Industry landscapes
The companies, capital and talent shaping investment industry in Chicago. Find the leaders. Understand the segments. See where the activity is.
An industry ecosystem,
measured in context.
24 featured companies from the funding, hiring, revenue and team-size leaderboards.
Locked revenue figures are available in Radar; the eight company financial previews stay the same throughout this page. A dash means the figure is outside these featured lists. Revenue years vary by company; the figures are not a like-for-like revenue comparison. Compare annual accounts ↗
No company example met every recorded classification, independence and public-profile gate in this snapshot. The live directory may have newer qualifying companies.
Explore classified startups in Radar ↗A few useful ratios bring the size of this ecosystem into perspective.
44 of 451 tracked companies have open roles.
20 of 451 tracked companies have a recorded round.
Share of disclosed capital received by the three largest recorded recipients.
Midpoint of 18 rounds with a disclosed amount.
Scale is concentrated. Opportunity is broader. The three largest funding recipients hold 84.0% of disclosed capital, while 95.6% of tracked companies have no recorded funding round.
Explore the segments →Recorded company formation and disclosed funding across the complete annual series shown.
Sum of recorded funding rounds · USD
| Year | Funding (USD) | Founded | Raising |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $30.15M | 16 | 2 |
| 2017 | $33.61M | 16 | 2 |
| 2018 | $0 | 21 | 0 |
| 2019 | $125K | 18 | 1 |
| 2020 | $30M | 27 | 1 |
| 2021 | $225K | 13 | 1 |
| 2022 | $8.81M | 15 | 1 |
| 2023 | $255.75M | 14 | 3 |
| 2024 | $35.38M | 10 | 4 |
| 2025 | $7.28M | 1 | 2 |
Share of all disclosed company funding.
25 recorded rounds since 2016
Recorded participation in investment industry company rounds since 2016.
Backed by .
Backed by Oak HC/FT and IA Capital Group.
Backed by Oak HC/FT and Manulife and others.
Backed by AllianceBernstein and Route 66 Ventures and others.
Participating investors were not recorded in this snapshot.
Participating investors were not recorded in this snapshot.
Participating investors were not recorded in this snapshot.
Participating investors were not recorded in this snapshot.
Backed by FinTech Collective and Kelvingrove Partners and others.
Backed by Fitch Ventures.
Participating investors were not recorded in this snapshot.
Exact designated identities and reviewed filing records were checked, but this page has neither a qualifying preview account nor a target cohort meeting the ten-entity aggregate floor.
How the Chicago companies on this page show up online: the sites people visit, the apps they install, and how often those apps ship.
5 of the 451 companies on this page carry a measured traffic record (1.1%); these are the largest of those, by monthly visits. The median among them is 115,282 visits.
| Company | Monthly visits | Authority | Mobile |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Field Museumfieldmuseum.org | 1,049,209 | 52 | 73.7% |
| Lincoln Park Zoolpzoo.org | 246,506 | 52 | 73.9% |
| Muscular Dystrophy Associationmda.org | 115,282 | 55 | 32.3% |
| Lyric Opera of Chicagolyricopera.org | 64,813 | 45 | 38.4% |
| Lincoln Internationallincolninternational.com | 55,059 | 40 | 17.1% |
Visits and authority are third-party web estimates, not company-reported figures.
Explore the segments behind the headline numbers.
Rank segments by scale, hiring or disclosed funding.
Companies can sit in several segments. Counts and funding overlap.
The largest measured segment in this report snapshot.
0 companies hiring · $0 disclosed funding
Explore in RadarCommon revenue models; a company can use more than one.
Recorded corporate activity linked to companies in this landscape.
Motorola Solutions has agreed to acquire the land mobile radio networks services business from Bell Canada, a subsidiary of BCE Inc., in a deal valued at CAD $675 million.
Mag Mile Capital, Inc. ... announced that it had successfully arranged $163.5 million in debt financing transactions over the past three months.
Halifax West served as exclusive financial advisor, led the debt market process, and made a minority co-investment alongside Stacker Holdings as part of the transaction.
