Chicago tech roundup: kCura kicks off its bootstraps, Bucketfeet snags $7.5M, KeyMe expands to Chicago and more

[ibimage==44401==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]

Locksmith eliminating KeyMe expands to Chicago

New York-based KeyMe expanded to Chicago this week. The startup manufactures key copying kiosks that allow users to save-and-copy keys in less than 30 seconds. Once a key is stored on their cloud, it can be replicated without the original key. KeyMe raised a $7.8M Series A in August to accelerate expansion and the first KeyMe Chicago kiosk will be located in the 7-Eleven at 957 W. Armitage Avenue. [KeyMe Puts Your Keys In the Cloud So You Never Get Locked Out Again: Chicago Inno]

[ibimage==44398==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]

Artful shoemaker Bucketfeet grabs $7.5M to bolster growth

BucketFeet, the tech company that blends art and footwear, announced a $7.5 million Series A round led byJumpstart Ventures. Additional funding came from Yunsan, international distributor, Gordon Segal, founder and former CEO of Crate & Barrel, Jeff Cantalupo, founder of Listen Ventures as well as Glen Tullman, CEO of Livongo Health. [Built In Chicago]

[ibimage==44399==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]

400 employees later, bootstrapped kCura grabs huge $125M round

E-discovery software development company kCura has raised $125M from ICONIQ Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm that holds Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey as clients. The formerly bootstrapped company told Built In Chicago they were waiting to find the right investor. [Built In Chicago]

[ibimage==44400==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]

Chicago Public Library takes up new mission: spreading free WiFi

The Chicago Public Library system, in partnership with the Chicago Public Library Foundation, Knight Foundation, and Google has announced a new “Internet to Go” pilot program. Starting in February, the Brighton Park, Greater Grand Crossing, and Douglas public library branches will begin lending out WiFi hotspots, laptops and tablets to the public. A total of 100 WiFi hotspots will be lent for periods of three-weeks at a time. Combined with “digital skills coaching,” the Chicago Public Library wants to see if lending digital devices and wireless Internet will improve information access in the city’s poorest neighborhoods. [Built In Chicago]

[ibimage==44402==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]

1871 welcomes minority-entrepreneur program

1871 is welcoming a Latino/Latina or African-American Entrepreneur in Residence for one year as part of nonprofit CODE2040's residency program. Google for Entrepreneurs will fund the program and two other American tech hubs: American Underground in Durham, N.C., and Capital Factory in Austin, Texas. CODE2040 is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization committed to boosting underrepresented minorities, particularly African-Americans and Latinos/Latinas, in the tech industry. [1871 provides home for CODE2040/Google minority-entrepreneur program: Chicago Blue Sky]

[ibimage==44404==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center]

Order Plum Market from WeDeliver now

Old Town's Plum Market is now available on the WeDeliver app. The specialty grocery store has been available from WeDeliver since 2013, but only by phone. Now WeDeliver users can pay digitally, schedule deliveries and choose from more than 350 items including baked goods, wine, produce and skincare items. [Plum Market launches product sales on WeDeliver's Locally app: Chicago Blue Sky]

Recent Articles