Radar · Food Tech in Chicago
Best Food Tech Companies in Chicago, United States
The 94 best Food Tech companies in Chicago, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Nature's Fynd.
By Sweetie IyerMarkets & Momentum
94companies tracked
$1.2Bdisclosed funding
0unicorns
38have raised
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · FOOD TECH × CHICAGO
Our analysis of 50 Food Tech companies
$6.1b 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)
3unicorns
2017median founding year
475kcombined LinkedIn audience
68%of audience held by top 3
2companies hiring publicly (12 mo)
Ranked: Best Food Tech companies in Chicago
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Employees | Founder | Tech stack | Web popularity | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nature's Fynd Provider of fungi based dairy product | $463M | 59 mo ago | 156 | Matthew Strongin Co-Founder & CFO | Craft CMSAmazon WebstorePHP+23 | Top 5M | — | — |
| 2 | Grubhub Online platform offering food ordering and delivery services | $284M | 47 mo ago | 2,444 | — | Amazon WebstoreSentryApple iCloud Mail+46 | Top 50k | 41 patents Optimizing food delivery logistics, ETA prediction, and personalized food search/recommendation. | 1 launch · 1 award |
| 3 | Chowbus Online platform providing food ordering and delivery services 74Funding top 18%Tech top 22%Moat top 31%Growth top 35% All 9 signals ▾Fundingtop 18% Techtop 22% Moattop 31% Growthtop 35% Markettop 40% Producttop 40% Customersbottom 49% Globalbottom 32% Newsbottom 31% Funding: Raised $105M across 7 rounds · 7 rounds over 7 yrs (1.0/yr) Tech: 39 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 74/100 | $105M | 4 mo ago | 163 | — | WebflowApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+24 | Top 500k | — | — |
| 4 | Farmer's Fridge Provider of food vending machines | $83M | 62 mo ago | 212 212 → 428 (+102%) | Luke Saunders Founder & CEO | ShopifyCart FunctionalityContentful+20 | Top 1M | — | 1 job opening · 2 awards |
| 5 | Tovala Provider of connected smart ovens | $61M | 64 mo ago | 350 | David Rabie Co-Founder & CEO | Amazon WebstoreCart FunctionalitySentry+41 | Top 500k | 2 patents Smart kitchen appliance automation and optimized perishable food packaging solutions | — |
| 6 | Wicked Kitchen Brand of frozen ready meals | $35M | 35 mo ago | 36 | Pete Speranza CEO | WordPress Block EditorElementorWordPress+30 | Top 5M | — | — |
| 7 | Fooda Provider of workplace food programs featuring pop-up restaurants and catering | $32M | 33 mo ago | 223 | Shane Jones Co-Founder | DrupalApple iCloud MailMicrosoft 365+27 | Top 500k | — | 1 award |
| 8 | Tock Platform for restaurant table reservation management | $29M | 73 mo ago | 178 178 → 149 (-16%) | — | Cart FunctionalitySentryTypeScript+35 | Top 100k | — | — |
| 9 | 86 Repairs Provider of kitchen maintenance service | $24M | 16 mo ago | 44 44 → 66 (+50%) | Joe Gallagher Co-Founder & COO | HubSpot CMS HubFacebook LoginLinkedin Sign-in+15 | Top 10M | 2 patents Design and use of jewelry mandrels for shaping and forming ornamental metal pieces | — |
| 10 | Crafty Online B2B marketplace offering multi-category grocery products for offices 67Funding top 25%Growth top 26%Talent top 28%Innovation top 34% All 10 signals ▾Fundingtop 25% Growthtop 26% Talenttop 28% Innovationtop 34% Producttop 36% Techtop 39% Moattop 39% Markettop 49% Globalbottom 32% Customersbottom 1% Funding: Raised $21.6M across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 8 yrs (1.0/yr) Growth: Headcount 74 → 116 (+57%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 67/100 | $22M | 3 mo ago | 116 116 → 256 (+121%) | Nathan Rosenstock Co-Founder | WordPressMySQLPHP+29 | Top 5M | — | 1 launch |
| 11 | INFI Provider of SaaS based robotic kiosks for restaurants | $12M | 16 mo ago | 43 | James Du Co-Founder | WordPress Block EditorElementorCart Functionality+26 | Top 5M | — | — |
| 12 | Aqua Cultured Foods Platform offering seafood alternatives food products | $8M | 42 mo ago | 7 | Brittany Chibe Co-Founder & CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 13 | Nurture Life Internet first brand offering subscription based cooked meals for kids | $7M | 29 mo ago | 50 50 → 67 (+34%) | Helen Revans Founder of Nurture Your Life | Amazon WebstoreCart FunctionalityZoho+41 | Top 1M | — | 1 award |
| 14 | Chowly POS software solution for restaurants | $6M | 93 mo ago | 113 113 → 66 (-42%) | Justin McNally Co-Founder & CIO | WordPressMySQLPHP+33 | Top 5M | — | — |
