Top 58 Chicago Startups to Watch in 2026
Chicago is home to a diverse group of companies across many sectors, including financial technology, insurance, and market research.
Among them, market research firm Circana has raised $1.2 billion and InsurTech company Kin Insurance has secured over $708 million.
Below is our list of 58 Chicago startups worth keeping an eye on.
Failory's Top 10 Picks
Zero Hash builds a B2B2C crypto infrastructure platform for businesses to natively integrate digital assets. Their full-service solution handles the underlying technical and regulatory complexity, enabling companies to launch crypto and NFT products for their own users.
| Year Founded | 2015 |
| Founders | Brian Liston, Edward Woodford |
| Funding Amount | $282.1M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | 500 Global, Bain Capital, Apollo, Morgan Stanley, Bain Capital Ventures |
ComEd delivers essential electric service to roughly 3.8 million customers across the northern Illinois region. As a major utility, their work centers on maintaining the power grid and modernizing it for improved reliability and performance.
| Year Founded | 1907 |
| Founders | Samuel Insull |
| Funding Amount | $23.3M |
| Startup Size | Enterprise Organization (5,001+) |
| Last Funding Status | Grant |
| Top Investors | US Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Commerce |
Circana advises global brands and retailers on the complexities of consumer behavior. They use advanced analytics and cross-category data to provide insights that help companies drive business growth.
| Year Founded | 1966 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | $1.2B |
| Startup Size | Enterprise Organization (5,001+) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Vestar Capital Partners |
Kin Insurance provides homeowners insurance directly to consumers through its digital platform. Their technology helps deliver customized coverage and more accurate pricing, especially for homes in catastrophe-prone areas.
| Year Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Lucas Ward, Sean Harper, Sebastian Villarreal, Stephen Wooten |
| Funding Amount | $708.2M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series E |
| Top Investors | QED Investors, Gaingels, 500 Global, Wellington Management, Long Journey Ventures |
Keeper Security develops a cybersecurity platform to protect passwords and sensitive digital assets from data breaches and cybertheft. Their software operates on a zero-trust and zero-knowledge security model, giving both individuals and businesses a secure vault for their critical information.
| Year Founded | 2011 |
| Founders | Craig Lurey, Darren Guccione |
| Funding Amount | $60.3M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Insight Partners, Summit Partners, Darren Guccione |
Vibe brings streaming TV advertising within reach for small and medium-sized businesses. Their platform helps companies launch and manage campaigns across major Connected TV and Over-The-Top services.
| Year Founded | 2021 |
| Founders | Arthur Querou, Franck Tetzlaff |
| Funding Amount | $78.9M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series B |
| Top Investors | QuantumLight, The Very Group, Singular, Elaia, Hedosophia |
Amount develops a technology platform that helps banks and financial institutions accelerate their digital transformation. Their products are designed to streamline customer experiences for things like digital account opening and loan origination.
| Year Founded | 2019 |
| Founders | Al Goldstein, Al Goldstein |
| Funding Amount | $313M |
| Startup Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | QED Investors, Goldman Sachs, Goldman Sachs Growth Equity, 50 South Capital, Curql |
West Monroe functions as a digital services firm that partners with businesses to navigate complex digital transformations. The firm combines business consulting with deep technology expertise in areas like analytics, cloud, and cybersecurity.
| Year Founded | 2002 |
| Founders | David Hilborn, Jeff Cox, Kevin McCarty |
| Funding Amount | — |
| Startup Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | MSD Partners |
Syndigo provides a content engine that helps brands and retailers manage and share product information. Their platform creates a single source of truth for this data, ensuring consistency for shoppers across online and in-store channels.
| Year Founded | 1973 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | $550M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Debt Financing |
| Top Investors | BlackRock, Guggenheim Partners, Summit Partners, 26North |
Vantage Specialty Chemicals develops and supplies natural specialty ingredients for a range of markets, including personal care and food. Their portfolio is built around sustainable chemistry, providing components for both consumer and industrial applications.
| Year Founded | 2008 |
| Founders | — |
| Funding Amount | $900M |
| Startup Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Debt Financing |
| Top Investors | Apollo, Silver Point Capital, L.P. |
48 Additional Chicago Startups Worth Following
Our top picks are just a small part of what's happening in Chicago's startup scene. Founders across the city are building companies in fields like AI, fintech, and healthcare, and have raised over $16 billion combined.
