StartupBlink

Top Unicorn Startups in Chicago for 2026

In Chicago, we rank 13 unicorn startups based on an algorithm that considers factors such as total investment, quarterly employee count, and website traffic. Unicorns in Chicago are falling behind the performance of their global counterparts.

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Top Unicorn Startups in Chicago for 2026

1st
Avant logo
AvantSB Score: 673

AvidXchange, Inc. empowers users to speed up approvals, cut processing costs, and go paperless with enhanced visibility and control over spending. Experience a new level of efficiency and transparency with AvidXchange's innovative solutions.

View Full Page
Website
www.avant.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$654M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
2nd
G2 logo
G2SB Score: 660

G2 is a platform to share business software reviews in real-time. It leverages more than 1.3 million user reviews to drive better purchasing decisions. G2 is used by business professionals, buyers, investors, and analysts to select the best software and services based on peer reviews and synthesized social data. The company was founded in 2012 and is based out of Chicago, Illinois.

View Full Page
Website
www.g2.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$257.6M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
3rd
ShipBob logo
ShipBobSB Score: 637

ShipBob is a tech company that helps online brands with order fulfillment. They make it easy for direct-to-consumer businesses to ship products to their customers quickly and efficiently.

View Full Page
Website
www.shipbob.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$330.5M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)

Total amount:12

Most Valuable Unicorns in Chicago for 2026

The top three most valuable unicorns in Chicago have raised total funding of more than USD 2.62B. Among the top three funded unicorns, the most popular industry, based on total funding, is Healthtech.
1st
Relativity logo
RelativitySB Score: 296

Relativity's SaaS platform simplifies data management for legal, investigative, and compliance needs. Quickly identify critical issues in large datasets with ease.

View Full Page
Website
relativity.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
2nd
ActiveCampaign logo
ActiveCampaignSB Score: 631

ActiveCampaign is a user-friendly email and marketing automation tool perfect for small businesses. It helps streamline marketing efforts by automating tasks like email campaigns.

View Full Page
Website
www.activecampaign.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$360M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
3rd
project44 logo
project44SB Score: 605

project44 offers a cutting-edge supply chain visibility platform for shippers and logistics firms, providing real-time tracking and insights.

View Full Page
Website
www.project44.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$942.8M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
4th
Uptake Technologies logo
Uptake TechnologiesSB Score: 449

Uptake Technologies develops a predictive analytics platform. Its platform analyzes data to predict and prevent failures, uncover hidden profits, and discover new opportunities in healthcare, insurance, locomotives, construction, manufacturing, and other industries that offer a platform for equipment monitoring, diagnostic troubleshooting, event and condition prediction, and task management to improve uptime, streamline operations, and spot growth opportunities.

View Full Page
Website
www.uptake.com
Employee range
101 – 250
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$258M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
5th
Clearcover logo
ClearcoverSB Score: 503

Clearcover provides affordable and comprehensive car insurance through a user-friendly digital platform. Save money without sacrificing coverage.

View Full Page
Website
www.clearcover.com
Employee range
101 – 250
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$457.2M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
6th
Avant logo
AvantSB Score: 673

AvidXchange, Inc. empowers users to speed up approvals, cut processing costs, and go paperless with enhanced visibility and control over spending. Experience a new level of efficiency and transparency with AvidXchange's innovative solutions.

View Full Page
Website
www.avant.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$654M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
7th
M1 Finance logo
M1 FinanceSB Score: 596

M1 Finance empowers self-directed investors to easily manage their finances with a personalized portfolio, automated transactions, and one-click rebalancing. Achieve financial wellness with this all-in-one platform.

View Full Page
Website
m1.com
Employee range
101 – 250
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$323.2M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
9th
G2 logo
G2SB Score: 660

G2 is a platform to share business software reviews in real-time. It leverages more than 1.3 million user reviews to drive better purchasing decisions. G2 is used by business professionals, buyers, investors, and analysts to select the best software and services based on peer reviews and synthesized social data. The company was founded in 2012 and is based out of Chicago, Illinois.

View Full Page
Website
www.g2.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$257.6M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
10th
ShipBob logo
ShipBobSB Score: 637

ShipBob is a tech company that helps online brands with order fulfillment. They make it easy for direct-to-consumer businesses to ship products to their customers quickly and efficiently.

View Full Page
Website
www.shipbob.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$330.5M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)

Total amount:12

Top Hiring Unicorns in Chicago by Employee Number

The top three hiring unicorns in Chicago have an average employee size that is smaller than to the global average. Among these, the Ecommerce & Retail industry features the unicorn with the largest workforce.
1st
ShipBob logo
ShipBobSB Score: 637

ShipBob is a tech company that helps online brands with order fulfillment. They make it easy for direct-to-consumer businesses to ship products to their customers quickly and efficiently.

View Full Page
Website
www.shipbob.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$330.5M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
2nd
Relativity logo
RelativitySB Score: 296

Relativity's SaaS platform simplifies data management for legal, investigative, and compliance needs. Quickly identify critical issues in large datasets with ease.

View Full Page
Website
relativity.com
Employee range
1,001 – 5,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
3rd
Avant logo
AvantSB Score: 673

AvidXchange, Inc. empowers users to speed up approvals, cut processing costs, and go paperless with enhanced visibility and control over spending. Experience a new level of efficiency and transparency with AvidXchange's innovative solutions.

View Full Page
Website
www.avant.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$654M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)
4th
G2 logo
G2SB Score: 660

G2 is a platform to share business software reviews in real-time. It leverages more than 1.3 million user reviews to drive better purchasing decisions. G2 is used by business professionals, buyers, investors, and analysts to select the best software and services based on peer reviews and synthesized social data. The company was founded in 2012 and is based out of Chicago, Illinois.

View Full Page
Website
www.g2.com
Employee range
501 – 1,000
Web Traffic (Monthly)
Funding amount
$257.6M
National Rank(United States)
Regional Rank(North America)
Global Rank(Worldwide)

Total amount:13

Explore More Top Startups

Explore the Startup Ecosystem of Chicago

National Rank

(United States)

7th

1

Regional Rank

(North America)

7th

1

Global Rank

(WorldWide)

17th

2

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Top Cities for Startups in United States - Ranked by StartupBlink

StartupBlink ranks the startup ecosystems of more than 100 countries and 1,000 cities. Download our latest Global Startup Ecosystem Report.
2026 National Rank CityGlobal RankTotal Score & National ShareAnnual Growth

Access subscores for 1000 cities and 100 countries

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152.3715.7%
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