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Quigley Celebrates Startup Day Across America with Visit to Chicago Incubator, mHUB

July 31, 2017

CHICAGO – Today, in advance of Startup Day Across America, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) visited mHUB, a Chicago incubator of forward-thinking startups. Marked annually on August 1, Startup Day is a bipartisan, bicameral effort to generate support and awareness for startup communities in districts across the country.

"Seeing the creativity and ingenuity of these companies firsthand serves as a great reminder of the bounty of innovation happening in workspaces across Chicago and the country," said Rep. Quigley. "Whether they are housed in a Maker Lab, a factory, or a home garage, startups led by ‘think-outside-the-box' entrepreneurs are the future of our economy; and there's nowhere better for them to be creating than right here in Chicago. Washington can—and should—tap into these companies' imagination and inventiveness to help address some of our nation's biggest challenges."

"We're proud of the many startups at mHUB and welcome the opportunity to introduce them to local government leaders, like Representative Quigley," said Haven Allen, executive director of mHUB. "We've proven that there is a demand for manufacturing entrepreneurship through continued community growth. This manufacturing revitalization is already leading to new companies delivering true job creation."

Inside mHUB's 65,000-square foot facility, emerging companies have access to ten production labs with focuses ranging from 3D printing to a wood shop, where they can turn their prototypes and designs into a reality. At mHUB, the companies are also able to work alongside fellow new entrepreneurs and gain invaluable advice from expert mentors. Rep. Quigley met with several startups, listed below, creating Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices and discussed ways the government can better champion startups and other small businesses as owners build their brand, sell their products, and contribute to our national economy.

"We are excited to be here today at mHUB with U.S. Representative Mike Quigley for Startup Day Across America," said Mitch Carrel, CEO of Proxfinity. "Entrepreneurship and innovation are the backbone of our economy. Having the full support of our elected officials, like Representative Mike Quigley, provides exponential opportunities for early stage companies to generate local growth and employment opportunities."

Proxfinity creates wearable smart badges to foster relationship-building at business networking events; GE Fuse is GE's open innovation platform that helps accelerates the development of new products; Vivotronix is making a new system of wearable technology to be used in the collection of biomedical data; and software-defined radio and broadcast data company, Outernet, is working to expand access to internet.

As an active member of the New Democrat Coalition, Rep. Quigley has been a strong supporter of advancing high-tech entrepreneurship and its growing private sector industry. In December, Rep. Quigley's bipartisan SEC Small Business Advocate Act was signed into law by President Obama. The law establishes a new office at the SEEC to provide hardworking small business owners with an advocate to help them explore new concepts and further spur innovation. More recently, he re-introduced the bipartisan Stopping Trained in America Ph.D.s from Leaving the Economy (STAPLE) Act, which helps foreign-born individuals who have earned an American Ph.D. in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) continue to stay and work in the United States, helping us maintain our position as a global innovation leader.