Curated list of startup incubators and accelerators from Chicago and guides to their programs
Chicago has established itself as the Midwest's premier startup ecosystem, combining industrial heritage with modern innovation. As America's "Second City," Chicago offers founders a unique blend of Fortune 500 corporate access, world-class universities, diverse talent, and significantly lower costs than coastal tech hubs—all while maintaining a practical, hardworking culture that values substance over hype. The city's strengths in fintech, enterprise software, industrial technology, and B2B solutions reflect its deep business expertise and corporate connections. Local startup incubators in Chicago and accelerator programs leverage these advantages, helping founders build sustainable, profitable companies that serve real business needs rather than chasing trendy markets.
Moderne Passport is a six-month industry immersion program that helps growth-stage companies sharpen their go-to-market strategy, secure pilot opportunities, and connect with potential investors and acquirers. Participants receive hands-on mentorship and gain access to the expansive Moderne Network—more than 700 corporations and senior executives from top companies.
Cohorts meet roughly once a month at events across the country, where founders showcase their products, engage with mentors, and participate in curated industry and private corporate gatherings. The program delivers strategic guidance, expert support, real-world pilot opportunities, and high-value exposure to decision-makers.
Although industry-agnostic, most participating companies share common characteristics:
Target Markets: Strong fit within Moderne’s core sectors, with potential to expand into additional verticals
Revenue: Typically between $1M and $30M+
Customers: From early traction to fully established client bases
Financing: Seed stage and beyond, often with backing from top-tier investors
Product: Out of beta and ready to scale nationally or globally
Business Models: Preference for disruptive SaaS platforms in digital media, fintech, business services, and big data, especially B2B-focused companies
Moderne Passport equips these companies with the relationships, insights, and momentum needed to accelerate growth at scale.
Founded in 2015, the Good Food Business Accelerator supports food startups and small food-related businesses across the Chicago area with community, resources, and hands-on guidance. Since launching, it has supported 85 companies, built a network of over 100 members, and helped participants secure more than $2 million in funding.
The accelerator offers three cohort-based programs designed to help founders make stronger business decisions through structured curriculum, coaching, and collaborative learning. Participants work on essential materials—such as sales decks and financial reports—while growing alongside other entrepreneurs. Every graduate receives a free yearlong GFA membership.
Go To Market (2 months): For founders just getting started. Participants are matched with an industry mentor and work on early-stage strategy and execution.
Accelerate for Growth (4 months): For businesses preparing to scale. This program focuses on improving operations, management, sales, financials, and marketing.
Market Access (4 weeks): A fast-paced workshop series that helps businesses become retail-ready.
Together, these programs give food entrepreneurs the structure and support they need to build, strengthen, and grow their businesses.
The New Venture Challenge (NVC), launched in 1996 by the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Chicago, is one of the nation’s premier accelerator programs. Over its long history, it has supported more than 370 startups that have collectively raised over $1.2 billion in funding and generated $8.5 billion in mergers and exits. Notable alumni include Grubhub, Braintree/Venmo, and Simple Mills—companies that reshaped their industries.
Startups accepted into the NVC gain access to the Polsky Center’s unmatched expertise, resources, and funding pathways. Participants benefit from tailored guidance, a powerful mentor network, and the strong community of NVC advisors, founders, and alumni. With this support, teams can dramatically accelerate their development and position themselves for long-term success.
Launched in 2014, the Financial Solutions Lab accelerator is a national leader in supporting fintech innovation for underserved communities. The program partners with entrepreneurs building solutions that improve financial health for low- to moderate-income individuals, as well as Black, Latinx, and other historically underrepresented groups.
Startups accepted into the accelerator receive funding, strategic guidance from industry leaders, and mentorship from top financial services and financial health experts. Participants also gain access to a broad network of partners and resources designed to help them develop, refine, and scale impactful fintech products.