| 15 | ClearCOGS Provider of cloud-based analytics solution for restaurants | $6M | 14 mo ago | 14 | Matt Wampler Co-Founder & CEO | WordPressMySQLPHP+23 | Top 10M | — | 1 award |
| 16 | Wise Apple Phone tracker app reviews, parental control, and cheating detection resources | $5M | 105 mo ago | 13 | Rebecca Sholiton Co-Founder & CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | 2ndKitchen Online platform enabling kitchenless food businesses to serve food | $4M | 80 mo ago | 22 | — | Cart FunctionalityApple iCloud MailGoogle Workspace+17 | Top 5M | — | — |
| 18 | Science On Call Platform offering suite solutions for independent restaurants and retailers | $4M | 33 mo ago | 13 | Ken Tsang Co-Founder & CTO | VarnishStripeGitHub Pages+14 | Top 10M | — | — |
| 19 | Zenblen Provider of tech-enabled smoothie bar | $3M | 10 mo ago | 10 | Tom Zhang Founder & CEO | Cart FunctionalityWix eCommerceWix+14 | Top 50M | — | — |
| 20 | Eat Purely Internet first restaurant offering ready to heat meal delivery service | $2M | 112 mo ago | 11 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 21 | FanFood Platform offering food ordering and delivery services | $2M | 60 mo ago | 21 | William Anderson Co-Founder | Webflow EcommerceCart FunctionalityWebflow+21 | Top 10M | — | — |
| 22 | FoodBoss Find restaurant delivery and pickup options, compare deals, save time | $2M | 87 mo ago | 17 | — | Cart FunctionalityNode.jsFacebook Login+21 | Top 10M | — | — |
| 23 | Food Genius Food industry insights and analytics empowering informed decisions and culinary innovation | $2M | 153 mo ago | 7 | Eric Cooper co-founder and CTO | — | — | — | — |
| 24 | Pakd Custom lunch delivery | $850K | 108 mo ago | — | Rebecca Sholiton Co-Founder | — | — | — | — |
| 25 | Kitchfix Exceptional hospitality and nutrition-forward food service for peak performance | $750K | 130 mo ago | 66 | — | WordPressMySQLPHP+19 | Top 50M | — | — |
| 26 | Factor 75 Subscription-based meal delivery | $500K | 114 mo ago | 140 | — | Amazon WebstoreSentryZendesk+40 | Top 500k | 52 patents Patents concentrated in health & consumer products | 1 launch · 1 partnership · 1 expansion |
| 27 | Behind the Burner Online culinary learning platform offering educational content | $500K | 188 mo ago | — | Divya Gugnani CEO | — | — | — | — |
| 28 | Zest App-based platform offering cooking learning solutions | $270K | 31 mo ago | 7 | Mike Vere CEO | TurbopackNode.jsTailwind CSS+10 | Top 10M | 215 patents Dental restorative and whitening materials, attachment systems, and related kits. | — |
| 29 | Brandibble Provider of online ordering solutions for restaurants | $250K | 123 mo ago | — | JC Harrington Founder | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | Dishable Marketing platform for restaurants to tap targeted customers | $225K | 151 mo ago | — | Sue Fullman Co-Founder | — | — | — | — |
| 31 | META Provider of marketing solutions for restaurants | $200K | 70 mo ago | 3 | Michael Perhats Founder | — | — | 109 patents Patents concentrated in computing, sensing & instrumentation | — |
| 32 | TrueFoodies True Foodies | $150K | 108 mo ago | 4 | Joanne Carter Co-Founder and CMO | Squarespace CommerceSquarespaceYUI+12 | Top 50M | — | — |
| 33 | OrdrSmart Platform enabling CPG brands and ingredient suppliers to create and maintain a resilient ingredient supply… | $130K | 36 mo ago | 3 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 34 | Journey Foods AI-powered software platform for product monitoring and development | $100K | 56 mo ago | 11 | — | WebflowStripeHubSpot+19 | Top 10M | — | — |
| 35 | Quitchen Online marketplace for caterers | $100K | 160 mo ago | — | Moussa El Metennani President & Co-Founder | — | — | — | — |
Top 12 Food Tech companies in Chicago
#1
Series C · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2015 · 163 employees$105.2Mraised▾
Series C · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2015 · 163 employees
Online platform providing food ordering and delivery services. It allows users to search for restaurants, browse through the menu, and place orders by making payments using the platform. Its mobile application is available on Android and iOS platforms.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 74how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 18%Tech
top 22%Moat
top 31%Growth
top 35%Market
top 40%Product
top 40%Funding: Raised $105M across 7 rounds · 7 rounds over 7 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series C (Feb 2026)
