Best Environment Companies in Illinois, United States
The 215 best Environment companies in Illinois, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Stericycle.
Our analysis of 90 Environment companies
$38.2b in tracked funding; 89% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Environment companies in Illinois
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stericycle Provider of waste management and disposal services | $675M | 74 mo ago | 15,000 | — | Adobe Experience ManagerSentryApple iCloud Mail+27 | 54 patents Medical waste handling systems and sharps containment containers for safe disposal | — |
| 2 | Invenergy Developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions 64Funding top 22%Tech top 37%Growth top 40%Market top 43% All 8 signals ▾Fundingtop 22% Techtop 37% Growthtop 40% Markettop 43% Newstop 43% Talenttop 46% Moattop 48% Globalbottom 39% Funding: Raised $575M across 6 rounds · 6 rounds over 17 yrs (0.4/yr) Tech: 29 technologies across 4/8 capability areas · Cloud: Cloudflare, Vercel rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 64/100 | $575M | 17 mo ago | 1,276 1,276 → 2,477 (+94%) | Jim Murphy Co-Founder | ContentstackApple iCloud MailNode.js+21 | — | 1 internship · 1 partnership |
| 3 | Brite Energy Offers solar installation services | $264M | 137 mo ago | — | Tim Whall CEO | — | — | — |
| 4 | Broadwind Energy Heavy fabrications, gearing, and industrial solutions provider for diverse industries | $187M | 87 mo ago | 492 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+21 | — | — |
| 5 | Scrap Metal Services Supplier of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap commodities to both domestic and international consumers | $123M | 107 mo ago | 116 | — | Master SliderWordPressMySQL+23 | — | — |
| 6 | ADCO Global Manufacturer of solar PV panels | $100M | 327 mo ago | — | Bernd Helfrich Managing Director | — | — | — |
| 7 | Aquilon Energy Services Developer of financial settlement software solution | $47M | 95 mo ago | 25 | — | — | — | — |
| 8 | Fuel Tech Developer of air pollution control technologies | $26M | 64 mo ago | 66 | — | JoomlaApple iCloud MailPHP+11 | — | 1 launch |
| 9 | Exelon Provider of energy services with an electric and natural gas distribution | $20M | 85 mo ago | 466 | Chris Crane CEO | DrupalApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+28 | 7 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | — |
| 10 | Lincoln Clean Energy Leading American renewable energy company developing and operating wind, solar, and storage projects | $14M | 101 mo ago | 18 | — | — | — | — |
| 11 | In-Pipe Technology Provider of wastewater treatment technology services | $12M | 171 mo ago | 1 | — | WixSentryApple iCloud Mail+14 | — | — |
| 12 | Cultivate Power It is a distributed solar and storage project developer focused on strengthening communities, the grid, and… | $10M | 32 mo ago | — | Noah Hyte Managing Director | — | — | 5 job openings |
| 13 | Mycocycle Provider of solid waste recycling services 48Growth top 13%Funding top 35%Patents top 36%Innovation top 37% All 11 signals ▾Growthtop 13% Fundingtop 35% Patentstop 36% Innovationtop 37% Talentbottom 49% Fin. healthbottom 45% Techbottom 37% Globalbottom 37% Moatbottom 28% Newsbottom 22% Marketbottom 13% Growth: Revenue +122% YoY · Fresh capital in last 24 mo Funding: Raised $7.5M across 4 rounds · 4 rounds over 5 yrs (0.8/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 48/100 | $8M | 10 mo ago | 12 | Joanne Rodriguez Founder & CEO | WordPress Block EditorWordPressMySQL+12 | 16 patents Fungal bioremediation of waste streams and gypsum, plus biodegradable polymer production | — |
| 14 | Midwest Industrial Metals Scrap metal recycling company | $6M | 119 mo ago | 25 | Steven Cadkin Owner | — | — | — |
| 15 | Izar Solar Manufacturer of solar powered products | $5M | 150 mo ago | — | David Ahmari CEO | — | — | — |
| 16 | Waterly Provider of affordable water data management software 32Growth top 35%Funding top 41%Tech top 43%Global bottom 33% All 5 signals ▾Growthtop 35% Fundingtop 41% Techtop 43% Globalbottom 33% Marketbottom 12% Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo Funding: Raised $4.0M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 1 yrs (1.0/yr) rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 32/100 | $4M | 10 mo ago | 7 | — | Cart FunctionalitySquarespace CommerceSquarespace+18 | — | — |
| 17 | Sagegreenlife Developer of green living wall systems | $3M | 136 mo ago | 25 | John Oberon COO | Cart FunctionalityBootstrapBackbone.js+25 | 2 patents Automated monitoring and control systems for vertical vegetation wall installations | — |
| 18 | EJ Water Coop EJ Water Cooperative is a water utility company for rural communities. | $2M | 190 mo ago | 35 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+26 | — | — |
| 19 | Trajectory Energy Partners Solar‑development company that focuses on building community‑scale and utility‑scale solar projects | $2M | 106 mo ago | 22 | Josh Bushinsky Co-Founder | — | — | — |
| 20 | Drop Zone Portable Service Provider of waste recycling services | $2M | 23 mo ago | 20 | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | WRT Provider of plumbing and sewer services for municipalities and residential customers | $1M | 84 mo ago | 117 117 → 165 (+41%) | Bill Shook Founder & President | WordPress Block EditorElementorWordPress+28 | — | 2 launchs |
| 22 | Groot Industries Provider of waste collection, recycling, and disposal company | $1M | 174 mo ago | 108 | Ron Mittelstaedt CEO | Cart FunctionalityGoogle MapsAngular Material+16 | — | — |
| 23 | Water Integrated Treatment Systems Provider of water treatment systems | $600K | 98 mo ago | 12 | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | UV Flu Technologies Hospital-grade HEPA filtration products | $404K | 192 mo ago | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Effimax Solar Provider of solar power systems, equipment, technology, and related services | $150K | 161 mo ago | — | Rui Cai CEO | — | — | — |