Food Foundry is a leading startup accelerator focused on the future of the restaurant and hospitality industry. The program recently completed its sixth cohort, working with a new group of visionary early-stage founders pushing the boundaries of how customers dine and interact with food businesses.
The accelerator supports startups using cutting-edge technologies—metaverse and virtual environments, Web3, AR/VR, front-of-house automation, retail innovation, and AI-powered enhancements—to reimagine the next generation of dining experiences.
Food Foundry empowers these companies with mentorship, industry insights, and a powerful network to help them scale transformative ideas that elevate restaurants and reshape the way people engage with food.
Cleveland Avenue runs a three-month accelerator designed for food, beverage, and food-tech startups in the Chicago area. Participants receive hands-on guidance from a team of industry specialists who bring deep market intelligence, operational discipline, and strategic insight to help founders streamline and scale their businesses.
Named after the Chicago street where founders Don and Liz Thompson grew up, Cleveland Avenue is built on a mission of community. The organization is dedicated to supporting local entrepreneurs, fostering collaboration, and strengthening Chicago’s broader food and hospitality ecosystem.
Cleveland Avenue works across seed-stage ventures, early-stage startups, and private equity opportunities, supporting emerging restaurants, beverage brands, and innovative food-focused companies looking to transform the hospitality and food service industry.
Workbox runs an eight-week accelerator designed to prepare early-stage startups for their first conversations with outside investors. The program helps founders refine operations, strengthen product positioning, and build a compelling funding strategy so they can communicate effectively with potential investors.
The accelerator costs $7,500 plus 0.5% equity and includes access to the full suite of Workbox services:
Workbox’s full virtual platform
Exclusive programming and networking events
Monthly investor AMAs with capital partners
Discounted operational support
Cloud credits and vendor discounts
A strong network of innovators, founders, and industry leaders
Participants also receive:
An eight-week structured cohort program
Direct access to 40+ investors and lenders
Strategic advising and coaching
A Workbox Ventures strategy session
A dedicated services coordinator to make warm introductions
The program is designed to give early founders the clarity, connections, and confidence they need to pursue outside capital successfully.
REACH is an accelerator backed by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), built to help high-potential real estate and proptech startups scale quickly. The program provides founders with access to funding opportunities, hands-on mentorship, and exclusive industry events across a global network.
With NAR operating in 85 countries, participants benefit from unmatched international exposure and market access. REACH also runs accelerator cohorts in multiple cities worldwide, expanding opportunities for startups to connect with partners, customers, and investors.
To date, the program has supported more than 140 companies, helping them grow within one of the largest and most influential real estate ecosystems in the world.
MATTER is a healthtech-focused incubator designed to support startups at any stage of their growth. Its six-month program provides founders with access to development resources, educational programming, customer discovery opportunities, a supportive community, and pathways to capital.
A key differentiator: MATTER does not take equity. Founders can receive targeted guidance and tap into a robust network of mentors, partners, and industry experts without giving up ownership.
Beyond incubation, MATTER also helps startups prepare for fundraising. The team supports founders in crafting fundraising strategies, refining investor presentations, and connecting with potential investors to accelerate their path to capital.
mHub runs a HardTech accelerator designed for startups building the future of sustainable manufacturing, medtech, and climate or energy technologies. The program backs early-stage founders with funding, prototyping facilities, and hands-on support for hardware and product development.
Located in one of the nation’s most diverse manufacturing regions, mHub is deeply connected to Chicago’s ecosystem of 12,000+ manufacturers, industry leaders, investors, and innovators. Its mission is to bring these networks together so startups can access the expertise, supply chains, and partnerships needed to strengthen and modernize Chicago’s manufacturing landscape.
The accelerator is a six-month, high-intensity program focused on taking new products from concept to commercialization. Due to strong demand, founders must submit an application to be considered for participation.
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For more than ten years, 1871 has supported tech innovators by offering workspace, resources, and mentorship from top entrepreneurs. What began as a small initiative has since grown into one of the city’s most recognized business incubators.
