Chicago’s startup ecosystem is experiencing unprecedented growth in 2025, the Windy City has firmly established itself as a major Midwest tech hub, attracting significant venture capital investment across diverse sectors including artificial intelligence, healthtech, fintech, and logistics innovation. This analysis of Chicago Startups 2025, based on comprehensive funding from 2024 through early 2025, identifies the most promising Chicago-based tech companies positioned for substantial growth this year. From AI-powered content creation to healthcare breakthroughs, these funded startups represent the cutting edge of Chicago’s entrepreneurial landscape.
Top Chicago Startups
1. Goose
- Total Funding: $21.6 million
- Focus: Operating Systems, Pet, SaaS, Software Development
Goose is among the top Chicago startups, reflecting its exceptional traction and growth potential. Their recent $13.4 million Seed funding round in February 2025 positions them as a leader in pet industry software solutions. The company’s innovative operating system for pet service providers streamlines operations for veterinarians, groomers, and boarding facilities.
The pet industry continues to show recession-resistant growth, with Americans spending $147 billion annually on their pets. Goose’s specialized software addresses specific pain points in workflow management and customer relationship systems for pet businesses.
2. Vermillio
- Total Funding: $16 million
- Focus: Artificial Intelligence, Content, Content Creators, Software Development
Securing a substantial $16 million Series A funding round in early March 2025, Vermillio represents Chicago’s newest AI success story. The company develops advanced AI tools for content creators, enabling more efficient production of high-quality digital assets.
Vermillio’s platform addresses the growing demand for content creation tools as digital marketing expenditures continue to rise. With AI content creation projected to grow at a CAGR of 26% through 2030, Vermillio is well-positioned to capture significant market share in this expanding sector.
3. Ocient
- Total Funding: $114.4 million
- Focus: Analytics, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Database
Though their latest funding round occurred in March 2024, Ocient remains Chicago’s most well-funded startup with $114.4 million in total capital, including a substantial Series B round. Their hyperscale data analytics solutions handle massive datasets that traditional systems struggle to process.
As organizations grapple with exponentially growing data volumes (projected to reach 175 zettabytes globally by 2025), Ocient’s database technology offers the performance and scalability needed for complex analytics on trillion-row datasets—a capability increasingly crucial in financial services, telecommunications, and cybersecurity applications.
4. Ubiety Technologies
- Total Funding: $26.5 million
- Focus: Analytics, Information Technology, Software Development, Wireless
Ubiety Technologies secured $26.5 million in January 2025, making it the first major Chicago funding round of the year. The company specializes in wireless technology solutions with applications across multiple industries, including B2B sectors.
Their connectivity solutions address the expanding IoT market, which is projected to include over 29 billion connected devices by 2027. Ubiety’s technology helps enterprises manage complex wireless networks more efficiently, supporting the broader digital transformation initiatives accelerating across industries.
5. Pathos
- Total Funding: $82 million
- Focus: Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Biotechnology, Life Science, Healthtech
Pathos combines artificial intelligence with biotechnology to accelerate biomedical research and drug discovery. With $82 million in total funding, including a significant Series C round, the company applies machine learning to analyze complex biological data, potentially reducing the time and cost of developing new treatments.
The AI in drug discovery market is projected to reach $4.9 billion by 2027, and Pathos is well-positioned to be a key player in this rapidly expanding field. Their algorithms help identify novel drug candidates and predict their behavior, addressing a critical need in pharmaceutical research.
6. Hallow
- Total Funding: $105 million
- Focus: Apps, Healthtech, Religion, Wellness
With the second-highest total funding among Chicago startups ($105 million), Hallow has carved out a unique niche combining spirituality with wellness technology. Their app provides guided meditation, prayer, and mindfulness content rooted in faith traditions.
Hallow’s success illustrates the growing intersection of technology with personal wellness and spirituality. The wellness app market is projected to reach $30 billion by 2027, and Hallow’s differentiated approach has helped them build a dedicated user base in this competitive landscape.
7. INFI
- Total Funding: $13.4 million
- Focus: Information Technology, Made to Order, Mobile Apps, Web Design
Securing $13.4 million in seed funding in February 2025, INFI specializes in tailored mobile applications and web solutions for enterprises. Their platform enables businesses to rapidly develop and deploy custom mobile experiences without extensive coding resources.
