How Chicago Became the Top Ecosystem in the World for Women-Led Startups
United States
Chicago #14
Late-Globalization Phase
In bringing entrepreneurs from around the world to Chicago, we have found that this city has one of the most collaborative and diverse entrepreneurial communities in the world.
Sub-sector Strengths
AI, Big Data & Analytics
Chicago is home to 14,000 technology companies employing roughly 340,000 people. In 2019, Tempus raised $200 million in a Series F round, giving it a valuation of $3.1 billion. Other startups to look out for include Uptake, an industrial AI and IoT platform, which raised $117 million in Series D funding and Instana, a solution that monitors dynamic apps, which raised $30 million from Accel and Meritech Capital Partners in 2018.
Fintech
Chicago is the second-largest central business district in the United States and home to the Chicago Stock Exchange and eight Fortune 1000 financial services companies. The City’s ChicagoNEXT program includes initiatives like the Blackstone Inclusive Entrepreneurship Challenge, ThinkChicago, and a new Fintech Committee. Success stories include Avant, an online lending platform which is valued close to $2 billion. In 2019, Snapsheet raised $29 million from Tola Capital in Series E round.
Why you should invest in Chicago
TOTAL EARLY STAGE FUNDING
$1.2 bn
GLOBAL AVG.
$431 m
ECOSYSTEM VALUE
$21 bn
GLOBAL AVG.
$10.5 bn
Top 15 Global Ecosystem
Talent
Top 20 Global Ecosystem
Funding
9
Exit Growth
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10
Investor Activity
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5
Funding Growth
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Reasons to move your startup to Chicago
Women in Startups
Women own and run one third of the city’s startups. WiSTEM, a program at Chicago's Technology & Entrepreneurship Center, provides additional resources to women-led startups.
University Programs
The Illinois Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago each operate startup incubators and offer programs in entrepreneurship and computer science.
COVID-19 Policy
The City of Chicago established a $100 million Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund to provide small businesses with emergency cash flow in the form of low interest loans. The loans are available for a maximum period of five years to companies with annual revenues of less than $3 million that have suffered at least a 25% decrease in revenue due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Startup Community
Startup Genome
Partners
1871
Catapult Chicago
Matter Chicago
The Shift Chicago
University of Chicago
WorldChicago
mHUB
Featured Articles from
Local Ambassadors
Get connected
Are you interested in diving deeper into this ecosystem? Drop us a message. Our Ambassadors and Partners can plug you in.