Its incubator program provides three membership tracks:
• Early Stage – for founders taking an idea to product-market fit
• Growth Stage – for startups scaling from seed rounds toward an IPO
• Corporate – for established companies driving internal innovation
Each track requires a monthly membership fee.
Before applying, 1871 recommends joining an information session. After attending one, you can submit your application online to become a member.
Next on the list is Techstars, which has backed more than 3,500 startups, including well-known names like Uber, Twilio, and DigitalOcean.
Techstars invests up to $120,000 in each company. This includes $20,000 upfront plus the right to purchase 6% of your fully diluted shares at your next qualified financing round (typically when you raise $250,000+). The 6% common stock is issued right before that financing event. Full investment terms are available on the Techstars website.
You apply through an online form, which usually takes 2–5 hours to complete. Many founders speak with Techstars mentors beforehand to make sure their application communicates their startup clearly and effectively.
If your application makes it through the initial review, you’ll receive an invitation to a two-round interview, usually within four weeks. Common interview questions include:
If I gave you $200K to hire people, who would you hire?
Who are your target customers?
What outcome are you hoping to achieve by joining Techstars?
What are your most important leading indicators or KPIs this week?
How did you validate this market, and how big is the opportunity?
If you pass the interview rounds, you’ll meet with the Techstars screening committee, which includes the managing director, program manager, mentors, and corporate partners. Clear that stage, and you officially join the three-month Techstars program.
Month 1 is all about building your network. You’ll meet around 100 mentors from the Techstars ecosystem—experts across product, marketing, leadership, hiring, fundraising, and more.
Month 2 is about execution. You’ll use what you learned to push your startup forward: building product milestones, hitting KPIs, onboarding early users, or sharpening your business model.
Month 3 focuses on storytelling and fundraising. You’ll polish your pitch deck, develop investor materials, and practice communicating your vision to customers, investors, and future team members. The month ends with Demo Day.
After the program, Techstars continues supporting founders through its alumni network and ongoing mentorship.
Alchemist Chicago, a premier early-stage startup accelerator focused on foundational technology, is a partnership between Alchemist and the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Alchemist Chicago serves as a bridge to the University of Chicago’s world-class research institutions and talent networks. Strategically located near legacy-industry hubs ripe for disruption, it connects deep tech founders to Silicon Valley’s best practices, capital, and global networks, positioning them to transform scientific breakthroughs into market-defining companies.
Up to 30 startups will be selected to participate in Phase 1, led by Polsky Center, from which a select group of up to 10 will be chosen to continue to Phase 2, Alchemist Accelerator’s flagship global program.
The Polsky Center draws on the University of Chicago’s leading research in the sciences, national laboratory affiliations, and partnership with the top-ranked Booth School of Business to help startups reduce risk as they position their innovations for real-world impact.
We strongly encourage quantum technology startups to apply to Alchemist Chicago. The program brings together tailored support built for the unique challenges inherent in building a quantum company. From strategic partnerships with IBM to mentorship with industry leaders, commercialization pathways, and investor networks, we encourage you to join the program that has built successes such as Rigetti, BosonQ, and qBraid -- the program that gives quantum founders the resources and connections to scale faster.
Key Industries Include:
Quantum – Backed by Duality, the nation’s first quantum accelerator
AI Infrastructure
Robotics and Physical AI
Cleantech
Advanced Materials
Advanced Manufacturing
Agtech/Foodtech
Spacetech
Other Deep Tech Industries
Chicago's startup incubators reflect Midwest values of pragmatism, hard work, and business fundamentals over Silicon Valley hype and unrealistic growth expectations. The city's programs help founders build sustainable businesses based on real revenue, actual customers, and sound unit economics—not just hockey-stick projections and massive fundraising rounds. This practical approach creates companies that survive market downturns and build lasting value.
