Check out how the Chicago tech scene is growing across an array of sectors, with fresh funding going toward biotech, healthcare and more. This is the Built In Chicago Weekly Refresh.
Grapefruit Health raised $1.3M. The young company works to connect organizations with clinical students to do tasks remotely in an effort to address the ongoing workforce shortage in the healthcare industry. Investors in Grapefruit Health’s latest round include Google for Startups and a family-owned fund. [WGN]
Chicago Tech Quote of the Week
“We’re thrilled about this recent grant, as it provides even more performance differentiation for our Department of Defense customer. Adding the safety and cold temperature test with South 8 further extends NanoGraf’s performance profile from other commercial cells.” — Dr. Francis Wang, CEO of NanoGraf.
Nanograf received a grant from the U.S. Army. Nanograf, a Chicago company developing lithium-ion batteries, and San Diego-based South 8 Technologies, a liquefied gas electrolyte company, received a new grant. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command funded the two companies with a collective $550,000 to combine their technologies during a six-month project. [GlobeNewswire]
Chicago biotech innovators received funding for lab space. Chicago’s biotech scene has been consistently growing, and technologists in the space have secured funding from Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s philanthropic organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. The organization has awarded a total of $250 million to Northwestern University, University of Chicago and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to create a new medical research institute. Dubbed Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago, the facility will be located in Fulton Labs, a 16-story complex located in the West Loop area designed specifically for life sciences firms. [Bloomberg]
Spark Hire teamed up with Comeet. Headquartered in Northbrook, Spark Hire operates a platform for digital interviews. The company announced its integration of Comeet, a collaborative recruitment software solution. Adding Comeet’s technology will allow Spark Hire to expand its suite of talent acquisition products. [Spark Hire]