Some are just getting started while others are more established, but all are contributing to the city's growth. Here’s a look at the other startups shaping Chicago's ecosystem.
| Startup | Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Last Funding Round |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 GigaStar | Crypto | 2022 | $21.1M | Series A |
 Feastables | Retail | 2021 | $65M | Series A |
 K1x | Infrastructure | 2022 | $35M | Series B |
 Litera | Enterprise | 2001 | $102M | Private Equity |
 Signal | Analytics | 2009 | $75.2M | Venture Round |
 ShipBob | Retail | 2014 | $330.5M | Series E |
 Arvist | AI | 2022 | $5.1M | Seed |
 G2 | Enterprise | 2012 | $257.6M | Series D |
 Atlas | Fintech | 2015 | $220M | Series B |
 Aequum Capital | Fintech | 2020 | $337.3M | Debt Financing |
 Invenergy | Enterprise | 2001 | $10.5B | Debt Financing |
 Blueprint | AI | 2019 | $32.3M | Venture Round |
 Attain | Marketing | 2019 | $93M | Series B |
 Keyo | Security | 2015 | $7.1M | Seed |
 AHEAD | Cloud | 2007 | $97.7M | Venture Round |
 Pando | AI | 2015 | $41M | Series B |
 Avant | Fintech | 2012 | $2.1B | Debt Financing |
 CancerIQ | Healthcare | 2013 | $20M | Private Equity |
 Cardiosense | AI | 2020 | $15.1M | Series A |
 Artisight | Healthcare | 2017 | $57M | Series B |
 Science On Call | AI | 2020 | $4.3M | Seed |
 Mesirow | Fintech | 1937 | — | — |
 AVIA | SaaS | 2012 | $48.4M | Venture Round |
 Fingerprint | Security | 2019 | $77M | Series C |
 Soda Health | Healthcare | 2021 | $85.2M | Series B |
 Aeropay | Enterprise | 2017 | $25M | Series B |
 Halo | Enterprise | 2019 | $2.6M | Seed |
 BigTime Software | Data | 2002 | $117.1M | Private Equity |
 Vermillio | AI | 2021 | $16M | Series A |
 Helios | SaaS | 2023 | $15.5M | Seed |
 ActiveCampaign | Media | 2003 | $360M | Series C |
 LogicGate | Enterprise | 2015 | $156M | Series C |
 Revieve | Media | 2016 | $1.9M | Series A |
 Waltz Health | Sports | 2021 | $55.5M | Undisclosed |
 Pathos | AI | 2020 | $447M | Series D |
 Mozaic | Media | 2015 | $25.7M | Series A |
 Berlin Packaging | Manufacturing | 1998 | $500M | Private Equity |
 Clearcover | InsurTech | 2016 | $406M | Undisclosed |
 Madison Scientific | Biotech | 2020 | $10M | Seed |
 Built In | Media | 2010 | $29.9M | Series C |
 Provi | Food | 2016 | $124.9M | Series C |
 National Women's Soccer League | Marketing | 2012 | $125M | Undisclosed |
 Showrunner | Media | 1990 | $9.8M | Seed |
 ModelOp | Analytics | 2016 | $16M | Series B |
 Black Buffalo | Retail | 2015 | $39.8M | Series A |
 Raise | Retail | 2013 | $210.2M | Venture Round |
 Dscout | Analytics | 2011 | $81M | Series C |
 Pi Squared | Crypto | 2023 | $12.5M | Seed |
