INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

Innovations of the World

INNOVATE® Chicago Vol.1

It’s easy to think that everything there is to know about the Windy City is already out there in the world—Chicago was, after all, the second most-visited US city in 2018 and has remained fertile ground internationally for a variety of industries, from finance to industry to education to transportation and beyond.

But a visit to Chicago is like a canopy tour compared to the root-deep exploration of the city that INNOVATE® Chicago provides. Filled with stories of Chi-Town’s innovators and innovation enablers, this high-end coffee-table book offers an in-depth look into the city’s innovation ecosystem. Every participant—large or small, corporate or nonprofit—is hand-selected for participation in INNOVATE® Chicago. By avoiding a pay-to-play model, we bring you 250+ pages of the authentic, the innovative, the best of Chicago!

In addition to the hardcover coffee-table book, INNOVATE® Chicago is also published as an e-book, with individual stories posted below.

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Innovators

Featured Innovators

FORECHECK

FORECHECK-THE SECRET WEAPON IN WINNING THE CYBERCRIME WAR

THE SECRET WEAPON IN WINNING THE CYBERCRIME WAR

Cyber security is an arms race that is positioned to continue indefinitely. New technologies are constantly emerging to combat cyber criminals, but regardless, criminals discover how to exploit them. Managed Detection and Response (MDR) and other security-focused vendors detect many of these attacks and alert their customers and the community,...

NOWPOW

NOWPOW-Built On The Idea That “Knowledge Is Power

Built On The Idea That “Knowledge Is Power,” This Women-Owned And Operated SaaS Platform Uses Community Resource Networks And Evidence Based Referral Technology To Connect People To The Right Health And Social Resources Through All Of Life’s Ages And Stages

Healthcare innovation is often defined by radical discoveries like new vaccines or groundbreaking surgical techniques. But just as important are the innovations that reimagine how we use existing resources. These advancements make it possible for everyone to live their healthiest lives — through more equitable access to services that promote...

CHICAGO INNOVATION

CHICAGO INNOVATION- EDUCATING

EDUCATING, CONNECTING AND CELEBRATING INNOVATORS IN THE CHICAGO REGION

Established in 2002 as the Chicago Innovation Awards, Chicago Innovation has grown from a single awards ceremony to a year-round series of events and programs to empower Chicago’s innovation ecosystem. Its vision is to solidify the Chicago region as a global hub of innovation and ensure that innovation is for...

TOPSTEP

INNOVATORS OF THE WORLD

Our Mission At Topstep, our goal is to be where the world goes to safely engage in and profit from the financial markets. In a nutshell, what we do at Topstep is break down the barriers to entry in what has historically been a very exclusive industry. Our mission is...

CHICAGO CONNECTORY

CHICAGO CONNECTORY-THE CENTRAL HUB OF IOT AND INNOVATION IN CHICAGO

THE CENTRAL HUB OF IOT AND INNOVATION IN CHICAGO, LEADING THE INITIATIVE AROUND THE WORLD

The Chicago Connectory is a co-creation space and IoT incubator located in Chicago’s historic Merchandise Mart. Our co-working space builds business, collaboration, and network opportunities to our community. The Chicago Connectory opened its doors in May 2017. The idea for the Chicago Connectory sparked with Bosch, a multinational engineering and...

SMARTMIRROR

SMART MIRROR-Shaping the Future of Dentistry

Shaping the Future of Dentistry

The dental mirror is the single-most important tool for dentists and hygienists alike, but it hasn’t changed in form or function for more than 100 years. SmartMirror looks, feels and acts like a traditional dental mirror, but features pioneering technology that meets the needs of today’s dentists and patients alike....

SITTERCITY

SITTERCITY

As the first and largest digital platform for finding in-home care, Sittercity, a Bright Horizons company, has come a long way since 2001. , We were the first to make online child care an employee benefit and we continue to connect millions of parents with babysitters and nannies every year....

