Along the western bank of the Chicago River and expanding west until Ashland Avenue is the West Loop neighborhood. Once full of warehouses and manufacturing operations, the area has rapidly transformed as home to some of the city’s most popular gathering spots, watering holes and, yes, tech companies. Drawn to large, open spaces, many startups and tech-focused businesses see the former warehouses as ideal places to set up shop.
With that in mind, here are the tech companies that call Chicago’s West Loop home.
Top Tech Companies in Chicago’s West Loop
- McDonald’s
- John Deere
- Dyson
- Accenture
- PatientPoint
- TransUnion
- ShipBob
- FourKites
Industry: Food and Beverage
Mondelez International has a broad portfolio of food and drink brands that are enjoyed by consumers worldwide. The company has more than 90,000 employees spread across its operations, with a digital services team that provides tech solutions and support that impact every aspect of the business from sales to research and development.
Industry: Fintech
DRW is a global firm with expertise in trading across a diverse range of products and asset classes, including exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, cryptoassets and commodities. Its team includes engineers, traders and portfolio managers who work “to solve challenging problems, capture opportunities and pursue positive change.” DRW is headquartered in Chicago, but its reach spans across five continents.
Industry: Food + E-commerce
Iconic food services retailer McDonald’s operates a global franchise network of fast casual restaurants that includes over 36,000 locations. Working at the edge of tech in the food services space, the company’s investment in automation includes early adoption of AI and machine learning in back-end and front-end operations.
Industry: Machinery Manufacturing
Iconic American heavy machinery manufacturer John Deere makes vehicles and equipment for industry, agriculture and forestry. Its engineering, design and manufacturing processes are highly technical, using machine learning, automation and cloud computing. The company’s tech headquarters call the West Loop home.
Industry: Fintech
What they do: Businesses use Adyen’s fintech platform to access an array of products for facilitating payments, giving their customers financing options, preventing fraud and gaining insights about customer behavior. The company has provided tech solutions for major brands such as Uber and eBay. Adyen’s more than two dozen offices around the globe include a technology hub in Chicago’s West Loop.
Industry: Healthtech + Software
What they do: Located in Chicago’s iconic Accenture Tower at 500 W. Madison, PatientPoint provides point-of-service education to patients while working to improve doctor-patient engagement. It does this through its proprietary content and software that empowers doctors to help patients make informed choices about their care.
Industry: Big Data
What they do: FourKites provides a vast supply chain network that gives businesses detailed supply chain visibility. Through a proprietary algorithm, the platform informs companies where their shipments are across freight, ocean, trucks and more, offering real-time visibility and predictive analytics.
Industry: Productivity + Software
What they do: Delivering exceptional service is crucial to sustaining customer relationships, so Front is making it easier for teams to collaborate. With Front’s technology, teams can ensure the appropriate member handles customer concerns. By organizing workflows and collectively solving dilemmas, teams are able to stay on top of messages with the help of Front.
Industry: Big Data + Edtech
What they do: Otus makes integrated educational tools to manage learning, assessments and student data. The platform not only keeps teachers on top of how students are performing, but also helps teachers stay connected with students and parents, helping families check student performance through mobile applications.
Industry: Marketing Tech + Payments
What they do: SpotOn is a payment platform that aims to provide easy customer engagement tools and payment processing solutions for small businesses. Some of SpotOn’s other products include marketing tools, review management, loyalty programs and point-of-sale systems.
Industry: Fintech
What they do: TransUnion is a financial technology company providing financial services for consumers and businesses. TransUnion offers a very wide range of solutions and services like digital lending, customer engagement solutions, customer acquisition and credit reporting.
Industry: Consulting
What they do: Aleysian helps organizations ranging from startups through enterprises adapt new technology and transform their digital capabilities. The company is skilled at helping organizations adapt CRM, PIM, DAM and commerce solutions into their technology stack and are experts at helping teams understand the capabilities of products like Salesforce, ServiceNow and Salsify, leading to unprecedented scalability.
Industry: Healthtech + Software
What they do: bSwift makes benefits, payroll and HR administration software designed to help employers and employees navigate the often confusing benefits process. The platform is a full-service solution that offers services like enrollment, a virtual assistant and web analytics.
Industry: Software
What they do: Cloud5 is a hospitality software company that works with hotels to streamline operations that connect staff and guests. The company offers telephone, internet and contact center solutions designed to help hotels handle large volumes of guest traffic.
Industry: Artificial Intelligence
What they do: Accenture is a professional services company that offers a variety of solutions and services to clients around the world. Working within industries ranging from automotive and life sciences to technology and retail, Accenture offers an equally wide range of services like digital, consulting, strategy or business.
Industry: Manufacturing
What they do: Dyson is an electrical and manufacturing company that designs products ranging from vacuum cleaners and hand dryers to bladeless fans and hair dryers. Founded in the UK in 1991, Dyson has since added a U.S. location in Chicago’s West Loop.
Industry: E-commerce + Logistics
What they do: ShipBob provides web-based software for e-commerce businesses to manage fulfillment needs. The software is designed to help businesses integrate with various e-commerce platforms, manage inventory, manage returns and evenly distribute inventory across the country.
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