Chicago Startups & Venture Capital:
Top Chicago VC Firms, Angel Investors & Startup Resources
Discover the leading Chicago venture capital firms, angel investors, and startup resources supporting the growth of Chicago startups and early-stage founders across the region.
Key Takeaway
Chicago has become one of the strongest innovation hubs in the Midwest, supported by a fast-growing ecosystem of startups, investors, and resources. Here’s why founders are choosing Chicago:
01
Chicago startups benefit from a rising number of early-stage funding opportunities, including both Chicago VC firms and active angel investors in Chicago.
02
The city hosts one of the most diverse and collaborative founder communities, with strong support for underrepresented entrepreneurs.
03
Access to top Chicago venture capital companies helps founders validate ideas early and scale quickly.
04
A growing network of Chicago angel investors provides mentorship, operational expertise, and pre-seed capital.
05
Chicago offers a wide range of startup accelerators, incubators, and innovation hubs that help founders gain traction and prepare for institutional investment.
06
With its balanced cost of living, strong talent pool, and expanding venture ecosystem, Chicago remains one of the best places to launch and grow a startup.
Funding & Investors in Chicago
Best Pre-Seed Venture Capital Firms in Chicago for Early-Stage Startups
Chicago has a growing early-stage funding ecosystem with active pre-seed and seed investors, angel networks, and VC firms that regularly invest in Chicago-based founders. Below is a curated list of venture capital firms, angel groups, and funds supporting local startups.
| # |
Investor |
Pre-seed or Earlier Investment |
Top Verticals |
| 1 |
LongJump |
89.74% |
Venture Capital |
| 2 |
Sente Ventures |
84.21% |
AgTech, Food & Beverage, IoT, Logistics, Retail |
| 3 |
mHUB |
64.91% |
Consumer Electronics, Energy, Hardware, IoT, Medical Devices |
| 4 |
Prota Ventures |
57.14% |
Venture Capital |
| 5 |
Mazarine Ventures |
50.00% |
Water, Environmental Engineering, Water Purification |
| 6 |
New Stack Ventures |
42.86% |
Finance, Internet, Venture Capital |
| 7 |
Lofty Ventures |
40.91% |
— |
| 8 |
Newlin |
40.00% |
— |
| 9 |
Evergreen Climate Innovations |
38.78% |
Clean Energy, CleanTech, Impact Investing |
| 10 |
Motivate Venture Capital |
33.77% |
Financial Services, Manufacturing, SaaS |
| 11 |
Cleveland Avenue |
24.26% |
AgTech, AI, Robotics, Supply Chain, Food & Beverage |
| 12 |
VITALIZE Venture Capital |
24.24% |
Big Data, Enterprise Software |
| 13 |
Chingona Ventures |
24.00% |
Finance, Venture Capital |
| 14 |
Decasonic |
23.53% |
Blockchain |
| 15 |
TechNexus Venture Collaborative |
21.29% |
B2B, B2C, Business Development |
| 16 |
u.ventures |
20.00% |
AI, B2B, Robotics, SaaS |
| 17 |
Nameless Ventures |
16.67% |
Financial Services, Venture Capital |
| 18 |
11 Tribes Ventures |
16.67% |
— |
| 19 |
CMT Digital |
15.35% |
Financial Services, Venture Capital |
| 20 |
M25 |
12.29% |
Consumer, Enterprise, FinTech |
| 21 |
Second Century Ventures |
12.02% |
Real Estate, Smart Home, Financial Services |
| 22 |
VCapital |
11.76% |
Venture Capital |
| 23 |
Lightbank |
11.59% |
AI, SaaS, Marketplaces, Healthcare, FinTech |
| 24 |
IrishAngels |
10.40% |
B2B, Consumer, Medical, SaaS |
Top Angel Investors in Chicago
Chicago’s angel community includes both individual investors and formal angel groups that support early-stage founders with capital, mentorship, and industry connections. These angels often write smaller checks but provide high-value guidance and introductions.