Programs like 1871, TechNexus, Catapult, and MATTER emphasize business fundamentals that many coastal accelerators overlook. They push founders to validate assumptions quickly, understand customer economics deeply, and build repeatable sales processes before scaling aggressively. This discipline prevents startups from burning through capital on unproven strategies.
Chicago accelerators help founders focus on fundamentals:
– Understanding true unit economics and contribution margins
– Building repeatable, scalable sales processes
– Achieving product-market fit before aggressive scaling
– Managing cash flow and runway strategically
– Creating realistic financial models and forecasts
– Measuring what actually matters vs. vanity metrics
– Building sustainable competitive advantages
– Planning for profitability, not just next funding rounds
Chicago's business culture values substance over style. Investors and corporate partners want to see real traction—paying customers, revenue growth, retention data—not just slick presentations and bold visions. This forces founders to focus on execution rather than storytelling, building stronger companies as a result.
The Midwest work ethic also influences Chicago's startup culture. People value hard work, persistence, and delivering on commitments. There's less tolerance for excuses and more emphasis on results. This creates accountability that helps founders stay focused during challenging periods.
Chicago's practical approach also means less pressure to follow trends or chase hot markets. Founders can build businesses in "boring" but profitable sectors—B2B software, industrial technology, enterprise services—without feeling they need to pivot toward consumer apps or cryptocurrency to attract attention. This freedom allows startups to serve real market needs rather than chasing investor fads.
For founders who value building real businesses over raising large funding rounds, Chicago's emphasis on fundamentals, pragmatism, and sustainable growth creates an environment where long-term success is valued more than short-term hype.
Chicago's startup accelerators excel at supporting B2B and enterprise software companies, leveraging the city's deep corporate relationships and understanding of how large organizations actually buy and implement technology. Unlike consumer-focused ecosystems, Chicago programs understand enterprise sales cycles, procurement processes, and the challenges of serving Fortune 500 customers—knowledge that proves invaluable for B2B startups.
Programs like TechNexus—which specializes in corporate-startup collaboration—and 1871 provide direct access to enterprise buyers, procurement teams, and technology decision-makers from Chicago's numerous corporate headquarters. These connections help B2B startups understand enterprise needs, validate products with real buyers, and navigate complex sales processes.
Chicago accelerators help B2B startups with:
– Enterprise sales training and methodology
– Understanding procurement and buying processes
– Building relationships with corporate innovation teams
– Structuring pilot programs and proofs of concept
– Navigating security, compliance, and legal requirements
– Creating implementation and change management strategies
– Developing pricing models for enterprise customers
– Building customer success and support organizations
Chicago's concentration of corporate headquarters—including McDonald's, Boeing, Abbott, Motorola Solutions, United Airlines, and numerous financial services firms—creates abundant opportunities for B2B startups to access enterprise customers. Chicago accelerators facilitate warm introductions, arrange pilot programs, and help startups position solutions effectively for corporate buyers.
The city's business culture also understands enterprise realities that coastal ecosystems sometimes overlook. Enterprise sales take time, require multiple stakeholders, involve lengthy implementation cycles, and demand ongoing support. Chicago mentors help founders build patience, persistence, and processes needed for enterprise success rather than expecting quick wins.
Chicago's strength in specific enterprise verticals—financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation, food services—means that B2B startups can access deep domain expertise. A fintech company gets mentorship from trading and banking executives. A manufacturing tech startup connects with industrial operators. This vertical expertise helps startups build products that actually solve enterprise problems rather than creating solutions searching for problems.
For B2B and enterprise software founders, Chicago offers unmatched advantages: direct corporate access, enterprise sales expertise, patient capital that understands long sales cycles, and mentors who've actually sold to and implemented technology at Fortune 500 companies.
Chicago's industrial heritage and Midwest manufacturing base create unique advantages for startups building technology for factories, supply chains, and industrial operations. The city's startup incubators connect founders with manufacturing executives, industrial engineers, and operators who understand production environments—expertise that's difficult to access in regions without manufacturing presence.
