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Radar · Educational Support Services in Chicago

Best Educational Support Services Companies in Chicago, United States

The 43 best Educational Support Services companies in Chicago, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: INC Schools.

43companies tracked
$3Mdisclosed funding
0unicorns
6have raised
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT SERVICES × CHICAGO

Our analysis of 50 Educational Support Services companies

$6.7b in tracked funding; 93% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.

50companies analysed
93%cloud-native stacks
2025funding peak (by rounds)
2004median founding year
51median Fliar Index™
66kcombined LinkedIn audience
42%of audience held by top 3
4companies hiring publicly (12 mo)

Ranked: Best Educational Support Services companies in Chicago

#CompanyDisclosed fundingLast roundStageFounderFoundedTech stackRecent signals
1INC Schools
Network supporting and advocating for charter public schools
$2M191 mo agoFunding Raised—2003WordPressMySQLPHP+29—
2Discovery Partners Institute
Provider of educational programs for K-12 students and professionals
$1M72 mo agoEarly StageMatt Bell
CEO
1996—1 internship
3Silver Star Protection
Provides consulting, training, security and risk management services
$150K130 mo agoSeed—2014WordPress Block EditorElementorWordPress+30—
4Digeduc$111K79 mo agoFunding Raised—2009——
5Education Equity
Provider of support services to help students pay for post-secondary education
$88K165 mo agoSeedAndrew Davis
Founder & CEO
2012——
6Amerigo Education
Provider of international education services, resources, and support
—115 mo agoSeries ACraig Pines
Co-Founder
2016WebflowSalesforceYouTube+17—
7Cristoreynetwork
Network of Catholic high schools offering work-study programs
—204 mo agoFunding Raised——CodeMirrorFirebaseSalesforce+261 partnership · 1 award
8ACA Summer
Provider of pre-college summer enrichment programs with academic and cultural activities
——PublicJason L
Founder and CEO
1992WordPressMySQLPHP+14—

Top 7 Educational Support Services companies in Chicago

#1
Early Stage · Chicago, Illinois · founded 1996 · 189 employees
$1Mraised
▾

The Discovery Partners Institute entices people to jumpstart their tech careers or companies in Chicago. Led by the University of Illinois System in partnership with local and global research universities, we do three things centered around economic development: tech talent development for high-demand tech jobs; applied research and development; and building a stronger tech ecosystem. DPI prepares students and workers to step into high-demand tech jobs. It also builds research teams and matches them with new funding.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 7k LinkedIn followers — 11.3% of this cohort's audience · 31 engagements/post (3.7× cohort median)
Funding rounds
  • Aug 2020Unattributed$1M
Founders & team
Matt BellCEO
#2
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2009
$110.6Kraised
▾
Funding rounds
  • Jan 2020Grant (prize money)$110.6K
Investors
Europa
Tech stack
Adobe FlashApache Http ServerAddthis
#3
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2003 · 37 employees
$1.7Mraised
▾

Network supporting and advocating for charter public schools. It provides resources and advocacy to strengthen charter schools, influencing education policy. The network offers support for school development, membership services including job boards and vendor resources, and compiles resources to help families navigate the education system. It also engages in legislative and political processes to advance charter school interests.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 2k LinkedIn followers — 2.6% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 2 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Aug 2010Grant (prize money)$1.7M
Investors
ED
Tech stack
AddtoanyAddtoany Share ButtonsBootstrapCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-Js
#4
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2014 · 20 employees
$150Kraised
▾

Provider of security services intended for asset protection. The company specializes in asset security, personal protection, event security, background screening, regulatory compliance, employment services, consultation as well as training for legal marijuana growers and dispensaries, enabling clients to ensure optimal safety.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 741 LinkedIn followers
Hiring: 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: armed and unarmed security guards
Funding rounds
  • Oct 2015Seed$150K
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCore-JsElementorElementor Header & Footer Builder
#5
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2012
$87.5Kraised
▾

Provider of support services to help students pay for post-secondary education

Funding rounds
  • Nov 2012Seed$87.5K
Founders & team
Andrew DavisFounder & CEO
#6
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2016 · 160 employees
—raised
▾

Provider of international education services, resources, and support. The company specializes in high school study abroad programs, English language development, academic support, and university preparation.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 11k LinkedIn followers — 17.4% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
  • Jan 2017Series A—
Founders & team
Craig PinesCo-FounderRob BirdsellCo-FounderJohn CedergardhCEO
Investors
Sterling Partners, Avathon Capital
Tech stack
AddtoanyAmazon S3Amazon Web ServicesCloudflareCore-JsDrupal
#7
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · 31 employees
—raised
▾

Network of Catholic high schools offering work-study programs. It provides a unique educational model combining rigorous academics with real-world professional experience through corporate partnerships. Students gain valuable skills and build professional networks while earning income to support their education. The network supports college access and success for its graduates. The program fosters personal and professional development, preparing students for higher education and future careers. It also offers resources and support for participating businesses and alumni.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 9k LinkedIn followers — 13.2% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 2 partnerships · 1 awards (incl. Wentworth Institute of Technology) announced in 12 mo
Investors
ED
Tech stack
CdnjsCloudflareCloudflare Browser InsightsCodemirrorFirebaseFundraise Up

Funding & investor landscape

$3Mtotal disclosed funding
5companies funded
5disclosed rounds
0rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
ED2 rounds
Avathon Capital1 rounds
Europa1 rounds
Latinx Incubator1 rounds
Sterling Partners1 rounds

Notable founders

Matt Bell
CEO · Discovery Partners Institute
Andrew Davis
Founder & CEO · Education Equity
Craig Pines
Co-Founder · Amerigo Education
Rob Birdsell
Co-Founder · Amerigo Education
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 973,062 docs

Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage

Share of Educational Support Services coverage by sub-theme.

Regulatory-risk over time rising

Funding & growth over time

funding rising · growth rising

RESEARCH FROM Chicago · institutions

What Chicago researches in edtech

26 papersstance +0.3124% breakthrough40% concern
breakthrough · advancement · concern
local research themes
Online Learning and AnalyticsTeaching and Learning ProgrammingEducational Games and GamificationGender and Technology in EducationStudent Assessment and FeedbackOnline and Blended Learning
top institutions
  • University of Illinois Chicago14
  • University of Chicago8
  • Chicago Public Schools2
  • Concordia University Chicago1
  • Chicago State University1

Common questions

How many Educational Support Services companies are there in Chicago, United States?
Radar tracks 43 indexable Educational Support Services companies headquartered in Chicago, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Educational Support Services companies in Chicago, United States?
The Educational Support Services companies in Chicago, United States on this list have raised a combined $3M in disclosed equity funding across 5 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Educational Support Services company in Chicago, United States?
INC Schools is the highest-funded Educational Support Services company in Chicago, United States, with $1.7M in disclosed equity funding.
How many Educational Support Services companies in Chicago, United States are funded?
5 of the 43 Educational Support Services companies in Chicago, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Educational Support Services unicorns are there in Chicago, United States?
None of the Educational Support Services companies in Chicago, United States on this list currently has a disclosed valuation of $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in Chicago, United States Educational Support Services companies?
The most active investors in Chicago, United States Educational Support Services companies on this list include ED, Avathon Capital, Europa, Latinx Incubator, Sterling Partners.
Rohit KhannaTrends & Stories

Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.

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