• Antonio Rowry

    Entrepreneur + Innovation for Impact

  • About

    Antonio Rowry graduated from DePaul University with a degree in Business Administration and Management, where he focused his studies on new venture enterprise and organizational frameworks. As a member of Blueprint at DePaul University’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, a structured program for DePaul students to launch and grow businesses and social ventures, Antonio went on to win the Illinois Technology Associations “50 for the Future” award, which recognizes students for their outstanding achievement as future participants in the technology industry. Since high school, he has leveraged his talents by pursuing entrepreneurial ventures, cofounding the Edison award-winning 21st Century Youth Project, a program that taught middle and high school students to create web and mobile apps, along with hardware and 3D-printing training; Code Chicago, which taught beginners how to create web, gaming, and mobile applications; and was the co-founding COO of BLUE1647, an award-winning network of education, entrepreneurship and technology innovation platforms.

     

    The 21st Century Youth Project was also featured in CNN, Chicago Crain Business, Silicon ANGLE, WBEZ Vocalo, received the first Illinois Broadband Innovation Grant, and won a Gold Medal at the Edison Awards in Education and Curriculum, voted on by over 3,000 executives and academics. Antonio's interests are expansive, and his experiences have reflected, and will continue to reflect a commitment to: the development of ventures that is focused on the advancement of the sciences, technology, social change, education, and applying the techniques and innovations of startups to make a sustainable impact. He has worked with and started companies in Chicago, NYC, and San Francisco; bootstrapped to VC funded - from Techstars, Google Startups, Y Combinator Startup School, Stacks and 500 Startups..

     

    He's currently on the operations team of Blue Studios, building operating systems to help families reimagine what they can achieve together - and have a lot of fun along the way.

     

    With a passion for building startups that make the world a better place, Antonio is dedicated to transforming the conditions of communities to become platforms for learning, where every person and institution plays a role in advancing better and more equitable outcomes for all.

  • Values

     

    I believe education reform and accessibility for all is vital to a more peaceful and equitable world.
     
    I look for opportunities to build new tables for those that have not been given a seat.
     
    I believe in radical truth & transparency in critically examining the barriers to systems advocacy that Black, Indigenous, Disabled, and other people of color experience.
     
    I aim to find lessons in the toughest of situations.   
     
    My closest friends and colleagues are those that I can laugh with.
     
    I've worked with teammates under tremendous constraints using our determined entrepreneurial mindset to provide the best opportunities we could for others, I carry that mindset in my work everyday.
     
    I’m obsessed with learning things (industry trends, business philosophies, black history, etc.).
     
    I sweat the details and approach every problem by creating roadmaps for long-term strategy.
  • Rahm Emanuel, former Mayor of Chicago

    "The technology sector in Chicago is a growing, crucial area that will have an enormous impact on the City's economy in the future. I am pleased that organizations like BLUE1647 are focused on improving the diversity of the sector and ensuring that as our economy grows it reflects the diversity and vibrancy of the city's people."

  • My work

    Purpose and motivation that extends beyond profitability into achieving significant social value.

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    Engaging students in entrepreneurial activity.

    2010-2013

    21CYP teaches advanced technology as a path to opportunity. It is a free comprehensive program that prepares low-income middle and high school students for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) careers. The program focuses on improving skills Today (through teaching and tutoring), Tomorrow (through coaching and mentoring), and the Future (through internship placement), with an entrepreneurial focus. Key deliverables for student participants are creation of mobile apps for (Google Android, iPhone, iPad etc.), accompanying business plans, accrual of college credits and case studies on their resumes and portfolios because of hands-on tangible skills gained through internship placements. Learn more here.

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    Helping visionaries turn nothing into something.

    2013-2018

    Code Chicago was a series of hands-on, mobile development, software programming and design cohorts held in collaborative spaces in Chicago IL. and digitally through Blue Academy. Students worked with one another and joined in the spirit of collaboration and learning. It is this aspect of education that resonated most with our participants — and that with an open atmosphere where no question was off limits, we saw interesting and inspiring thinking about how to embrace the openness of technology as an opportunity palette — and to really push what might seem conventionally possible with a web browser, and a mobile device having an internet connection.

     

    In addition to providing talented individuals with technical guidance, the program also helped build up communities in and around the Chicago area. This enlarged the market of people that can affect change and solve problems in our communities, but also come out with cool apps that solve everyday problems for everyone.

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    Impacting communities through education, workforce development, and technology.

    2013-2018

    BLUE1647(TM) was an award-winning education and technology innovation platform that fosters economic development in technology and 21st Century skills through people development (classes, workshops, and events around technology), workforce development (through youth and adult technology programs to prepare individuals for high-demand jobs) and Business Acceleration (through industry events). As a beacon of resource, BLUE1647 provided impactful individuals and students the resources to realize their ideas for a better world.

     

    BLUE|1647 was also featured in Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's first-ever City of Chicago technology plan. Our BLUE|1647 community was a vibrant example of the ways in which creative professionals, entrepreneurs, change-makers, and nonprofits can come together to make meaningful, lasting impact.

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    We help couples and families change the way they work, earn, and learn to reach new levels of success.

    Your Family Operating System.
    We build tools and protocols to redefine what families can do together: Family Streaming Edutainment | Play2Earn | Family Wallet | Blue Studios Entertainment.