As businesses increasingly prioritize digital customer engagement, INFI addresses the growing demand for efficient app development. With mobile app revenues projected to reach $613 billion by 2025, their technology helps companies capitalize on this growth through faster deployment cycles.
8. Soda Health
- Funding: $85.2 million
- Focus: Healthtech, Information Technology, Medical
With $85.2 million in total funding, including a substantial Series B round, Soda Health is developing technology to improve healthcare access and delivery. Their platform helps connect patients with appropriate care resources and manage health benefits more effectively.
Healthtech investment continues to accelerate, with the digital health market expected to reach $657 billion by 2026. Soda Health’s strong CB Rank (4,742) indicates substantial market traction as they address persistent inefficiencies in healthcare coordination and delivery.
9. Synapticure
- Total Funding: $78.2 million
- Focus: Healthtech, Medical, Neuroscience, Wellness
Synapticure focuses on neurological health solutions, bringing together medical expertise with innovative technology. Their $78.2 million in funding, including a recent Series A round, supports development of treatments and care delivery models for neurological conditions.
With neurological disorders affecting over 1 billion people globally, Synapticure addresses a significant medical need. Their approach combines telehealth capabilities with specialized treatment protocols, improving access to neurological care even in underserved regions.
10. Blip Energy
- Total Funding: $3.9 million
- Focus: Artificial Intelligence, Battery, CleanTech, Energy Management, Energy Storage, Machine Learning, Renewable Energy, Solar, Sustainability
While not among the highest-funded startups, Blip Energy’s innovative application of AI to energy management represents a compelling growth opportunity. Their technology optimizes energy storage and usage in residential and commercial settings, supporting the transition to renewable energy sources.
The global energy management systems market is projected to reach $96 billion by 2028, driven by increasing renewable energy adoption and grid modernization efforts. Blip Energy’s solution helps address the intermittency challenges associated with renewable energy sources, potentially playing an important role in sustainable energy transitions.
Chicago’s Startup Ecosystem: A Statistical Overview
Chicago’s startup ecosystem continues to gain recognition on both national and global stages:
- Global ranking: 17th worldwide in the Global Startup Ecosystem Index of 2024
- National standing: 6th among U.S. startup hubs
- Sector strengths: Particularly strong in fintech, healthtech, marketing & sales technology, and foodtech
- Corporate advantage: Significant Fortune 500 presence and recent corporate relocations strengthening the ecosystem
- Unicorn development: Increasing number of Chicago-based startups achieving billion-dollar valuations
- Early-stage growth: Rising number of seed and Series A deals with dedicated funds focusing on early-stage ventures
While funding may fluctuate year to year, Chicago’s combination of traditional industry strength and growing technology focus creates a resilient environment for startup growth and innovation
Factors Driving Chicago’s Startup Growth
Several elements contribute to Chicago’s flourishing startup ecosystem:
- Diverse Talent Pool: Chicago’s universities produce graduates across business, technology, and healthcare disciplines, providing startups with access to specialized talent.
- Relative Affordability: Lower operating costs compared to coastal tech hubs enable longer runway for startup capital, especially beneficial for early-stage companies seeking seed funding.
- Industry Diversity: Chicago’s balanced economy spans financial services, healthtech, manufacturing, and technology, creating opportunities for startups to address needs across multiple sectors, including B2B and e-commerce.
- Growing Venture Capital Presence: Increased local VC activity provides not just funding but strategic guidance for early-stage companies, supporting the growth of funded startups through various stages from seed to Series B and beyond.
Conclusion
Chicago’s startup ecosystem demonstrates remarkable vitality in 2025, with diverse innovation across technology, healthtech, fintech, and energy sectors. The new companies securing new funding in Q1 2025 reflect continued investor confidence in Chicago-based entrepreneurs and the city’s thriving tech companies.
The startups highlighted in this analysis represent different stages of growth and areas of focus, but all demonstrate the innovation and potential that characterize Chicago’s entrepreneurial landscape. As these companies continue to develop their technologies and expand their market presence, they will likely play important roles in shaping both the local economy and their respective industries.
This analysis is based on funding data spanning from 2024 through early 2025 for Chicago-based startups. Company funding amounts are subject to change as additional investment rounds are completed.
Digital growth strategist with 10+ years of experience transforming startups across various industries. He created Startup Guru Lab to share battle-tested frameworks that eliminate costly trial-and-error and deliver measurable results.