It’s fairly easy to come up with an idea for a startup, but how do you know it’s worth pursuing? How do you analyze the current market and understand that your business could be successful?

This Entrepreneurs Unpluggd features 3 entrepreneurs who were able to recognize and capitalize on opportunities to build successful companies…multiple times. They’ll share how they came up with their startup ideas, how they recognized the companies had the potential to be big, and how they executed on the first steps. The speakers are:

- Emerson Spartz- founder and CEO, SpartzMedia

- Matt Matros- founder and CEO, Protein Bar

- Jill Salzman- founder and CEO, Founding Moms

You’ll have the opportunity to hear the stories behind these successful entrepreneurs in a candid, informal matter.

Schedule:
6:00 – 6:30
Networking

6:30 – 8:00
Speaker presentations

8:00 – 9:00
Networking

Matt Matros

Founder & CEO, Protein Bar

Matt Matros, founder of Protein Bar created the go-to destination for individuals seeking quick and delicious menu options they need to live a healthy, active lifestyle. He developed his concept after practicing a high-protein diet himself that resulted in a 60-lb weight loss. After spending three and a half years in brand management for Kraft Foods, Matt decided to venture out on his own, applying his own personal health achievements and food industry expertise to this original business concept. From experience, he knows that a high-protein and active lifestyle can dramatically affect a person’s health and weight, and he hopes to help people achieve their lifestyle goals with Protein Bar.

Protein Bar currently has 5 locations in Chicago’s Loop and River North and 1 location in Washington D.C. open, with another 10 under construction or in development set to open by mid-2013.

Prior to Kraft Foods, Matt was a Boston-based consultant for East Coast health-club chain Town Sports International and was an Associate Sports Agent for Beverly Hills Sports Council, baseball’s leading sports agency. In 2008, Matt liquidated his entire life savings to launch Protein Bar. The first location opened in 2009 and the company plans to expand to five total stores in Chicago by the end of 2011.

Matt is on the Associate Board of Common Threads, which aims to educate children of diversity, nutrition and physical well-being through fundraising and sponsorship development. Matt has a passion for food, fitness and helping young aspiring entrepreneurs.

Jill Salzman

Founder & CEO, Founding Moms

Jill Salzman is currently growing her third entrepreneurial venture, The Founding Moms, the world’s first and only kid-friendly collective of monthly meetups for mom entrepreneurs. A graduate of Brown University and law school, she started a music management firm and then launched a baby jewelry company before creating her current venture. Jill has been featured in national media outlets including People Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, Daily Candy Kids, NBC5 and WGN TV. She is the author of Found It: A Field Guide for Mom Entrepreneurs, a columnist for NBC Chicago, has been published in The New York Times and gave her very own TED talk on 11/11/11. In her spare time, Jill enjoys kloofing, baking, and erasing her daughters’ crayon artwork from the kitchen walls.

Emerson Spartz

Founder & CEO, Spartz Media

Emerson Spartz is best-known for founding MuggleNet, the #1 Harry Potter website, at the age of 12. Currently CEO of Spartz Media, one of the fastest-growing digital media publishrs. The Spartz Media Network - including OMG Facts, GivesMeHope, and more - receives 10 million visitors each month, and has over 12 million followers on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Spartz was invited by J.K. Rowling to her home for a personal interview and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, CBS Evening News, CNN, MTV, MSNBC, Fox News, and more. Spartz is a New York Times Bestselling Author and holds a degree from the University of Notre Dame.