Programs like mHUB—Chicago's hardtech innovation center—provide access to prototyping equipment, manufacturing expertise, and connections to industrial customers. UI LABS and corporate-affiliated programs help startups pilot technologies in real manufacturing environments, providing validation that would take years to achieve independently.
Chicago accelerators help industrial tech startups with:
– Access to manufacturing facilities for testing and pilots
– Connections to industrial buyers and operations leaders
– Understanding of production environments and constraints
– Expertise in industrial automation and robotics
– Knowledge of supply chain and logistics operations
– Prototyping and small-batch manufacturing support
– Industrial IoT and sensor technology guidance
– Safety, compliance, and industrial standards expertise
Chicago's proximity to America's manufacturing belt provides advantages that coastal cities cannot replicate. Within hours, founders can visit factories, distribution centers, and industrial facilities to observe operations, understand pain points, and test solutions in real environments. This access to actual industrial operations helps startups build products that work in harsh production environments rather than just labs.
The Midwest's manufacturing ecosystem also provides talent—mechanical engineers, industrial designers, automation specialists, and operations experts who understand how things actually get made. Chicago startups can recruit experienced professionals who've worked in automotive plants, food processing facilities, pharmaceutical manufacturing, or industrial distribution.
Chicago's industrial tech strengths span multiple categories: robotics and automation, predictive maintenance, industrial IoT, supply chain optimization, warehouse automation, quality control systems, and production monitoring. The city's accelerators help startups across these categories connect with customers, validate technology, and build go-to-market strategies.
Major industrial companies in the Chicago region—Caterpillar, John Deere, Navistar, Illinois Tool Works, and numerous manufacturers—actively seek innovative technologies. Chicago accelerators facilitate relationships between startups and these potential customers, creating pathways to pilot programs and commercial contracts.
For founders building technologies that make manufacturing more efficient, supply chains more resilient, or industrial operations safer and more productive, Chicago offers unparalleled access to the industries, expertise, and customers that matter most.
Chicago's significantly lower operating costs compared to coastal tech hubs create powerful advantages for startups—advantages that Chicago accelerators help founders leverage fully. The city's programs teach capital discipline and efficient operations, helping startups achieve more with less money and build sustainable businesses that don't require continuous fundraising to survive.
Chicago offers dramatic cost advantages: office space costs 50-70% less than San Francisco or New York; engineering talent costs 30-40% less for comparable skills; and overall cost of living allows startups to offer competitive salaries that go much further. These economics mean that $1 million in Chicago provides runway and team size that might require $2-3 million in coastal markets.
Chicago accelerators help founders leverage cost advantages:
– Building realistic budgets based on Chicago economics
– Extending runway through efficient operations
– Achieving profitability faster with lower burn rates
– Competing for talent by emphasizing total compensation value
– Structuring efficient operations and processes
– Making strategic vs. wasteful spending decisions
– Building capital-efficient growth strategies
– Creating businesses that don't require continuous fundraising
Chicago's investor community also values capital efficiency. Many Chicago investors expect startups to demonstrate responsible spending, realistic growth projections, and paths to profitability. This creates alignment between founders, accelerators, and investors around building sustainable businesses rather than burning capital to chase growth metrics.
The city's lower costs also enable different strategic choices. Startups can bootstrap longer, raise smaller rounds, maintain more equity ownership, and build profitability before pursuing venture capital. This flexibility gives founders more control over their companies and reduces pressure to exit before they're ready.
Chicago's talent market provides additional advantages. Because cost of living is lower, talented professionals can maintain high quality of life on lower salaries. A $120k salary in Chicago might provide better lifestyle than $180k in San Francisco after considering housing, taxes, and expenses. Smart founders emphasize total compensation value—salary, equity, benefits, work-life balance—to compete for top talent.
The city's practical business culture also encourages efficient operations. There's less pressure to spend money on expensive perks, fancy offices, or other luxuries that don't contribute to business outcomes. Chicago values using resources wisely and delivering results efficiently—values that help startups build lean, effective operations.