Tech: 39 technologies across 6/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Web Services, Cloudflare · Observability: Microsoft Clarity, Sentry
Moat: Editorial + unicorn rating 8/10 · Soonicorn · 10 curated direct competitors tracked
Audience (LinkedIn): 10k LinkedIn followers — 2.2% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
- Feb 2026Series C$81M
- Aug 2024Series B$20M
- Aug 2023Series A—
- Jul 2022Series A$15.2M
Investors
Greycroft, FJ Labs, Fika Ventures, HPA, Prysm Capital, Altos Ventures Management
Tech stack
Amazon Web ServicesAnt DesignApple Icloud MailCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCloudflare Browser Insights
#2
Series B · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2015 · 116 employees$21.6Mraised▾
Series B · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2015 · 116 employees
Online B2B marketplace offering multi-category grocery products for offices. It caters to offices to manage pantries, catering, cafes, etc. The product catalog includes hot coffee, cold brew coffee, kegs, craft beer, dry snacks, breakfasts, etc.
Fliar Intelligence Index™ 67how this company ranks against its industry peers
Funding
top 25%Growth
top 26%Talent
top 28%Innovation
top 34%Product
top 36%Tech
top 39%Funding: Raised $21.6M across 8 rounds · 8 rounds over 8 yrs (1.0/yr) · Last round Series B (Feb 2026)
Growth: Headcount 74 → 116 (+57%) across vintages · Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Talent: 3 named leaders on record · 3 C-suite/founder profiles curated
Audience (LinkedIn): 9k LinkedIn followers
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Feb 2026Series B$13.2M
- Nov 2025Series A$1M
- May 2024Series A$8.7M
- Apr 2022Series A$10M
Founders & team
Investors
Tribeca Venture Partners, OCA Ventures, Manifold Group, Greycroft, Firebrand Ventures, Gaingels
Tech stack
AdrollAdroll Cmp SystemAmazon ElbAmazon Web ServicesApache Http ServerApple Icloud Mail
#3
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2018 · 44 employees$24Mraised▾
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2018 · 44 employees
Provider of kitchen maintenance service. It offers subscription services for restaurant groups to manage equipment repairs and preventive maintenance services including dispatching, scheduling, repairing, warranty status confirmations, etc. It primarily offers repair services for hot side equipment, cold side equipment, plumbing, HVAC, fire suppression systems, and electrical kitchen equipment. It offers solutions for restaurants, cafes, and commercial kitchens.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 3k LinkedIn followers
Funding rounds
- Jan 2025Series A$2M
- Jul 2022Series A$15.2M
- Jul 2021Seed$7.3M
- Oct 2020Seed—
Founders & team
Investors
TDF Ventures, HAVI, Gordon Food Service, GHS Holdings, Tamarind Restaurants, Cleveland Avenue
Tech stack
Amazon CloudfrontAmazon S3Amazon Web ServicesAppcuesCloudflareCloudflare Bot Management
#4
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2018 · 10 employees$2.8Mraised▾
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2018 · 10 employees
Provider of tech-enabled smoothie bar. It enables users to order using the touchscreen interface and make payments.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 941 LinkedIn followers
Hiring: 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: Manufacturing Engineer
Activity: 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Aug 2025Seed$2.5M
- Sep 2023Seed$2.8M
Founders & team
#5
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2021 · 14 employees$5.8Mraised▾
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2021 · 14 employees
Provider of cloud-based analytics solutions for restaurants. The platform offers solutions to manage restaurant food waste using AI predictive forecasting. It uses AI technology to get insights into management, operations, food preparation, reporting, decisions, purchasing, and more. It is the tool available on the subscription-based pricing model.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 6k LinkedIn followers
Activity: 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Apr 2025Seed$3.8M
- Mar 2025Seed$1.9M
- 2024Seed—
- Jul 2022Seed$125K
Founders & team
Investors
PAX Momentum, Closed Loop Partners, Myriad Venture Partners, Level Up Ventures, MATH Venture Partners, Tawani Ventures
Tech stack
WixReactGoogle CloudHstsGoogle Cloud CdnHttp/3
#6
