LinkedIn Top Startups 2024: The 10 companies on the rise in Chicago
Today we’re introducing the inaugural list of Top Startups in Chicago, a look at the 10 emerging companies you should know now in the greater Chicago area.?
These companies aren’t just growing fast locally and garnering attention from investors and jobseekers —?they’re also building innovative solutions that are shaping the future of their industries. Several of the companies on the list are headquartered locally, like Feastables , known for healthy chocolate bars tailored to Gen Z, and Puttshack , operator of tech-driven mini golf courses. Cybersecurity players (Wiz and Coalition, Inc. ) and SaaS companies (Placer.ai and Logik.io ) also pop up in the ranking.?
The list is built on exclusive LinkedIn data across four key pillars: employee growth; jobseeker interest; member engagement within the company and its employees; and how well these startups have pulled talent from LinkedIn Top Companies . While these are the same pillars used for our U.S. Top Startups list , the methodology slightly differs, reflecting activity at the local city level vs. the country (you can read more at the bottom of this article). To be eligible, companies must be headquartered in the U.S., fully independent, privately held, have 30 or more full-time employees in the city and be 7 years old or younger.?
Here are this year’s 10 Top Startups in Chicago — and join the conversation using #LinkedInTopStartups .
All headcounts are provided by the companies, unless marked with an asterisk. Those headcounts are from LinkedIn data. All are rounded to the nearest five.
1. Wiz
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 30+ | Headquarters: New York City | Year founded: 2020 | Founders: Assaf Rappaport , Ami Luttwak , Yinon Costica , Roy Reznik | Most common skills: Enterprise Software, Software as a Service (SaaS), Account Management | Most common job titles: Strategic Sales Specialist, Account Executive, Solutions Engineer | Largest job functions: Sales, Operations, Business Development
2. Feastables
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 40 | Headquarters: Chicago | Year founded: 2021 | Founders: Jimmy Donaldson , Jim Murray | Most common skills: Data Analysis, Project Management, Supply Chain Optimization | Most common job titles: Customer Supply Chain Manager, Sales Specialist, Operations Manager | Largest job functions: Operations, Business Development, Marketing?
3. Drift Net
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 60 | Headquarters: Chicago | Year founded: 2018 | Founder: Aaron Coles | Most common skills: Telemarketing, Online Lead Generation, JavaScript | Most common job titles: Business Development Representative, Software Engineer, Media Producer | Largest job functions: Engineering, Sales, Information Technology?
4. Placer.ai
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 30 | Headquarters: Santa Cruz, Calif. | Year founded: 2018 | Founders: Noam Ben-Zvi , Zohar Bar-Yehuda , Ohed Fossfeld , Ofir Lemel | Most common skills: Software as a Service (SaaS), Event Planning, Customer Relationship Management | Most common job titles: Business Development Representative, Account Executive, Customer Experience Manager | Largest job functions: Sales, Customer Success and Support?
5. Albi
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 40* | Headquarters: Oak Brook, Ill. | Year founded: 2020 | Founders: Alex Duta , Shamoil Soni | Most common skills: Lead Generation, Cold Calling, Social Media | Most common job titles: Business Development Representative, Account Manager, Account Executive | Largest job functions: Sales, Media and Communication, Business Development?
6. Coalition, Inc.
领英推荐
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 35 | Headquarters: San Francisco | Year founded: 2017 | Founders: Joshua Motta , John Hering | Most common skills: Property and Casualty Insurance, Data Analysis, SQL | Most common job titles: Underwriting Assistant, Software Engineer, Business Development Specialist | Largest job functions: Finance, Operations, Engineering?
7. Sage Therapy
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 45* | Headquarters: Chicago | Year founded: 2020 | Founder: Millie Huckabee | Most common skills: Mental Health Counseling, Psychotherapy, Crisis Intervention | Most common job titles: Therapist, Mental Health Consultant, Clinical Supervisor | Largest job functions: Healthcare Services, Operations, Community and Social Services
8. Puttshack
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 65 | Headquarters: Chicago | Year founded: 2018 | Founders: Adam Breeden , Steven Jolliffe, Dave Jolliffe | Most common skills: Hospitality Management, Inventory Management, Financial Analysis | Most common job titles: Accountant, Hospitality Manager, Administrative Office Manager | Largest job functions: Operations, Human Resources, Accounting
9. Logik.io
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 125 | Headquarters: Deerfield, Ill. | Year founded: 2021 | Founder: Christopher Shutts | Most common skills: Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Customer Relationship Management, Agile Methodologies | Most common job titles: Software Engineer, Customer Experience Manager, DevOps Consultant | Largest job functions: Engineering, Sales, Consulting?