SHIPBOB

The Trusted Global Omnifulfillment Platform To Scale Your Ecommerce Business And Meet Customer Expectations Everywhere They Shop

ShipBob provides fulfillment services across the US, Canada, UK, Europe, and Australia for orders placed on ecommerce websites, online marketplaces, social media platforms, and through B2B partnerships (in physical stores and retailers’ online stores)....

AZUMO

AZUMO-Manufacturer of LCD 2.0

Manufacturer of LCD 2.0, A Breakthrough Display Technology Revolutionizing A $130B Industry

Displays have become ubiquitous in our society. We find them in smartphones, tablets, laptops, TVs, drive through restaurants, ATM machines, thermostats, gas station pumps…the list is endless. Even still, there are notable negative impacts of displays which we have become accustomed to – excessive power consumption, subpar viewability in bright...

WILLIAM BLAIR

WILLIAM BLAIR-INVESTING AT THE NEXUS OF THE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

INVESTING AT THE NEXUS OF THE INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

Committed to Growth and Innovation Since 1935At William Blair, growth and innovation are in our DNA. As an independent, private partnership, we are committed to providing the world’s leading venture firms with the expert guidance and creative solutions required to unlock value for investors and their portfolio companies. We are...

ADA PRACTICE TRANSITIONS

ADA PRACTICE TRANSITIONS-AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS THE FUTURE OF DENTISTRY

AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION SUPPORTS THE FUTURE OF DENTISTRY

ADA Business Innovation Group (ADABIG) is a subsidiary of the American Dental Association (ADA), formed in 2018 to help dentists solve the industry’s most pressing challenges. In 2019, ADABIG launched its first service: ADA Practice TransitionsTM (ADAPT), a state-of-the-art online platform designed to help dentists navigate career transitions. Today ADAPT...

TERA-PRINT

TERA-PRINT -ENABLING INNOVATION THROUGH A DISRUPTIVE NANOFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

ENABLING INNOVATION THROUGH A DISRUPTIVE NANOFABRICATION TECHNOLOGY

TERA-print is a nanotechnology company that is unlocking the power of ultrahigh precision prototyping with their innovative desktop nanoprinters. This technology is disrupting the way next-generation come to life, such as miniaturized sensors 1/100th the size of your fingernail, highly accurate diagnostic tests for diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s, and...

ACTIVECAMPAIGN

ACTIVECAMPAIGN-We Help Businesses Grow and Build Better Customer Experiences

We Help Businesses Grow and Build Better Customer Experiences

ActiveCampaign is the leader in Customer Experience Automation (CXA), helping businesses across the world meaningfully engage with their customers. Our platform gives businesses of all sizes access to 820+ prebuilt automations that combine email marketing, marketing automation and CRM for powerful segmentation and personalization across social, email, messaging, chat and...

JELLYVISION

JELLYVISION-CELEBRATING THREE DECADES IN CHICAGO TECH

CELEBRATING THREE DECADES IN CHICAGO TECH

WHO IS JELLYVISION?Jellyvision is the benefits engagement platform trusted by companies large and small, including many of the Fortune 500. We’re committed to reinventing how employees choose and use benefits, and our sophisticated technology delights and guides employees to make better decisions — leading them and our customers to more...

General Assembly

Is A Pioneer In Education And Career Transformation, Specializing In Today’s Most In-Demand Skills

The leading source for training, staffing, and career transitions, General Assembly fosters a flourishing community of professionals pursuing careers they love. What began as a co-working space in Manhattan in 2011 has since evolved into a global education and career development company, with more than 70,000 graduates and 32 campuses...

STEADFAST

MAKING IT WORK

Steadfast began in 1998 as an internet-technology passion project for Steadfast’s Founder, Karl Zimmerman, when he was only 14 years old. Karl’s dream to help companies with their data hosting and security needs started early on, and through these relationships, Karl learned there was a frustrating gap with many hosting...