  • Metrics

    Where students have started tech careers

    • Doctor on Demand
    • Linkedin
    • InnerWorkings
    • Uber Chicago
    • Meta Chicago
    • Vanguard
    • GetSet Learning
    • Allstate
    • Blue Cross Blue Shield
    • SMS Assist
    • MD Labs
    • Tim + Co.
    • Accenture

    Learn2Earn | Edutainment | Play2Earn | Family Wallet | DAO

    • The world’s first Learn2Earn platform.
    • Launched and sold a Genesis 3D collection of 3,150 programmatically generative NFTs with over a hundred different elements with true utilities. Each character is stored as ERC721 tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.
    • Unity EdTech winners; 3D Photorealistic Animated Edutainment Series; Mini-Games; Streaming Platform ; Metaverse.

    Youth, Teen, and Adult Students

     

    Have been covered in local (NBC 5, WTTW, WGN, ABC, Chicago Innovation) and national press (CNN, MSNBC, TechCrunch, Inc. Magazine, New York Times, NPR, Ebony Magazine, The Root) because of their accomplishments.

    55

     

    Cities impacted across the U.S. and internationally (Haiti).

     

    From neighborhoods, public school districts, and federal housing developments in LA and STL.

    1,500

    • Trained in sequential in-person cohort-based STEM instruction.
    • Over 80% were of an underrepresented minority group.

    ChicagoNEXT Award

    Recognized as an industry leader for commitment to multiple tech communities.

    White House Tech Hire

    Partner from 2016-2018.

    U.S. Department of Labor Certified

    For software development.

    Harvard University

    Graduate School of Education has noted our methodology in their classrooms.

    Gold Edison Award

    Best youth STEM Education and Curriculum.

    50,000+

    Hours of in-person and online STEM and entrepreneurship training.

  • More things I've worked on.

    Other creative projects and experiences.

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    North Shore Logistics Group

    NSLG was a private venture based in Chicago that I started right after High School with three friends, focused on emerging mobile technology (eCommerce), art (designer toys, art and pop culture collectibles), and Internet service industries (web design). While the organization was a side-project for all members, collectively we were able to achieve growth. I’ve worked with a stellar group of creatives. I learned to absorb new information quickly, and efficiently transfer this knowledge to launch new ideas and innovative solutions for ventures.

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    Academic Tutor

    I have gained extensive & valuable experience working in many environments requiring daily use of teamwork with teachers, and parents. I tutored a wide variety of subjects: Literacy, Writing, Reading, Biology and Math. I helped students learn what cannot be found in a book: how to read and understand directions, how to answer their own questions, and lastly, how to grasp that success, in anything, does not come without personal responsibility. I acquired the ability to evaluate needs, and then develop plans that will spur progress and growth.

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    Human Resources Intern

    As an intern I was exposed to various areas of Human Resources such as Compensation, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, HR Analytics, Talent Management, HR Administration, Leader & Organizational Development, Team Member & Workforce Development, and/or Team Member/Labor Relations.

     

    Responsibilities:

    • Assist the Director of HR with addressing day-to-day issues that require immediate attention.
    • Provide assistance on navigating internal resources on self-service and Human Resources technology tools.
    • Utilize procedures, policies, employee tracking systems and other reference materials to assist in answering employee inquiries and resolving issues.
    • Receive and screen inquiries from telephone, on-line, and on-site customers. Assists in providing legally-sound and accurate employment information to internal and external customers.
    • Complete HIPAA Awareness, Security, Privacy, Administrator and Transaction certifications.
    • Assists the department in day-to-day operations as required.
    • Assists with HR-related projects, new hire orientation, recruitment, employee relations, learning & development, loss prevention and all aspects of HR.
    • Participate in the development of programs, processes or applications.
    • Assists in managing databases and inputs information, data, and records.
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    Full-time student and Entrepreneur

    I am a DePaul Driehaus College of Business graduate with a degree in Business Administration and Management with Entrepreneurial studies. As a student, I was a dual scholarship recipient, Tau Sigma National Honor Society member, Blueprint (Entrepreneurship Club) member, and a DePaul Business-plan Course Competition winner. As a student, I gained strong organizational skills, and managed a constructive and diverse schedule while building ventures.

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    Milestones

    My interests are expansive, and my experiences have reflected, and will continue to reflect a commitment to: the development of ventures that is focused on the advancement of the sciences, technology, social change, education and applying the techniques and innovations of startups to make a sustainable impact.

    • Illinois Broadband Innovation Fund Recipient

    • Illinois Technology Association Gala Award Recipient (Fifty Future The Future Award)

    • A Gold Edison Award Recipient in Education and Curriculum

    • 2016 Chicago Innovation Award

    • 2016 Chicago Innovation's "50 on Fire" Civic Award.

    • 2017 recipient of the ChicagoNEXT Award.

  • BLUE1647 Films 

    Our first produced and directed documentaries about BLUE1647 covering our Innovate to Elevate Hackathon in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and expansion to St. Louis.
     

    This video documents one of our youth Hackathons', CodeBLUE, in partnership with The Remix Project.

    Check out the recap video with the United States Department of Commerce and the Minority Business Development Agency. Hear from the MBDA National Director and their Senior Policy Directors.

    The BLUE1647 New Normal 1919 Women in Tech and Entrepreneurship programming teaser.

    Our Latina Girls Code x Google Chicago Event Recap Video.

    BLUE1647 12-week DePaul University ThinkLaunch Code & Entrepreneurship cohort.

    BLUE1647 Cybersecurity Hackathon video recap from Chicago, in partnership with Accenture, Keeper Security.

  • Contact me

    "I see the best minds of my generation elevating themselves by conscious endeavor" ~ Thoreau.