The Full List of 19 Unicorn Startups in Illinois (2026)
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
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 Founded | 2001 |
| Founders | Andrew Sieja |
| Funding Amount | $125M |
| Company Size | Major Organization (1,001-5,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Permira, 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 Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | Jett McCandless, Wally Ibrahim |
| Funding Amount | $942.9M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Venture Round |
| Top Investors | Sapphire 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 Founded | 2003 |
| Founders | Jason VandeBoom |
| Funding Amount | $360M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Susquehanna 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 Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Lucas Ward, Sean Harper, Sebastian Villarreal, Stephen Wooten |
| Funding Amount | $753.2M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series E |
| Top Investors | QED 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 Founded | 2001 |
| Founders | Matthew Schmidgall, Nick Starai |
| Funding Amount | $620M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Insight 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 Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Al Goldstein, Al Goldstein, John Sun, Paul Zhang |
| Funding Amount | $2.1B |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Private Equity |
| Top Investors | Tiger 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 Founded | 2020 |
| Founders | Eric Lefkofsky, Ryan Fukushima |
| Funding Amount | $447M |
| Company Size | Lean Team (11-50) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | New 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 Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | Bradley Keywell |
| Funding Amount | $218M |
| Company Size | Mid-Size Team (51-250) |
| Last Funding Status | Series D |
| Top Investors | New 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 Founded | 2014 |
| Founders | Felipe Capella, Ricardo Salgado |
| Funding Amount | $346.4M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Undisclosed |
| Top Investors | BlackRock, 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 Founded | 2016 |
| Founders | Joseph Landes, Vadim Vladimirskiy |
| Funding Amount | $625M |
| Company Size | Large Team (251-1,000) |
| Last Funding Status | Series C |
| Top Investors | Lead 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 Startup | Main Industry | Year Founded | Amount Raised | Valuation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Copado | SaaS | 2013 | $270.8M | $1.2B |
 G2 | Enterprise | 2012 | $257.6M | $1.1B |
 zerohash | Crypto | 2017 | $282.1M | $1B |
 Clearcover | InsurTech | 2016 | $457.2M | $1B |
 ShipBob | Retail | 2014 | $330.5M | $1B |
 VectorBuilder | Biotech | 2015 | CN¥410M | $1B |
 FourKites | AI | 2014 | $241.5M | $1B |
 M1 Holdings | Fintech | 2015 | $323.2M | $1B |
 Nature's Fynd | AgTech | 2012 | $509.6M | $1B |
