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The Full List of 19 Unicorn Startups in Illinois (2026)

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Illinois is home to 19 unicorn startups, with a strong presence in the enterprise software and fintech sectors. The state's startup scene includes a mix of established and newer companies.

Among them is legal software company Relativity, valued at $4 billion. Online lending platform Avant has also attracted significant capital, raising $2.1 billion in funding.

Below is the full list of 19 Illinois unicorn startups at this time.

Top 10 Most Valuable Illinois Unicorns

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Relativity develops e-discovery software that helps users organize massive datasets and act on key findings. Their platform is widely used by legal and compliance teams to navigate litigation, internal investigations, and compliance projects.

Valuation$4B (Joined March 2021)
Year Founded2001
FoundersAndrew Sieja
Funding Amount$125M
Company SizeMajor Organization (1,001-5,000)
Last Funding StatusPrivate Equity
Top InvestorsPermira, ICONIQ Growth, Silver Lake

project44 operates the Movement platform, providing end-to-end visibility for supply chains and tracking shipments across all modes of transport. Their technology gives companies the real-time data needed to automate processes, reduce costs, and manage logistical exceptions.

Valuation$3B (Joined June 2021)
Year Founded2014
FoundersJett McCandless, Wally Ibrahim
Funding Amount$942.9M
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusVenture Round
Top InvestorsSapphire Ventures, Insight Partners, Emergence Capital, TPG, Thoma Bravo

ActiveCampaign builds a platform for customer experience automation, integrating email marketing, marketing automation, and sales CRM tools. They help businesses of all sizes connect with their customers by creating personalized, automated marketing and sales campaigns.

Valuation$3B (Joined April 2021)
Year Founded2003
FoundersJason VandeBoom
Funding Amount$360M
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries C
Top InvestorsSusquehanna Growth Equity, Tiger Global Management, Dragoneer Investment Group, Silversmith Capital Partners

Kin Insurance sells home insurance directly to homeowners, using its digital platform to offer more customized and convenient coverage options. They specialize in providing coverage for homes in catastrophe-prone regions, using technology to better assess risk and keep costs affordable.

Valuation$2B
Year Founded2016
FoundersLucas Ward, Sean Harper, Sebastian Villarreal, Stephen Wooten
Funding Amount$753.2M
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries E
Top InvestorsQED Investors, 500 Global, Gaingels, Wellington Management, Flourish Ventures

NMI builds a global payment enablement platform used by software vendors and fintech innovators to process transactions. They are known for providing a single integration that allows partners to manage payments across online, in-store, and mobile channels.

Valuation$2B
Year Founded2001
FoundersMatthew Schmidgall, Nick Starai
Funding Amount$620M
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusPrivate Equity
Top InvestorsInsight Partners, Great Hill Partners, Bregal Sagemount

Avant offers personal loans and credit cards through its online lending platform. They provide accessible and secure financial products as a straightforward alternative to traditional banking.

Valuation$2B (Joined December 2012)
Year Founded2012
FoundersAl Goldstein, Al Goldstein, John Sun, Paul Zhang
Funding Amount$2.1B
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusPrivate Equity
Top InvestorsTiger Global Management, Founders Fund, JP Morgan Chase, General Atlantic, QED Investors

Pathos applies artificial intelligence to the complex process of oncology drug development, significantly speeding up the discovery of new treatments. Their platform analyzes biological data at a massive scale to uncover new pathways for fighting cancer.

Valuation$2B (Joined May 2025)
Year Founded2020
FoundersEric Lefkofsky, Ryan Fukushima
Funding Amount$447M
Company SizeLean Team (11-50)
Last Funding StatusSeries D
Top InvestorsNew Enterprise Associates, Lightbank, Revolution Growth, Builders VC

Uptake Technologies develops an industrial intelligence platform that uses AI to help companies monitor their physical assets. Their software provides predictive insights to optimize performance and prevent equipment failure in sectors like energy, manufacturing, and transportation.

Valuation$2B
Year Founded2014
FoundersBradley Keywell
Funding Amount$218M
Company SizeMid-Size Team (51-250)
Last Funding StatusSeries D
Top InvestorsNew Enterprise Associates, GreatPoint Ventures, Lightbank, BloombergNEF, Baillie Gifford

Loadsmart operates a freight technology platform that helps shippers digitize their transportation and logistics operations. By combining technology with managed transportation services, they help businesses lower costs and increase supply chain efficiency.

Valuation$1.3B (Joined February 2022)
Year Founded2014
FoundersFelipe Capella, Ricardo Salgado
Funding Amount$346.4M
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusUndisclosed
Top InvestorsBlackRock, FJ Labs, Janus Henderson Investors, Alumni Ventures, CSX

Nerdio builds a management platform for IT professionals to deploy and control Microsoft Azure environments. They are known for simplifying the administration of virtual desktops within Azure.

Valuation$1.2B (Joined March 2025)
Year Founded2016
FoundersJoseph Landes, Vadim Vladimirskiy
Funding Amount$625M
Company SizeLarge Team (251-1,000)
Last Funding StatusSeries C
Top InvestorsLead Edge Capital, General Atlantic, StepStone Group, Updata Partners, MK Capital

The Remaining 9 Unicorns Founded in Illinois

The 10 most valuable unicorns are just a glimpse into the state's growing tech landscape. Across Illinois, founders are building top companies in a wide range of fields.

These companies work in everything from AI and biotech to finance, and have collectively raised over $2.5 billion. Here is a closer look at the other unicorn startups shaping Illinois.

Unicorn StartupMain IndustryYear FoundedAmount RaisedValuation
Copado logo CopadoSaaS2013$270.8M$1.2B
G2 logo G2Enterprise2012$257.6M$1.1B
zerohash logo zerohashCrypto2017$282.1M$1B
Clearcover logo ClearcoverInsurTech2016$457.2M$1B
ShipBob logo ShipBobRetail2014$330.5M$1B
VectorBuilder logo VectorBuilderBiotech2015CN¥410M$1B
FourKites logo FourKitesAI2014$241.5M$1B
M1 Holdings logo M1 HoldingsFintech2015$323.2M$1B
Nature's Fynd logo Nature's FyndAgTech2012$509.6M$1B

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