For founders who want to build capital-efficient businesses, achieve profitability faster, and maintain ownership rather than constantly diluting through fundraising, Chicago's combination of lower costs, efficient operations culture, and capital-disciplined investors creates ideal conditions for sustainable success.
Chicago's position as an "underrated" tech ecosystem creates unique advantages that startup incubators help founders leverage strategically. Being outside Silicon Valley's spotlight means less competition for talent, more affordable resources, and the hunger and determination that often characterize underdogs. Chicago accelerators help founders use this positioning to outwork, outthink, and outexecute better-funded competitors from more expensive markets.
Programs like 1871, TechNexus, and Techstars Chicago embrace Chicago's underdog status, teaching founders to see it as advantage rather than disadvantage. Being underestimated means competitors don't notice you until you've already built strong positions. Having less capital means focusing intensely on what matters rather than wasteful experimentation.
Chicago accelerators help founders leverage underdog positioning:
– Building resilience and determination to succeed despite obstacles
– Focusing on fundamentals and execution vs. hype and PR
– Operating efficiently with limited resources
– Finding creative solutions to problems that require money elsewhere
– Building stronger teams through shared mission and purpose
– Competing through superior customer service and relationships
– Outworking better-funded competitors
– Proving value before seeking recognition
Chicago's "Second City" mentality creates chip-on-shoulder motivation. Founders want to prove that great companies can come from the Midwest, that you don't need Silicon Valley to build valuable businesses, and that Chicago deserves recognition as a serious tech ecosystem. This collective determination creates energy and support that helps founders persevere through challenges.
Being outside coastal echo chambers also provides perspective. Chicago founders aren't caught up in whatever's trending in Silicon Valley or New York. They focus on solving real problems for real customers rather than building solutions for problems that only exist in tech bubbles. This clarity often leads to better product-market fit and more sustainable businesses.
Chicago's underdog status also attracts certain types of founders—those who value substance over recognition, impact over status, and building lasting businesses over chasing quick exits. These founders often prove more committed, persistent, and focused than those attracted to ecosystems by hype and glamor.
The city's media and investor attention gaps can also work to startups' advantage. Without constant scrutiny, founders can experiment, fail, pivot, and figure things out without public embarrassment. They can build quietly until ready to announce success rather than having every move analyzed and criticized.
For founders who embrace underdog positioning—who want to prove themselves, outwork competitors, and build something meaningful rather than chase status—Chicago's combination of less recognition, lower costs, and determined community creates powerful competitive advantages that often surprise better-funded competitors from more expensive markets.
Building a startup in Chicago offers distinct advantages—from lower costs and corporate access to Midwest work ethic and practical business culture. Whether you're launching a B2B platform, enterprise software, or industrial technology company, here are practical tips to help you succeed in Chicago's pragmatic, results-oriented ecosystem.
Embrace Midwest Values
Chicago values hard work, honesty, and delivering on commitments over hype and self-promotion. Be straightforward in communications, follow through on promises, and let results speak louder than bold claims. Build trust through consistent execution rather than flashy presentations.
Chicago's startup scene spans several key areas:
– River North/Fulton Market: 1871, tech companies, trendy restaurants, walkable.
– Loop/Downtown: Corporate headquarters, financial services, enterprise customers.
– West Loop: Tech companies, food scene, creative spaces, growing startup presence.
– Lincoln Park/Lakeview: Residential, talent-rich neighborhoods, quality of life.
– Suburbs (Evanston, Oak Brook): Northwestern, corporate offices, family-friendly, lower costs.
Consider proximity to corporate customers, talent pools, and team preferences.
University of Chicago, Northwestern, University of Illinois Chicago, and Illinois Institute of Technology produce exceptional talent. Build relationships through career fairs, entrepreneurship programs, and research partnerships. Chicago university talent is often undervalued compared to coastal graduates—creating hiring opportunities.
