Jelly is a casual place for freelancers, entrepreneurs, etc. to meet and work together. We meet at Digital Intent on Wednesdays from 12pm-4pm.
Working at home has a lot of benefits, but social interaction is not one of them. Jelly is a biweekly gathering of freelancers, entrepreneurs, telecommuters and other professionals with flexible working arrangements. Anyone who wants to meet cool people, get some work done and have some fun is welcome.
Designers, developers, writers, artists, entrepreneurs, marketing folks... Jelly professionals are a varied bunch. Some people come once a month, some people are regulars.
Posted in News | January 24th, 2012
Hey everyone –
As you might have heard, Noble Tree Coffee closed it’s doors last week. For tomorrow, and until further notice, Jelly will meet on Wednesdays at the Digital Intent offices in the West Loop. We have wifi, FREE coffee, a printer, and beer.
118 North Peoria, 3rd Floor
We’ll discuss where to move Jelly permanently tomorrow…
Posted in Events | August 22nd, 2011
Just a quick heads up that we will be getting together this Wednesday evening for happy hour, immediately following Jelly. Starting around 4pm, everyone is going to head over to Galway Arms @ 2442 North Clark Street.
If you’ve never come to Jelly before but would like to meet some interesting, creative people, this is a great time to come. We hope to see you there!
Posted in News | August 15th, 2011
Coworking Evanston has decided to close its doors, which means Jelly Evanston no longer has a home. We’re exploring our options and will keep you posted.
Jelly Chicago will continue to meet on Monday afternoons at Noble Tree from noon-4pm. We’ll see you this week!
Posted in Profiles | August 2nd, 2011
What do you do for a living?
I help college students find exciting entry level jobs and internships. I am the Founder of One Day, One Job and One Day, One Internship. Every day each site features a new employer. We write about what the company or organization does, who they are, why they’re interesting, and what kind of entry level jobs or internships they have.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I absolutely love fly fishing. I do it as often as I can. Unfortunately, Chicago isn’t the best location for a fly fisherman. Since I can’t escape to Michigan to go fishing as often as I’d like to, I’ve picked up both beach and indoor volleyball. I also enjoy grilling, reading, and watching the Yankees. I also want to start a startup softball team for Chicago entrepreneurs, but I haven’t made much progress with that yet.
Why do you come to Jelly?
Sean Johnson bribes me with pie, but never delivers. I keep falling for it. Jelly gives me a reason to get out of the house, and it gives me access to some really smart, talented people to bounce ideas off of. I typically get less done on Jelly days, but I often make big creative breakthroughs. I also get some great advice on specific topics from subject matter experts on things like design, web development, and marketing.
How would you describe Jelly to someone who’s never been there before?
Jelly is different every time. It’s all about who shows up and what you’re working on that day. You can really make out of it what you want. It’s all about interaction with interesting people who will give you new perspectives.
How has Jelly helped your career?
Jelly has helped me meet a lot of new people in the Chicago area. I started coming soon after I moved to Chicago, and it’s really opened me up to making new connections and finding interesting people who might be potential business partners.
Posted in Profiles | May 16th, 2011
The best thing about Jelly is definitely the members – Jelly folks are passionate, interesting and work on awesome things. So we’re starting a new series this week to highlight some of the Jelly members, what they’re working on, why they enjoy Jelly, and why you should come meet them.
Jelly Chicago
@kadavy
What do you do for a living?
I’m author of the book Design for Hackers: Reverse-Engineering Beauty. I’m also president of Kadavy, Inc., a media company that includes my blog, kadavy.net.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I’ve been taking Latin dance classes for over a year – it’s nice to get away from a computer sometimes. I also drink lots of Japanese green tea, and have been a bad guitar player for over a decade. I’m also addicted to massages.
Why do you come to Jelly?
I work from home, by myself, so it’s great to get out of the house and have a group of people I can talk ideas with from time to time. Jelly keeps me sane. I’ve made great friends from it, and conversations I’ve had at Jelly have really paid off in growing my career. It’s really an amazing thing to me.
How would you describe Jelly to someone who’s never been there before?
To me it’s like having co-workers, except that you don’t have to pretend to like them 
It reminds me of Café Guerbois, where the Impressionists hung out in the late 1800’s. It’s just a bunch of renegades sharing ideas and helping each other out. I like to think of it like: we’re all invested in each other’s businesses, but without the messy paperwork. Each individual success is a group success.