15Five raised $30.7 million to double its headcount. The software company, which helps managers evaluate employee performance and growth, will also use the latest funding to invest in their newest product. Chicago-based investor groups Origin Ventures and Chaifetz Group participated in the round. [HR Dive]
Accenture plans to hire 600 people in their expanded Chicago office. The consulting firm announced their expansion at an event with Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot in attendance. The building at 500 W. Madison St. has been renamed Accenture Tower. The company has over 6,200 employees in Chicago and plans to add 600 more to its Chicago operations by 2022. [Built In Chicago]
Mobile Doorman, an app for apartment property managers, raised $6.5 million to build new products. The app allows tenants to pay rent, renew their leases and communicate with property managers. This round was led by Chicago-based Reimagined Ventures. [Chicago Business Journal]
ActiveCampaign expands its Chicago office, making room for all its new hires. The marketing software company doubled its workforce last year and recently leased 15,000 more square feet in their office at 1 N. Dearborn St., according to Crain’s. [Crain’s]
Aegis AI raised $2.2 million for its weapon-detection software. The company created software that detects guns in security camera networks in real-time and sends out an emergency alert. The software integrates with existing security systems and is affordable for schools and health care offices. The company plans to hire four more people with this round of funding. [Built In NYC]
Cheetah Digital acquires Wayin for better personalized marketing efforts. Cheetah Digital has Wayin, a company that has collected customer data on behalf of the NHL, Vodafone, Priceline.com and Air New Zealand. The Wall Street Journal reports it does this primarily through quizzes and interactive games. [Press Release]
University of Illinois is partnering with the Illinois Institute of Technology for a new research initiative. The Discovery Partners Institute (DPI) is a new research center being led by the U of I System, which aims to bring researchers and students together to drive economic growth in Chicago and Illinois. Bringing Illinois Tech on board will bolster the research center's expertise in computing, data science, design thinking, food science, biomedical engineering and intellectual property law. [Press Release]