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2019 · 43 employees$12Mraised▾
Series A · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2019 · 43 employees
Provider of SaaS based robotic kiosks for restaurants. The kiosk offers features like cloud-based menu editing, analyzing sales data, POS integration, loyalty programs, product recommendations, and more. The company also offers services to develop mobile applications and websites.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 5k LinkedIn followers
Funding rounds
- Feb 2025Series A$12M
Founders & team
Investors
MK Capital, Nameless Ventures, Tensility Venture Partner
Tech stack
BootstrapCart FunctionalityCdnjsCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementComplianz
#7
Acquired · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2004 · 2444 employees$284.1Mraised▾
Acquired · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2004 · 2444 employees
Online platform offering food ordering and delivery services. The platform allows users to browse through local restaurant menu lists and order food. Its features include delivery tracking, pre-ordering options, restaurant reviews, coupons, and deals. Its app is available on the Android and iOS platforms.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 228k LinkedIn followers — 47.9% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 2 product launches · 1 partnerships · 1 awards (incl. Olo) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Jul 2022Post IPO—
- Feb 2018Post IPO—
- Sep 2011Series E$50M
- Mar 2011Series D$20M
Investors
Amazon, YUM! Brands, Leo Capital Holdings, Origin Ventures, Amicus Capital, Lightspeed Venture Partners
Tech stack
AdaAdobe Audience ManagerAlpine.JsAmazon AdvertisingAmazon AlbAmazon Pay
#8
Series C · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2012 · 156 employees$463Mraised▾
Series C · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2012 · 156 employees
Provider of fungi based dairy product. It offers fungi-based foods like non-dairy cream cheese, yogurt and meatless breakfast patties made by fermentation technology.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 18k LinkedIn followers — 3.7% of this cohort's audience · 43 engagements/post (1.5× cohort median)
Activity: 1 product launches announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Jul 2021Series C$350M
- Dec 2020Venture Debt$45M
- Mar 2020Series B$80M
- Feb 2019Series A$33M
Founders & team
Investors
Blackstone, Balyasny Asset Management, EDBI, SK, Hillhouse, Danone Manifesto Ventures
#9
Series C · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2011 · 223 employees$32.3Mraised▾
Series C · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2011 · 223 employees
Provider of workplace food programs featuring pop-up restaurants and catering. The company facilitates access to diverse restaurant options for employees at their workplace. It offers services such as pop-up restaurants, contactless lunch delivery, and catering for meetings. The company also provides solutions for employer-paid lunch programs, pantries, and micromarkets.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 58k LinkedIn followers — 12.2% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Aug 2023Series C$7.8M
- Sep 2017Series C$12.5M
- Feb 2016Series B$5.9M
- Nov 2013Series A$5M
Founders & team
Investors
500 Global, Lightbank, Valor Equity Partners, KGC Capital, KVG Partners, Chaifetz Group
Tech stack
AdrollAdroll Cmp SystemAmazon CloudfrontAmazon S3Amazon Web ServicesApollo
#10
Acquired · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2006 · 36 employees$35.1Mraised▾
Acquired · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2006 · 36 employees
Brand of frozen ready meals
Funding rounds
- Jun 2023Series B$1.1M
- Sep 2022Series B$20M
- Jul 2021Series A$14M
Founders & team
Investors
Unovis Asset Management, NRF Nove Foods, Ahimsa, Graphene Ventures, Boston York Restaurant Group, Lombardstreet Ventures
#11
Series D · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2013 · 212 employees$82.6Mraised▾
Series D · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2013 · 212 employees
Provider of food vending machines. It provides a network of automated smart vending machines dispensing meals and snacks. Its menu includes salads, sandwiches, and snacks.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 39k LinkedIn followers — 8.3% of this cohort's audience
Hiring: 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: Junior Account Executive, Account Executive
