Funded Startups in Illinois
Among the disclosed rounds, the largest is NinjaTrader’s $100M (2026-06-17) and it is tied with General Employment Enterprises at $100M (2026-05-14); toget…
Among the disclosed rounds, the largest is NinjaTrader’s $100M (2026-06-17) and it is tied with General Employment Enterprises at $100M (2026-05-14); together, these two rounds sit well above the next tiers ($75M Renovo Financial on 2026-05-13; $67M Lifeway on 2026-05-14), with the rest of the disclosed amounts below $40M (e.g., Honeycomb $40M on 2026-06-04; Fly.io $23M on 2026-07-22). The date window for the 50 most recent entries runs from 2026-04-21 to 2026-07-22, and geography is highly concentrated: Chicago appears in 32 rows, while Skokie (2) and Illinois City (2) are the only other cities recurring more than once.
Sector and stage signals are also uneven. “Series Unknown” dominates the listing (18 of 50 rows), and several sectors show multiple appearances, including Artificial Intelligence (VergeSci $160K on 2026-06-22; Maquoketa Research $500K on 2026-06-16; Rent Butter $3M on 2026-05-29; BravoTran and CareLumi are “Series Unknown” entries). The smallest disclosed amount is $0K for LMJ's Lost Souls - Alzheimer's Fund (2026-06-16), creating a low-end outlier alongside large disclosed checks like Cour Pharmaceuticals Development’s $50M (2026-06-18).
Most recent rounds
50 of 771721 more funded startups
This page shows the 50 most recent rounds (back to Apr 2026). The full 771-company history for this listing is available on a paid plan.
Unlock all 771 companies in this listing — full funding history, investors, and founders.
Related listings
Frequently asked
What stands out most in disclosed round sizes, and where do the biggest rounds sit relative to the rest of Illinois?
The largest disclosed amounts are tied at $100M: NinjaTrader (2026-06-17) and General Employment Enterprises (2026-05-14). After that, disclosed rounds step down to $75M Renovo Financial (2026-05-13) and $67M Lifeway (2026-05-14), with the next-disclosed tier capped at $50M (Cour Pharmaceuticals Development on 2026-06-18) and below.
Is funding activity clustered in a specific time window within the most recent Illinois rounds shown?
Yes. The listed rounds span only 2026-04-21 through 2026-07-22, and the top disclosed deals are concentrated in mid-to-late May and mid-June (e.g., Renovo Financial $75M on 2026-05-13; Lifeway $67M on 2026-05-14; Cour Pharmaceuticals Development $50M on 2026-06-18; NinjaTrader $100M on 2026-06-17).
Which geography dominates this page, and are there repeated cities beyond Chicago?
Chicago is the clear hub in this snapshot, appearing in 32 of 50 rows; repeated-city activity is far smaller elsewhere. Skokie appears twice (e.g., Cour Pharmaceuticals Development $50M on 2026-06-18; Hunter Capital Management is listed in Lombard rather than Skokie), and Illinois City also appears twice (including Silexion Therapeutics on 2026-05-15 and Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois on 2026-04-24).
How often is the round stage undisclosed, and does that shape how many of the largest deals are identifiable by stage?
“Series Unknown” accounts for 18 of the 50 rows, so stage-level comparisons are constrained for many entries. The largest disclosed rounds still have identified figures even when stage labels vary by company—for example, Fly.io is marked “Series Unknown” with a $23M disclosed amount (2026-07-22), while NinjaTrader is also “Series Unknown” with $100M disclosed (2026-06-17).
Are there clear outliers at the low end or across very different deal sizes?
The low-end outlier is LMJ's Lost Souls - Alzheimer's Fund, which is the smallest disclosed entry at $0K on 2026-06-16. At the opposite end, large disclosed checks like NinjaTrader’s $100M (2026-06-17) and Renovo Financial’s $75M (2026-05-13) dwarf the rest of the disclosed amounts that fall below $40M, such as Honeycomb’s $40M (2026-06-04) and Fly.io’s $23M (2026-07-22).
Know which startups just got funded. Every week.
Fresh funding rounds, new companies, and the sectors moving fastest — in your inbox every Monday morning.
Free. Sent every Monday. Unsubscribe anytime.