Despite a quiet week for venture funding, companies on the Chicago tech front were still making new developments last week. Find out what’s in store for the Windy City. This is the Built In Chicago weekly refresh.
New VC firm launches to support food startups. Chicagoan Shayna Harris and Los Angeles native Noramay Cadena joined forces to launch Supply Chain Capital, a venture capital firm that aims to support startups in the food space. The two tech industry vets are looking to fund early stage companies focusing on things like creating packaged consumer goods or manufacturing sustainable ingredients. [Chicago Inno]
Numerator welcomed a new board member. The newest addition to the data company’s board of directors is Bridgette Heller, a current board member at Novartis. With 35 years of senior executive experience, Heller is aiming to help unlock the company’s positive potential in the consumer research field. The company announced last year it was opening a new Chicago headquarters inside the former Marshall Field’s building in the Loop. [PR Newswire]
Chicago Tech Quote of the Week
ShowingTime to be acquired by Zillow. Its software provides users with information to manage property showings as well as market statistics and other tools. Real estate company Zillow is planning to acquire the Chicago-based company’s platform for $500 million, and the new tech will help increase the volume of real estate tours and transactions for Zillow agents. [Built In Chicago]
Chicago to use Zocdoc for vaccine sign-ups. The city’s Department of Public Health announced the partnership with health-care scheduling company Zocdoc. Its platform will be used to consolidate multiple COVID-19 vaccine providers in a move aimed at easing the sign-up process for Chicago residents. Though this will help more people sign up, the city is still working to address the matter of distributing the vaccine to the individuals who need it most. [MIT Technology Review]
Techstars Chicago held its second virtual demo day. The nine members of the startup accelerator’s 2020 cohort pitched their businesses via YouTube livestream (embedded below) last week. Participating members included Eemerge, a St. Louis-based roadside assistance marketplace platform, NYC-based social app Hiki and DocuMentor, an in-home care visit verification solution from Indianapolis. DocuMentor’s founders even wrote an original song for the event. [Chicago Inno]