| 26 | Renu Environmental Provider of environmental services for carbon credit generating projects | $100K | 3 mo ago | — | Alex Smith CEO | — | — | — |
| 27 | Demi It aims to make composting mainstream by partnering with building managers to offer residents a convenient… | $100K | 36 mo ago | 5 | Andrew Lee Co-Founder | — | — | — |
Top 12 Environment companies in Illinois
#1
Acquired · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2000 · 1276 employees$575Mraised▾
Developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions
- Jan 2025Series D—
- Aug 2023Conventional Debt$1.5B
- Jun 2023Series D—
- Jan 2022Series D—
#2
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2018 · 12 employees$7.5Mraised▾
Provider of solid waste recycling services
- Aug 2025Seed$2.1M
- Mar 2024Seed$3.9M
- May 2023Seed$2.2M
- 2022Seed$100K
#3
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2017 · 7 employees$4Mraised▾
Provider of affordable water data management software. This software simplifies water and wastewater operations by replacing spreadsheets and clipboards with a user-friendly digital solution. It facilitates real-time data transmission, enabling efficient data-driven decision-making and streamlined reporting. The software offers features for chemical dosage calculation, sample management, and regulatory report generation, improving operational efficiency and compliance. It integrates with various data sources, providing a comprehensive view of utility performance. The system is designed for ease of use and accessibility across various devices.
- Aug 2025Series A$4M
#4
Series A · Peoria, Illinois · founded 2023$100Kraised▾
Renu Environmental is an environmental services company based in Peoria, IL. They specialize in carbon credit generating projects and can be contacted at [email protected] or +1.661.305.5141.
- Mar 2026Series A$1.1M
- Nov 2023Seed$100K
#5
Acquired · Lake Forest, Illinois · founded 1989 · 15000 employees$675Mraised▾
Provider of waste management and disposal services
- Mar 2020Post IPO—
- Jun 2019Conventional Debt$600M
- Aug 1999Post IPO$75M
#6
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2020 · 9 employees$20Kraised▾
Provider of drink water services
- Apr 2026Series A$150K
- Oct 2025Series A$9.1M
- Dec 2022Seed—
- 2022Seed$20K
#7
Public · Cicero, Illinois · founded 2007 · 492 employees$186.7Mraised▾
Heavy fabrications, gearing, and industrial solutions provider for diverse industries. The company specializes in heavy fabrication, industrial gears and gearboxes, heat treatment, CNG decompression, procurement and supply chain solutions, kitting and assembly, material handling, and design for manufacturing. Serving markets like power generation, mining, renewable energy, oil and gas, virtual pipeline, heavy construction, infrastructure, defense, steel, marine, and paper and pulp, the company offers full-scope manufacturing of heavy industrial components, structures, and equipment. They provide advanced gear and gearbox solutions, precision kitting and assembly, and engineering expertise to optimize component designs. The company is a diversified manufacturer supporting leading OEMs, offering a single source for full-scope manufacturing. They are certified to the highest standards in manufacturing, fabrication, welding, industrial gearing, and electromechanical assembly.
- Feb 2019Conventional Debt$35M
- Jul 2008Post IPO$6M
- Jul 2008Post IPO$10.5M
- Feb 2008Post IPO$13.8M
#8
Acquired · Frankfort, Illinois · founded 2006 · 20 employees$1.5Mraised▾
Provider of mobile restroom rental services. The company provides mobile toilets, sinks, and restroom trailers and offers septic services, providing event organizers and construction companies with accessible, quality mobile restrooms.
- Jun 2024Conventional Debt$620K
- Mar 2024Conventional Debt$925K
#9
Deadpooled · Romeoville, Illinois · founded 2014$264.2Mraised▾
Brite Energy offers solar installation services to residential and commercial spaces. The company is backed by Protection 1 (USA's full-service security company) and co-owned by GTCR (a $11 billion Chicago-based private equity fund),
- Jan 2015PE$250M
- Jun 2014Series A$14.2M
#10
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2008$10Mraised▾
It is a distributed solar and storage project developer that focuses on strengthening communities, the grid, and climate stability. They develop distributed energy resources and are committed to clean energy infrastructure in emerging community solar markets.
- Oct 2023Series A$10M
#11
Funding Raised · Illinois City, Illinois · founded 2005 · 116 employees$123Mraised▾
Supplier of ferrous and non-ferrous scrap commodities to both domestic and international consumers
- Jun 2017Conventional Debt$60M
- Dec 2015Conventional Debt$63M
#12
Acquired · Lincolnshire, Illinois · founded 1999$100Mraised▾
Manufacturer of solar PV panels
- Mar 1999Unattributed—
- Conventional Debt$100M
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Environment coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
What Illinois researches in environmental monitoring
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Chicago lead Illinois's cautiously optimistic environmental-monitoring research, dominated by air quality and environmental justice themes, with recent output surging post-2020.
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign10
- University of Illinois Chicago5
- Illinois Archaeological Survey3
- University of Illinois at Springfield3
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources3
Common questions
Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.