Much like its predecessor, reported fundings for the month of July came in at a steady, low boil. In total, composite Chicago fundings were just shy of $50 million — a respectful number, indeed, but hopefully August’s summer heat will finally bring that boil over the edge. Until then, check out the top five highest startup fundings in Chicago this month.
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5. AdYapper, $4.5 million, July 14
Investors: Investors included Laurel Touby, Ari Newman, Dave Lerner, Techstars Ventures, BW Capital Partners, David Cohen, Paul Sethi, Sameer Jagetia, Vip Sandhir, Jack Giarraputo, KGC Capital, TechStars
Bio: AdYapper is a Chicago-based media advisory firm that develops and operates proprietary technology and data forensics to create market advantage exclusively for brands, driving demonstrable increases in return-on-ad-spend and revenue.
News: Before the new batch of funding, the Techstars alum had already raised $2.2 million, and will use the new round to expand their global reach.
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4. Swap.com: $5 million, July 13
Investors: The funding round was led by Cleantech Invest.
Bio: Swap.com is the leading online consignment retailer in maternity, baby and kids' apparel, toys and accessories. The service launched in 2013 and offers a selection of more than 250,000 items and is adding more than 60,000 items every month.
News: According to the Chicago Tribune, Swap.com’s new funding intensifies the crowded space for clothing consignment, especially with local competitor Moxie Jean.
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3. mLevel, $5M, July 9
Investors: The funding round was led by Atlanta-based BIP Capital.
Bio: mLevel is a casual learning platform that represents a new paradigm in enterprise learning and skills mastery: fun and engaging training games that can be played anytime, anywhere and from nearly any device. The mLevel Platform allows organizations to deploy training programs in the form of games to their employees across the globe.
News: The company said it plans on using the funds to accelerate growth by amping up sales and marketing efforts.
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2. G2 Crowd, $7M, July 29
Investors: The round was led by Pritzker Group Venture Capital with significant participation from existing investors Chicago Ventures, Hyde Park Venture Partners, Chairman Godard Abel, and G2 Crowd’s management team. In addition, industry leaders Thomas Lehrman (GLG founder) from Haystack Partners and High Alpha with Managing Partner, Scott Dorsey (former ExactTarget co-founder/CEO) joined the round.
Bio: G2 Crowd is a trusted site for business software reviews designed to help anyone, from end-users to CIOs, compare and select the best software based on authentic peer reviews and ratings. G2 Crowd provides a resource for businesses of all sizes to access unbiased, first-person insight and best practices to guide technology purchase decisions.
News: Earlier this year, the company appointed former LinkedIn executive Adrienne Weissman as Chief Marketing Officer, and Pritzker Group’s Adam Koopersmith just joined their advisory board.
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1. DRIVIN, $10 million, July 4
Investors: DRIVIN is the latest venture by prolific Chicago investors Brad Keywell and Eric Lefkofsky, the minds who brought you Echo Global Logistics, InnerWorkings, Mediaocean, and Groupon.
Bio: DRIVIN (a CarCo Technologies company) is accelerating the used car industry by bringing data and technology together in a spectacular, first-of-its-kind fashion to help dealers acquire the right cars, at the right price, right now. They are committed to delivering data-driven solutions with a high-touch, personalized level of service to each of our clients.
News: DRIVIN was just unveiled in July, alongside the funding announcement.
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