86 REPAIRS

86 REPAIRS-TAKE REPAIRS OFF YOUR PLATE

TAKE REPAIRS OFF YOUR PLATE

86 Repairs is the repair and maintenance management platform built for the restaurant industry. Our tech-enabled solution includes on-demand repair management and preventative maintenance. With 86 Repairs, restaurants have access to data-driven insights and 24/7 support to control their facilities, reduce their R&M costs, and spend less of their team’s...

SAFE STAYS BY RELOSHARE

SAFE STAYS BY RELOSHARE: Changing the Game for Emergency Housing by Providing Anonymous Hotel Bookings for Social Service Agencies

Changing the Game for Emergency Housing by Providing Anonymous Hotel Bookings for Social Service Agencies

According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence’s 2021 DV Counts Report, agencies were unable to provide emergency shelter to 1,982 adults and 1,184 children nationwide in just one day. Annualized, that’s 723,430 adults and 432,160 children who are left without access to emergency domestic violence shelters each year....

LEVEL EX

Playing Is Training: Chicago’s Gaming And Healthcare Legacies Meet At Level Ex

Today, Level Ex has 750,000 medical professionals playing its games to advance their skills and earn Continuing Medical Education (CME). The story of how it changed the way medicine is learned and practiced is as much an ode to Chicago as it is a start-up success story....

CSC CORPTAX

CSC CORPTAX — MORE THAN 45 YEARS OF TAX TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION

MORE THAN 45 YEARS OF TAX TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION

CSC Corptax® provides technology-based tax solutions to corporate tax departments worldwide. We transform tax reporting for clients through software, business process expertise, and award-winning support, helping them achieve breakthrough performance using the first and only single system on the market for end-to-end tax. Our unmatched automation aligns tax processes, enhances...

SIWA THERAPEUTICS

SIWA THERAPEUTICS-We Founded SIWA

We Founded SIWA, Drawing Upon An Understanding Of Aging And The AGEs, To Combat Cancer

SIWA Therapeutics, Inc. has developed 318H, a monoclonal antibody that we believe can become a broadly effective cancer immunotherapeutic. Most recently, we showed that 318H enabled complete remission of pancreatic cancer in vivo in humanized mice – we hope to file an IND application for pancreatic cancer next year. Our...

REVOOU

Searching For Product Information On The Internet In Spanish Isn’t Easy, But Revoou Wants To Change That, At Least For Online Shopping

Revoou is a product review and product recommendation content producer and website that provides Spanish-language online shoppers with independent and trustworthy, easy-to-digest information and comparison tables about products and services to make the most informed online purchasing decisions. It’s a model English-speakers have seen dozens of times, but the team...

ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS

ORBIT MEDIA STUDIOS-Web Design

Web Design, Development and Optimization with Deep Roots in the City of Chicago

They both grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and met in high school. When Barrett Lombardo and Andy Crestodina graduated, they headed off to the University of Iowa together.   They shared a dorm room and one of those boxy Macintosh computers. It was the early 1990s. Most people...

TECHNORI

TECHNORI-Since Launching Nearly a Decade Ago

Since Launching Nearly a Decade Ago, Our Mission Has Been Simple; Help Founders More Easily Raise Startup Funds By Building a Community Around Tech And Investing

Before Chicago became a tech hub featuring world-renowned incubators like 1871 and more than a dozen unicorns, there was Technori – a small group of early adopters and startup founders on a mission to turn Chicago into the largest and most diverse tech community in the world. And, what began...

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The Publisher

Glen Edwards

Glen Edwards was born and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University and served in the United States Marine Corps Services. For the next 10 years, Glen worked as a Juvenile Probation Officer in Philadelphia, counseling underprivileged children in North and West Philadelphia. In 1983, Glen left the court and went to work... click to read more

The Publisher

Glen Edwards

Glen Edwards was born and raised in Philadelphia. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University and served in the United States Marine Corps Services. For the next 10 years, Glen worked as a Juvenile Probation Officer in Philadelphia, counseling underprivileged children in North and West Philadelphia. In 1983, Glen left the court and went to work... click to read more

Other Ecosystems