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A technologist, venture capitalist, educator and serial entrepreneur, Howard Tullman has started more than a dozen businesses and has more than 50 years of start-up, emerging technology and turn-around experience in a wide variety of fields.

He is a former CEO of 1871, the beating heart of Chicago’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, which provides entrepreneurs the space, networking opportunities and other resources needed to build a successful new business. In his four years at 1871, Tullman quadrupled profits, doubled the number of tenant companies to 500 and grew the tech incubator’s physical space from 50,000 square feet to 150,000 square feet at the Merchandise Mart in downtown Chicago.

1871, which partners with eight universities including Northwestern, was ranked best in the world among university-affiliated business incubators by UBI Global in 2018 for its impact among local startups and its dedication to diversity. Elizabeth “Betsy” Ziegler, former chief innovation officer for Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, succeeded Tullman as CEO of 1871 in 2018.

Tullman, continuing his work with universities to build up the Chicago startup ecosystem, now serves as the first executive director of the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship.

Tullman earned a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences in 1967 and graduated from Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law in 1970.

His work on behalf of the city of Chicago has resulted in the creation of thousands of jobs, new schools and improved technology classes in Chicago and new educational programs for children.

Tullman is responsible for the remarkable turnaround and Chicago relocation of Kendall College, and he co-founded Tribeca Flashpoint College, which gives students the opportunity to learn existing and emerging technology in the media, arts and communications fields.

Before turning to entrepreneurship, he practiced law for 10 years, specializing in class action litigation and Chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. Tullman also is an avid art collector and art lender.