Funded Startups in Illinois
Across the 50 most recent Illinois rounds (2026-04-22 to 2026-08-12), the disclosed amounts are led by Bridge to Life Ltd.
Across the 50 most recent Illinois rounds (2026-04-22 to 2026-08-12), the disclosed amounts are led by Bridge to Life Ltd. at $110M on 2026-08-12, which dwarfs the next-largest disclosed amount tier: NinjaTrader and General Employment Enterprises are each $100M (2026-06-17 and 2026-05-14), followed by Renovo Financial at $75M and Lifeway at $67M. Outside that top band, the disclosed values spread down to a $0K disclosed round for LMJ's Lost Souls - Alzheimer's Fund (2026-06-16).
The list is also city- and sector-concentrated: Chicago accounts for 33 of 50 entries, including multiple large disclosed financings such as NinjaTrader ($100M, 2026-06-17) and Honeycomb ($40M, 2026-06-04). By stage labels, Series Unknown dominates with 28 of 50 entries, while Seed and Pre-Seed together make up 15 of 50 (8 Seed, 7 Pre-Seed). Sector-wise, Financial Services (8) and AI (7) are the most repeated categories, occurring alongside biotech’s 6 entries, with biotechnology led by Bridge to Life Ltd. ($110M, 2026-08-12) and Cour Pharmaceuticals Development ($50M, 2026-06-18).
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Frequently asked
What are the largest disclosed rounds in this Illinois set, and how do they set the size scale?
Bridge to Life Ltd. is the largest disclosed round at $110M (2026-08-12), followed immediately by two $100M disclosed rounds: NinjaTrader (2026-06-17) and General Employment Enterprises (2026-05-14). The next tier continues with Renovo Financial at $75M (2026-05-13) and Lifeway at $67M (2026-05-14), while the lowest disclosed amount is $0K for LMJ's Lost Souls - Alzheimer's Fund (2026-06-16).
Do rounds cluster in a particular city, or is Illinois broadly distributed across locations?
Chicago is strongly over-represented, appearing in 33 of the 50 entries and spanning everything from Fly.io (2026-07-22, $23M) to Honeycomb (2026-06-04, $40M). Outside Chicago, Skokie shows up twice (Cour Pharmaceuticals Development at $50M on 2026-06-18 and LanzaTech with undisclosed amount on 2026-05-15), and Illinois City also appears twice (Silexion Therapeutics at $1M on 2026-05-15 and Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois with $20K on 2026-04-24).
Which stage labels dominate, and are the largest disclosed rounds concentrated in specific stages?
Series Unknown is the largest share of entries at 28 of 50, while Seed and Pre-Seed total 15 of 50 (8 Seed, 7 Pre-Seed). The very largest disclosed rounds in this set are not concentrated solely in one early stage label: Bridge to Life Ltd. is Series C ($110M, 2026-08-12), while NinjaTrader and General Employment Enterprises both show “Series Unknown” with $100M disclosed amounts (2026-06-17 and 2026-05-14).
Are there noticeable sector concentrations that align with the bigger disclosed financings?
Financial Services (8) and AI (7) are the most repeated sectors in the list, alongside Biotechnology’s 6 entries. The largest disclosed round is in Biotechnology (Bridge to Life Ltd., $110M on 2026-08-12), and biotech also includes Cour Pharmaceuticals Development at $50M on 2026-06-18, while Financial Services includes large disclosed amounts such as NinjaTrader ($100M, 2026-06-17) and Renovo Financial ($75M, 2026-05-13).
What are the most meaningful outliers in disclosed amounts within this timeframe?
Bridge to Life Ltd.’s $110M (2026-08-12) is the clear top outlier, with the next-largest disclosed amounts landing at $100M (NinjaTrader on 2026-06-17 and General Employment Enterprises on 2026-05-14). At the opposite end, LMJ's Lost Souls - Alzheimer's Fund is the lowest disclosed amount at $0K (2026-06-16), separating it from other low-to-mid disclosed rounds such as VergeSci’s $160K (2026-06-22) and Celadyne Technologies’ $250K (2026-05-04).
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