Activity: 1 partnerships · 2 awards · 1 expansions (incl. California Pizza Kitchen) announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Apr 2021Conventional Debt$2.6M
- May 2020Series D$40M
- Sep 2018Series C$30M
- Mar 2018Grant (prize money)$10K
Founders & team
Investors
Powerplant Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, Cleveland Avenue, DNS Capital, DOM Capital Group, Finistere Ventures
Tech stack
Amazon Web ServicesApple Icloud MailCart FunctionalityContentfulCore-JsFacebook Pixel
#12
Series C · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2015 · 350 employees$60.9Mraised▾
Series C · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2015 · 350 employees
Provider of connected smart ovens. The features include broiling, steaming, convection and microwave heating, toasting in a single pot, scan to cook options, and mobile application integration. The company also offers smart meals on a subscription basis that are automatically identified and cooked by the usage of preset cooking cycles. Its app is available on Android and iOS platforms.
LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 7k LinkedIn followers
Activity: 1 product launches · 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
- Feb 2021Series C$30M
- Jun 2020Series B$20M
- Feb 2018Series A—
- Dec 2017Series A$9.2M
Founders & team
Investors
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Pritzker Group, Tyson Foods, Origin Ventures, Y Combinator, The University of Chicago
Tech stack
AddshoppersAmazon AdvertisingAmazon S3Amazon SesAmazon Web ServicesAmazon Webstore
Funding & investor landscape
$1.2Btotal disclosed funding
36companies funded
111disclosed rounds
0rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
Valor Equity Partners8 rounds
Techstars7 rounds
Notable founders
Nathan Rosenstock
Co-Founder · Crafty
Ishan Daya
Co-Founder · Crafty
Joe Gallagher
Co-Founder & COO · 86 Repairs
Daniel Estrada
Co-Founder and CEO · 86 Repairs
Tom Zhang
Founder & CEO · Zenblen
Matt Wampler
Co-Founder & CEO · ClearCOGS
Osayanmo Osarenkhoe
Co-Founder · ClearCOGS
James Du
Co-Founder · INFI
Matthew Strongin
Co-Founder & CFO · Nature's Fynd
Shane Jones
Co-Founder · Fooda
Orazio Buzza
Co-Founder & CEO · Fooda
Pete Speranza
CEO · Wicked Kitchen
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 1,352,010 docs
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Food Tech 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 food tech
UIC, U of Chicago, and Chicago Public Health dominate Chicago's food-tech research, focusing predominantly on obesity and health equity in diverse populations, with a contested, concern-heavy tone.
16 papersstance -0.079% breakthrough82% concern
local research themes
Obesity, Physical Activity, DietFood Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsPhytochemicals and Medicinal PlantsPoisoning and overdose treatmentsChild Nutrition and Water AccessFood Safety and Hygiene
top institutions
- University of Illinois Chicago6
- University of Chicago5
- Chicago Department of Public Health4
- Chicago State University2
- Loyola University Chicago2
Common questions
How many Food Tech companies are there in Chicago, United States?
Radar tracks 94 indexable Food Tech companies headquartered in Chicago, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Food Tech companies in Chicago, United States?
The Food Tech companies in Chicago, United States on this list have raised a combined $1.2B in disclosed equity funding across 36 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Food Tech company in Chicago, United States?
Nature's Fynd is the highest-funded Food Tech company in Chicago, United States, with $463M in disclosed equity funding.
How many Food Tech companies in Chicago, United States are funded?
36 of the 94 Food Tech companies in Chicago, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Food Tech unicorns are there in Chicago, United States?
None of the Food Tech 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 Food Tech companies?
The most active investors in Chicago, United States Food Tech companies on this list include Valor Equity Partners, Techstars, HPA, Bluestein Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners.
Sweetie IyerMarkets & Momentum
Sweetie watches where the money and the users are piling in. She covers sector wealth and momentum — the install curves and revenue pools that show which corners of the market are quietly on fire.