Entrepreneurs Unpluggd is a unique event series created by Stella Fayman and Tim Jahn.  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.

Jeff Chenoweth

Director of Online Media

Jeff Chenoweth is a writer and designer who has been working in online marketing since 2006.

From helping fortune 500 companies like Kimberly-Clark develop and implement content strategies, to designing websites and managing social media accounts for small businesses and startups, Jeff has worked to improve the online presence of companies across the US and Canada.

In his spare time Jeff enjoys creative writing, music and photography.  He tweets from @mrjeffchenoweth.

Colin Boardway

Digital Marketing Intern

Colin is a Buffalo, New York native and current Marketing and Entrepreneurship student at Loyola University of Chicago.

After being introduced to startup culture last year, Colin has been spending his time in discovery mode – learning as much as he possibly can about the ins and outs of successfully launching a business. He was a competitor in the 2012 Chicago Lean Startup Challenge and was accepted into ThinkChicago as part of Chicago Ideas Week 2012.

In what free time he does have, Colin enjoys biking in Chicago, finding new coffee shops, and being probably the leading taco aficionado in the midwest. You can find him on Twitter at @colinboardway.

Leah Marshall

Founder and Host of the LeapCast Podcast & LeapCast Retreats
Passionate thinker and doer.  Bicycling enthusiast.  Proud mentor and coach.

I’m Inspired By…
…people who’ve overcome the impossible, tackled the unthinkable, survived & thrived after failures, and made sense of the world in exceptional ways.

I Am A…
-Learning junkie
-Purpose seeker
-Listener

I’m Trying to Get Better At…
…the tricky balance between always wanting to push myself and getting comfortable with where I’m at.

Things I’m Fascinated By…
-Human Connection
-Comebacks
-People who see potential, not problems

When I’m not podcasting or retreat-planning, I’m Director of Development at Chicago Ideas Week.
You can stay up to date with LeapCast on Twitter and the LeapCast Blog.

Past Events

• Startup Secrets: Best Practices for Email Marketing - February 2013, Chicago
• Recognizing and Capitalizing on Opportunities - October 2012, Chicago
• Fall Startup Law Summit  - September 2012, Chicago
• “How To Build A Disruptive Startup”  – August 2012, Chicago
• Fundraising Summit  – July 2012, Chicago
• “Make Your Passion Your Next Startup”  – June 2012, Chicago
• Startup Law Summit  – April 2012, Chicago
• “The Founding Team Edition”  – March 2012, Chicago
• “Scaling Startups”  – January 2012, Chicago
• “How to Find Your First Customers” - November 2011, Kansas City, MO
• “Creating And Growing An Awesome Company Culture”  – October 2011, Chicago
• “Turning Setbacks Into Opportunities” – July 2011, Chicago
• “The Funding Question” – April 2011, Chicago
• “How To Find Your First Customers” – February 2011, Chicago