Chicago investors and corporate partners want to see real traction—revenue, customer retention, unit economics—not just user growth or engagement metrics. Focus on metrics that indicate sustainable business model rather than vanity metrics. Be prepared to discuss paths to profitability.
Chicago's Fortune 500 companies can become customers, partners, or acquirers. Attend corporate innovation events, leverage accelerator connections, and be patient building enterprise relationships. Corporate partnerships take time but can transform your business when executed well.
Your capital goes 2-3x further in Chicago than coastal markets. Use this to extend runway, hire larger teams, and achieve profitability faster. Don't waste money trying to match Silicon Valley spending—focus on efficient operations and smart resource allocation.
Chicago winters are real and cold. Plan accordingly—commute considerations, remote work options, and seasonal business patterns. Summer in Chicago is spectacular—take advantage of lakefront, festivals, and outdoor culture to build team morale and attract talent.
Chicago has strong investors including Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Chicago Ventures, MATH Venture Partners, and numerous angels. Build relationships through demo days, pitch events, and warm introductions. Chicago investors value pragmatic founders building real businesses.
Join 1871, attend TechWeek Chicago, participate in industry meetups, and contribute to the startup community. Chicago's ecosystem is collaborative and supportive but requires showing up and contributing. Help other founders, share knowledge, and build genuine relationships.
Being from Chicago rather than Silicon Valley can be advantage when properly positioned. Emphasize work ethic, efficiency, and business fundamentals over hype. Use lower costs to outexecute better-funded competitors. Show that Chicago companies deliver results rather than just raising money.
Chicago values ambitious goals pursued through practical execution. Dream big but execute methodically. Build businesses that can sustain themselves through revenue rather than requiring continuous fundraising. Focus on long-term value creation rather than short-term metrics designed to attract next funding round.
Chicago rewards founders who work hard, deliver on commitments, build real businesses, and contribute to the community. Take advantage of the city's corporate access, lower costs, practical culture, and talented workforce to build something substantial and lasting. Chicago may not generate as much hype as coastal markets, but it produces companies that endure.
Chicago has emerged as the leading startup hub in the Midwest, combining the scale and resources of a major metropolitan area with Midwestern values of hard work, collaboration, and pragmatism. The city's accelerator ecosystem is known for producing companies that focus on real revenue, sustainable growth, and solving problems for major industries headquartered in the region.
Corporate Partnerships: Direct access to Fortune 500 companies across diverse industries
Cost Advantage: Lower cost of living and operating compared to coastal cities
Industry Focus: Strong programs in fintech, logistics, manufacturing tech, and enterprise SaaS
Midwest Work Ethic: Collaborative community focused on building sustainable businesses
Talent Pipeline: Access to top engineering and business talent from Northwestern, UChicago, and UIUC
Chicago sits at the crossroads of America, making it an ideal location for companies targeting enterprise customers and traditional industries. The city is home to major corporations in finance (CME Group, Northern Trust), logistics (United Airlines, Boeing), food & beverage (McDonald's, Kraft Heinz), and professional services (Accenture, Deloitte). Chicago accelerators leverage these relationships to help startups access pilot programs, early customers, and corporate venture capital.
Programs like 1871, Techstars Chicago, and MATTER have built strong reputations for helping founders navigate the path from idea to scale. The city's accelerators tend to focus on practical business fundamentals - customer acquisition, unit economics, and path to profitability - rather than chasing hype cycles. This approach has produced numerous successful exits and a growing number of Chicago-based unicorns.
Chicago founders benefit from being outside the echo chamber of Silicon Valley and New York. The city offers a more balanced lifestyle, lower burn rates, and direct access to the customers and industries that make up the backbone of the American economy. For founders building B2B companies, enterprise software, or solutions for traditional industries, Chicago's accelerators provide an unmatched advantage.
Explore Chicago's vibrant startup and business community.