Accordion has announced the acquisition of FCM
months after rival Blue Owl bought digital infrastructure investor IPI Partners
The private equity firm Linden Capital Partners has acquired hospice provider Agape Care Group from Ridgemont Equity Partners for an undisclosed amount.
Lincoln International, a leading global investment banking advisory firm specializing in private capital markets, is pleased to announce the closing of its acquisition of MarshBerry, a global leader in investment banking and consulting serving the insurance brokerage and wealth & retirement sectors.
Kinzie Capital Partners has acquired Fraser Steel, a Minnesota-based manufacturer of steel tubular products.
Private equity firm Burlington Capital Partners (BCP) has acquired ingredient supplier Sokol & Co., Countryside, Ill., for an undisclosed sum.
MetLife Investment Management (MIM) has reached a definitive agreement to acquire three investment teams and assets managed by Mesirow, an independent financial services firm.
Top 10 categories among 204 recorded events in the 24-month window.
52 tracked people moves
Appointment Partner, Head of Technology Capital Markets
Appointment Managing Director and Head of Japan, Capital Formation and Currency Solutions
Appointment Managing Director and Head of Sales, Japan
Appointment Senior Advisor
Appointment Vice President
Appointment Managing Director
Appointment Board of Directors
Appointment partner
Products, platforms and features in the recorded window
Website
3 recorded customer wins
Customer: psa singaporeInfrastructure
Customer: H.I.G. Capital; PolarDC Group LimitedInfrastructure
Customer: pulsar helium
1 recorded events
fined for violating audit committee communication rulesPublic Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)
5 tracked suits
Russian sanctions violationCivil · Settled
financial involvement in data center dealsCivil · Filed
Reported company results in the recorded window.
Median across 14 reported growth observations; companies may contribute multiple periods.
Company-linked deal reports; status is preserved as recorded.
| Acquirer → target | Status | Date | Value / context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorola Solutions Venture Capital→bell canada | Announced | 2026-03-28 | Not stated in snapshot |
| Motorola Solutions Venture Capital→exacom | Announced | 2026-03-17 | Not stated in snapshot |
| Lincoln International→marshberry | Completed | 2026-01-30 | Not stated in snapshot |
| Stacker Holdings→advanced irrigation | Announced | 2026-01-29 | Not stated in snapshot |
| accordion→FCM ↗ | Announced | 2026-01-26 | Not stated in snapshot |
| Motorola Solutions Venture Capital→silvus technologies | Announced | 2025-12-31 | $4.4B |
A discussion or rumour is not a completed transaction. An unstated value is not zero.
1,441 postings in the preceding 12 months. The full 2,628-posting snapshot covers 40 employers.
8 tracked postings mention remote work.
1,800 postings specify a level.
Top skills across 2,628 tracked postings in the available jobs snapshot.
Median across 345 postings with pay data, expressed in USD.
Advertised posting medians do not describe all employees or roles.
| Company | Employees |
|---|---|
| Heico Companies ↗ | 5,405 |
| Muscular Dystrophy Association ↗ | 1,101 |
| The Field Museum ↗ | 913 |
| 1871 ↗ | 719 |
| Shedd Aquarium ↗ | 570 |
| Sidley ↗ | 560 |
| Lincoln International ↗ | 385 |
| Feeding America ↗ | 332 |
492 founders and chief executives across 302 companies.
