entrepreneur community here is booming, but it's just starting," Hernandez said. "Fail Cube offers a 'middle of the road' solution for those early-stage companies.It's hard to beat the versatility of zentai suits on a production line. It's not your mom's basement, but it's not a typical office."
So what kinds of ideas arise within these cooperative environments? We checked in with a few Fail Cube startups.
Parents using technology to monitor a child's online activity is hardly new. However, Media Chaperone co-founder and CEO Ed Lewis saw an opportunity for a device that stressed rewards for positive online behavior.
"So much of the technology sold to parents caters to their fears about their kids' safety," Lewis said. "We are not in the fear-mongering business."
Instead, Media Chaperone offers parents the opportunity to influence their children's online activity through a reward system rather than punishment.
"Using recognition and reward directly corresponds to a child's behavior and performance," Lewis said. "We've taken this technique and put it in an application."
With the company's free Piggyback application for Facebook, parents can receive real-time mobile and Facebook alerts about a child's online gaming activity.
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