10. Capital Rx
Full-time headcount in Chicago: 40 | Headquarters: New York City | Year founded: 2017 | Founders: AJ Loiacono , Ryan Kelly | Most common skills: Pharmacy Automation, Benefits Management, Manufacturing Process Improvement | Most common job titles: Client Operations Manager, Pharmacy Technician, Account Manager | Largest job functions: Operations, Engineering, Business Development??
You can check out the Top Startups in the U.S. here , as well as the Top Startups in Austin , Boston , Dallas , Denver , Los Angeles , New York City , San Francisco , Seattle and Washington, D.C .
Methodology
LinkedIn measures startups based on four pillars: employment growth, engagement, job interest and attraction of top talent. Employment growth is measured as percentage headcount increase in the city over methodology time frame, which must be a minimum of 5%. Engagement looks at non-employee views and follows of the company’s LinkedIn page among members in the city, as well as how many non-employees are viewing employees at that startup. Job interest counts the rate at which people are viewing and applying to jobs at the company in the city, including both paid and unpaid postings. Attraction of top talent measures how many employees in the city the startup has recruited away from any global LinkedIn Top Company, as a percentage of the startup’s total workforce. Data is normalized across all eligible startups. The methodology time frame is July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.?
To be eligible, companies must be fully independent, privately held, have 30 or more full-time employees in the city, be 7 years old or younger and be headquartered in the country on whose list they appear. We exclude all staffing firms, think tanks, venture capital firms, law firms, management and IT consulting firms, nonprofits and philanthropy, accelerators and government-owned entities. Startups who have laid off 10% or more of their workforce based on corporate announcements or public, reliable sources between July 1, 2023 and the list launch, are not eligible. These decisions are made by the LinkedIn News team based on company statements and/or reputable news outlets.
About company insights
*Company insights were sourced from LinkedIn Talent Insights . Data reflects aggregated public member data from active LinkedIn profiles in the relevant metropolitan area and includes full-time employee profiles associated with the company on LinkedIn. We exclude members who identify as part-time or contractors. Headcounts are provided by the companies directly, unless otherwise noted with an asterisk. Those headcounts are based on LinkedIn data. All insights reflect a 12-month time period looking back from July 2024. Skills data was derived from measuring the most frequent skills among a company’s employees. Most common job titles represent the occupations that are most common within each company. Largest job function measures the function area most prevalent within each company.
Methodology and insights by: LinkedIn's Economic Graph team
Talent Acquisition/Human Resources Professional
2 周I have to agree with the others who said they would not consider companies that are not headquartered in Chicago or at least the greater Chicago area as "Chicago Start Ups'.
Building the go-to platform for seamless Truck/Trailer repair experiences! Also growing an exceptionally reliable, service driven, asset based logistics company focused on delivering beyond expectations.
3 周Not sure this is representative of Chicago BASED companies, but alright. And also not sure it reflects any particular trends. One trend I've noticed though is that locality is an important consideration, traction is another, and perhaps atop the list is not so much ESG anymore, but sustainability and resiliency.
Siemly, Inc., a Chicago start-up, is a transformative platform designed for businesses that rely on Microsoft 365. It offers deep insights into your environment, enabling proactive risk management and issue resolution. Powered by advanced artificial intelligence, Siemly collects, stores, and analyzes activity logs within Microsoft 365, empowering Legal, Compliance, and HR teams to: ?? Detect Malfeasance: Identify potential employee misconduct before it escalates. ?? Pinpoint Data Locations: Track data storage sites, SharePoint usage, and device connections to Microsoft 365. ?? Manage Data Preservation: Effortlessly preserve critical data to ensure compliance and readiness for any legal needs. ?? Conduct Investigations: Launch targeted investigations, monitor group activities, and access essential employee information. ?? Predict Behavior: Anticipate future employee actions and mitigate risks accordingly. With Siemly, you can swiftly identify and address any internal issues, protecting your organization from potential losses, reputational harm, and legal consequences. Siemly, designed by experts in employee behavior and the Microsoft 365 platform, is easy to use, scalable, and ideal for businesses of all sizes.
Senior Director @ BlueStar | eDiscovery, Legal Consulting | Super Connector | First Gen
1 个月I’m excited to see the spotlight on Chicago’s thriving entrepreneurial vibe! I would like to point out that a number of business startups you listed aren’t headquartered in Chicago.
Thank you so much for including us in your list of Chicago's top startups! ??