Andrea Joselit Consulting, ex-Banc of America Capital Investors, Energy & Minerals Group. University of Michigan BA 1989
Founder Alta Asset Management, VP Glenwood Capital Management & Carr Futures, Nikko Securities International. Harvard University MPA 1990…
JPMorgan Chase, ex-Precision BioSciences, York Capital Management. University of Cambridge MA, PHD 2008
Ex-Credit Suisse, CIT Capital Securities. University of Notre Dame 2005
Co-Founder & CEO Waltz Health · Co-Founder Thierer Family Foundation, Assetblue Investment Group · ex-CEO UnitedHealth Group, Catamaran…
Founder Paragon Health Capital, CEO Paragon Biosciences, The Aspen Institute, Discover Financial Services
Ex-Waterton Associates, Archstone Smith. University of Illinois BS 1992, The University of Chicago Booth School of Business MBA 1998
Ex - Founder & CEO Catalyze Chicago, MB Labs, Co-Founder BikeSpike, Insight Product Development. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2005
ex-Accenture, Brasil Junior, Paulista Jr. Projetos & Consultoria · University of Sao Paulo BS 2015…
Cutler Group, Coopers and Lybrand, Abroad group. University of Tennessee BSc
ex- BTM Capital MD BTM Capital, Republic Financial, ABN AMRO, Amsterdam Rotterdam Bank. University of Richmond BA 1981, University of Chicago MBA 1999
Founder Cervecero Investments, ex-William Blair. Washington and Lee University BA, Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management MBA
108 profiles with education records.
14 profiles with prior-work records.
Profiles cover recorded founders and leaders; contact details remain in Radar.
45,783 articles in the measured 12-month window.
Investment Industry coverage tagged Chicago · articles per complete quarter
| Quarter | Articles |
|---|---|
| 2021Q2 | 9,398 |
| 2021Q3 | 12,024 |
| 2021Q4 | 8,459 |
| 2022Q1 | 11,227 |
| 2022Q2 | 9,786 |
| 2022Q3 | 9,629 |
| 2022Q4 | 9,040 |
| 2023Q1 | 9,916 |
| 2023Q2 | 11,511 |
| 2023Q3 | 10,683 |
| 2023Q4 | 11,502 |
| 2024Q1 | 14,783 |
| 2024Q2 | 12,375 |
| 2024Q3 | 15,734 |
| 2024Q4 | 12,403 |
| 2025Q1 | 20,018 |
| 2025Q2 | 13,955 |
| 2025Q3 | 15,292 |
| 2025Q4 | 13,503 |
| 2026Q1 | 11,429 |
| 2026Q2 | 5,559 |
Article volume measures coverage, not market sales.
186 recorded company events across 16 companies; percentages use that event total.
Investment Industry coverage tagged Chicago · ranked by full-period article count.
Recent and prior counts use the source comparison windows.
United States comparison coverage
| Keyword | Recent | Prior | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| investment deal | 11,071 | 3,690 | 200% |
| stablecoin fx impact | 9,211 | 6,423 | 43% |
| private equity | 6,438 | 1,681 | 283% |
| etf trading | 5,654 | 3,580 | 58% |
| share price | 5,418 | 2,994 | 81% |
| etfs | 4,856 | 3,086 | 57% |
| sector etfs | 4,671 | 2,980 | 57% |
| investment | 4,412 | 1,035 | 326% |
| stock surge | 4,385 | 2,355 | 86% |
| etf structures | 4,345 | 2,674 | 62% |
| tariff negotiations | 13,596 | 23,784 | -43% |
| flood stage forecasting | 607 | 10,570 | -94% |
| hydrologic risk modeling | 79 | 10,120 | -99% |
| free trade deals | 5,648 | 9,436 | -40% |
| economic slowdown | 5,394 | 8,577 | -37% |
United States comparison coverage
territories, disputed islands, stock performance
42.7% critical · 26.8% positiveinvestment deal, inflation reports fx, currency intervention policies
40.0% critical · 49.1% positiveearnings report, cannabis industry regulations, legal cannabis sales
36.2% critical · 44.7% positiveInvestment Industry coverage tagged Chicago. Topic labels describe recorded classifications and can include broad context.
Clear definitions for making better comparisons.
It measures the tracked company ecosystem, recorded funding, hiring and other available evidence. It is not a market-size estimate.
No. A company can belong to several segments, so segment counts and funding can overlap.
A dash or unavailable panel means the current reviewed source snapshot does not support that figure.
Company ecosystem snapshot: 2 September 2026. Funding is recorded in USD; filed accounts retain their stated currency and reporting basis. Each section identifies its own coverage. The news and research behind these sections is explorable in Prism.
Canonical landscape ↗