Entrepreneurs Unpluggd is a unique event series created. The events seek to create an intimate, engaging environment for entrepreneurs to learn actual lessons from actual experiences. It’s hard to do that with 3,000 people spread out in a giant auditorium at a keynote full of theory and fluff.

We keep the crowd to a manageable size, host our events in intimate theater settings, and seat the speakers right next to you in the audience. As past speakers have said, “it’s the sort of thing you don’t normally talk about in the company history section on your website. It’s a little more intimate.”

You can expect the following from your experience at Entrepreneurs Unpluggd:

  • Valuable networking with fellow entrepreneurs and innovators
  • Great speakers sharing actionable information in an intimate setting
  • Exposure to resources and tools you can use to grow your business

Stella Fayman

Co-Founder

Stella Fayman is a serial entrepreneur based in Chicago. She was a founding member of venture backed payments startup FeeFighters, which was recently acquired by Groupon.

Stella is passionate about all things entrepreneurship and startup life. Her current startup, matchist connects entrepreneurs with quality freelance technical talent. She is also a full time student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

When not blogging about startups in her blog Startup Stella or tweeting (@startupstella), Stella can be found discussing business ideas with anyone who will listen as well as cooking, reading, or exploring Chicago.

Tim Jahn

Co-Founder

Tim Jahn made his mark interviewing hundreds of entrepreneurs from all around the world, starting with his original interview series Beyond The Pedway in 2009. He’s written about startups and entrepreneurship for MSN, Fox Business, The Huffington Post, American Express OPEN Forum, and Crain’s Chicago Business.

Tim supports youth entrepreneurship as a member of the Young Entrepreneur Council and was previously a director of the Ignite Chicago event series.

Alon Schwartz

Director of Events

Alon Schwartz is an entrepreneur, inventor and jack-of-all-trades. His previous roles include project manger, IT director and derivatives trader. Throughout this diverse range of experiences he also runs an event promotions company, Afterlight Events, which specializes in large annual productions.

Alon’s current focus is bringing his newest invention to life. He is the creator and inventor of the Partner Pillow. His inspiration for this product came several years ago while experiencing the dead arm and neck cramps that plague most couples attempting to cuddle together. Frustrated by the inability to spoon in comfort he set out to create a solution that everybody can use.

When he is not promoting events or inventing new products, you can find Alon playing beach volleyball, snowboarding, or cleaning the Beluga tanks at the Shedd Aquarium as a volunteer diver.

Christine Mortensen

Director of Digital Media

Christine Mortensen has been creating and growing digital brands at agencies for over 10 years. She is passionate about content, social media, and the Chicago startup community. Tweet her some time @cmortensen to say hi! Tweet to @cmortensen

Christine created Sprk’d Online Marketing and Design in order to help startups and small businesses grow by creating content and marketing that doesn’t suck. By combining the learnings of User Experience Design with the principals of Visual Design, she leads the Sprk’d team to create content that drives conversions.

No matter the industry, she believes quality content relevant to user needs (i.e., your potential customers) is not only achievable but fun too. How can we help you? When she’s not busy writing about herself in the third person she can be found trying out new Paleo recipes, playing volleyball, or writing reviews of Chicago’s Bloody Mary’s (but don’t tell the Paleo Police).