| # |
Investor |
Description |
Number of Investments |
| 1 |
Erik Peterson |
Erik Peterson is the Founder at DormTrader. |
57 |
| 2 |
Constance Freedman |
Constance Freedman is a Member of the Board of Directors at Equity LifeStyle Properties. |
47 |
| 3 |
Brian Spaly |
Brian Spaly is General Partner of Brand Foundry Ventures & Executive Chairman of Tecovas; former CEO of TrunkClub. |
32 |
| 4 |
Lauren DeLuca |
Lauren DeLuca is Founder & Managing Partner of Motivate Venture Capital, a Chicago-based Pre-Seed and Seed investor. |
31 |
| 5 |
Lori Greiner |
Lori Greiner is a television personality & entrepreneur. |
21 |
| 6 |
Logan Kilpatrick |
Logan Kilpatrick is a Member of the Developer Advocacy staff at OpenAI. |
20 |
| 7 |
Grant Newlin |
Grant Newlin is a Strategy & Ops Consultant turned Venture Investor. |
19 |
| 8 |
David Wieland |
David Wieland is Co-founder & Managing Partner of Motivate Ventures, a Chicago VC firm. |
18 |
| 9 |
Peter Rahal |
Peter Rahal is Managing Director at Litani Ventures & Co-Founder of RXBAR. |
17 |
| 10 |
Mark Friedgan |
Mark Friedgan is Co-founder & Executive Board Member of Eligo Energy. |
17 |
| 11 |
Alan Matthew |
Alan Matthew is an active angel investor, investing in over 24 companies in the past 18 months. |
16 |
| 12 |
Jai Shekhawat |
Jai Shekhawat is an Advisory Board Member at Madison Dearborn Partners & former Supervisory Board member at Quinnox. |
15 |
| 13 |
Jett McCandless |
Jett McCandless is Founder & CEO of project44, a Chicago-based logistics tech company. |
14 |
| 14 |
Rex Burgdorfer |
Rex Burgdorfer is a Healthcare M&A investment banker at Juniper Advisory. |
13 |
| 15 |
Eddie Lou |
Eddie Lou is Board Director & Investor at HiLink; holds an MBA and B.S. in Engineering. |
12 |
| 16 |
Dan Pinto |
Dan Pinto is Co-Founder & CEO of Fingerprint, building safe & seamless internet services. |
11 |
| 17 |
Joseph Mansueto |
Joe Mansueto founded Morningstar in 1984 and has served as its chairman & former CEO. |
11 |
| 18 |
Lon Chow |
Lon Chow is a Partner at Method Capital & attended The Wharton School. |
11 |
| 19 |
Gordon Whyte |
Gordon Segal is Founder & Managing Director at Prairie Management Group. |
11 |
| 20 |
Khalid Zitouni |
Khalid Zitouni is an angel investor based in Chicago. |
11 |
| 21 |
Michael Gamson |
Mike Gamson leads LinkedIn’s Global Solutions Organization across 26 offices worldwide. |
10 |
| 22 |
Kenneth Griffin |
Kenneth C. Griffin is Founder & CEO of Citadel, a top global alternative investment firm. |
10 |
| 23 |
Filip Boksa |
Filip Boksa is CEO & Co-founder of BookingKoala, a platform for service businesses. |
10 |
Chicago Funding Programs
Supporting Diverse Founders
Chicago is home to several funds and initiatives focused on leveling the playing field for women, minority, and underserved founders. These investors prioritize inclusive innovation and provide not only funding but also resources, networks, and community support.
| # |
Investor |
Number of Investments |
Diversity Investment Rate |
Top Verticals |
| 1 |
Chingona Ventures |
50 |
64% |
Finance, Venture Capital |
| 2 |
Cleveland Avenue |
136 |
60.29% |
AgTech, AI, E-Commerce |
| 3 |
Impact Engine |
88 |
50% |
Finance, Impact Investing |
| 4 |
VITALIZE Venture Capital |
66 |
48.48% |
Big Data, Enterprise Software |
| 5 |
TechRise Chicago |
138 |
47.10% |
Construction, Education |
| 6 |
LongJump |
39 |
41.03% |
Venture Capital |
| 7 |
M25 |
179 |
40.22% |
Consumer, Enterprise, FinTech |
| 8 |
OS Fund |
46 |
39.13% |
Bioinformatics, Life Sciences |
| 9 |
IrishAngels |
173 |
38.15% |
Angel Investment, B2B |
| 10 |
Sandalphon Capital |
41 |
36.59% |
Angel Investment, Finance |
| 11 |
MATH Venture Partners |
74 |
36.49% |
Venture Capital |
| 12 |
Corazon Capital |
99 |
33.33% |
Finance, Financial Services |
| 13 |
Bridge Investments |
47 |
31.91% |
Consumer, Food & Beverage |
| 14 |
Nine Four Ventures |
42 |
30.95% |
PropTech, Real Estate |
| 15 |
Pritzker Group Venture Capital |
236 |
30.93% |
Finance, Software |
| 16 |
mHUB |
57 |
29.82% |
Hardware, IoT |
| 17 |
Twire Ventures |
73 |
28.77% |
Education, Health Care |
| 18 |
Evergreen Climate Innovations |
49 |
28.57% |
CleanTech, Renewable Energy |
| 19 |
Listen |
49 |
28.57% |
Consumer, Venture Capital |
| 20 |
Chicago Ventures |
171 |
28.07% |
Finance, FinTech |
| 21 |
Jumpstart Ventures |
65 |
27.69% |
Angel Investment, Software |
| 22 |
Synetro Group |
48 |
27.08% |
SaaS, HealthTech |
| 23 |
S2G Investments |
183 |
24.59% |
Agriculture, Energy |
| 24 |
OCA Ventures |
71 |
24.56% |
Finance, Venture Capital |
| 25 |
The Blue Venture Fund |
106 |
24.53% |
Finance, Healthcare |
| 26 |
TechNexus Venture Collaborative |
249 |
23.69% |
B2B, Business Development |
| 27 |
Ironwood Ventures |
148 |
22.97% |
Angel Investment |
| 28 |
G Squared |
111 |
22.52% |
Business Development, Finance |
| 29 |
Hyde Park Venture Partners |
180 |
22.22% |
Enterprise Software, FinTech |
| 30 |
DNS Capital |
50 |
22% |
Finance, Venture Capital |
Best Startup Accelerators and
Incubators in Chicago
Chicago hosts a variety of accelerators that help founders validate ideas, build traction, and prepare for fundraising. These programs offer structured mentorship, educational workshops, funding opportunities, and access to investor networks.
For each accelerator provide:
Final Takeaway: Why Chicago Is the Place to Build
Chicago’s startup ecosystem continues to grow rapidly, offering founders a powerful combination of funding, mentorship, and community support. Whether you’re raising capital, joining an accelerator, or tapping into local founder networks, Chicago provides the resources and connections to help you build and scale successfully.
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