The 17 Best Unicorn Startups in Chicago

Tempus

Our unique, AI-based technologies have the potential to transform healthcare and significantly advance precision medicine.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$8.10
B (
March 2018
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2015
Founders:
Eric Lefkofsky
Industries:
Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Health Care, Machine Learning, Medical
Number of employees:
1,000-5,000
Funding Amount:
$1,070.00M
Number of funding rounds:
11
Number of investors:
10

You can find their website

here

Relativity

Relativity simplifies the entire process of using litigation and regulatory data. From identifying key issues to obtaining ultimate, legal insight, Relativity streamlines the e-discovery process and develops a solid understanding of why.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$3.60
B (
March 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2001
Founders:
Andrew Sieja
Industries:
Ediscovery, Enterprise Software, Legal, Legal Tech
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$125.00M
Number of funding rounds:
2
Number of investors:
2

You can find their website

here

ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign is the go-to email marketing solution for businesses all over the world, helping them send better emails, nurture leads ,and automate their sales pipeline .

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$3.00
B (
April 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2003
Founders:
Jason F. VandeBoom
Industries:
Apps, Email Marketing, Marketing Automation, Software
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$360.00M
Number of funding rounds:
3
Number of investors:
4

You can find their website

here

Project44

Project44 is a logistics technology company that provides a visibility solution to span the entire shipment workflow.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$2.62
B (
June 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2014
Founders:
Jett McCandless, Wally Ibrahim
Industries:
Enterprise Software, Freight Service, SaaS, Supply Chain Management
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$928.80M
Number of funding rounds:
8
Number of investors:
22

You can find their website

here

Uptake

Uptake Technologies is an innovative enterprise software company that has developed a unique, patented technology designed to increase efficiency and effectiveness by connecting people and business systems to deliver real-time data.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$2.30
B (
October 2015
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2014
Founders:
Bradley Keywell
Industries:
Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Industrial, Machine Learning, SaaS, Software
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$317.00M
Number of funding rounds:
4
Number of investors:
7

You can find their website

here

Avant

Avant is the next generation digital lending platform that leverages data science to provide safe and transparent financial products.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$2.00
B (
December 2012
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
1973
Founders:
Al Goldstein, John Sun, Paul Zhang
Industries:
Consumer Lending, Finance, Financial Services, FinTech, Lending, Marketplace
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$420.16M
Number of funding rounds:
11
Number of investors:
17

You can find their website

here

M1 Finance

M1 Finance is The Finance Super App that helps people manage and grow their money with control and automation for free.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.45
B (
July 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2015
Founders:
Brian Barnes
Industries:
Finance, Financial Services, FinTech, Wealth Management
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$328.17M
Number of funding rounds:
7
Number of investors:
8

You can find their website

here

Loadsmart

Loadsmart helps shippers move their freight fast and carriers keep trucks full.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.30
B (
February 2022
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2014
Founders:
Felipe Capella, Ricardo Salgado
Industries:
Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Transportation
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$345.20M
Number of funding rounds:
7
Number of investors:
16

You can find their website

here

Copado

Copado is an end-to-end native DevOps platform built for Salesforce.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.20
B (
September 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2013
Founders:
Federico Larsen, Philipp Rackwitz
Industries:
Collaboration, Developer Platform, Developer Tools, IT Management, Software
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$276.05M
Number of funding rounds:
4
Number of investors:
10

You can find their website

here

G2

G2 operates a software marketplace for business organizations to research, buy, and manage their software and services.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.10
B (
June 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2012
Founders:
Godard Abel, Mark Myers, Matt Gorniak, Mike Wheeler, Tim Handorf
Industries:
B2B, Business Intelligence, CRM, Marketing Automation, Marketplace, Software
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$265.07M
Number of funding rounds:
7
Number of investors:
22

You can find their website

here

Amount

Amount is a financial technology startup that speeds financial institutions' digital transformation.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.00
B (
May 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2019
Founders:
Al Goldstein, Al Goldstein
Industries:
Banking, Finance, Financial Services, FinTech
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$187.50M
Number of funding rounds:
3
Number of investors:
10

You can find their website

here

Cameo

Cameo is making personal video shoutouts affordable and accessible to everyone. From saying thank you to sharing your birthday wishes, they’re giving fans a platform where they can connect with their favorite people.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.00
B (
March 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2016
Founders:
Devon Townsend, Martin Blencowe, Steven Galanis
Industries:
Information Technology, Marketplace, Media and Entertainment, Social Media
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$165.71M
Number of funding rounds:
8
Number of investors:
27

You can find their website

here

Clearcover

Clearcover is a digital car insurance provider using innovative technologies and data-driven insights to give clients the best possible prices.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.00
B (
April 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2016
Founders:
Derek Brigham, Kyle Nakatsuji
Industries:
Auto Insurance, Financial Services, InsurTech
Number of employees:
250-500
Funding Amount:
$307.00M
Number of funding rounds:
4
Number of investors:
11

You can find their website

here

Heyday

Heyday is a skincare company offering customized facial treatments.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.00
B (
November 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2020
Founders:
Adam Ross, Jeni Sykes, Michael Pollak
Industries:
Beauty, Cosmetics, Health Care
Number of employees:
100-250
Funding Amount:
$800.00M
Number of funding rounds:
6
Number of investors:
10

You can find their website

here

Nature's Fynd

Nature’s Fynd is a food company that makes nutritional vegan protein from a microbe.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.00
B (
July 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2012
Founders:
Mark Kozubal, Matthew Strongin, Thomas Jonas
Industries:
Agriculture, AgTech, Food and Beverage, Food Processing, Sustainability
Number of employees:
50-100
Funding Amount:
$508.48M
Number of funding rounds:
4
Number of investors:
17

You can find their website

here

ShipBob

ShipBob is a global logistics company that offers an e-commerce fulfillment order platform for direct-to-consumer brands.

Details of the startup:

Valuation:
$1.00
B (
June 2021
)
Country:
United States
City:
Chicago
Started in:
2014
Founders:
Dhruv Saxena, Divey Gulati, George Wojciechowski, Jivko Bojinov
Industries:
E-Commerce, Logistics, Mobile, SaaS, Shipping, Supply Chain Management
Number of employees:
500-1,000
Funding Amount:
$331.10M
Number of funding rounds:
8
Number of investors:
33

You can find their website

here

SMS Assist

SMS Assist is a web-based real estate platform that provides branchless solutions for multi-site property management companies and single property owners.

Details of the startup: