Giddy anticipation for the holidays, renewed optimism for the new year and the invigorating bite of cold weather — there’s a certain magic in the Chicago winter air.
As the Magnificent Mile is adorned with twinkling lights and Gibsons fills with gathering friends, Chicago’s tech scene creates its own winter wonderland. Built In Chicago has curated a list of 16 noteworthy companies gearing up for a flurry of growth.
These Chicago companies bring good to the world in their own ways, but all 16 have put time and effort into their people-first benefits — and each one has its eyes on a stellar 2024. Grab a toasty mug of glögg and learn more about what Chicago’s tech winter wonderland has to offer.
What ABN AMRO Clearing USA LLC does: ABN AMRO Clearing USA LLC is a global clearing firm that offers integrated financial services to players in the global financial market.
THE PERKS
- Commuter benefits and paid volunteer time
- 401(k) with 6% company match
- $100 monthly wellness reimbursement
- Continuing education stipend & tuition reimbursement
- Generous PTO
Who ABN AMRO Clearing USA LLC is hiring: The Chicago hub gives local professionals the chance to engage core business lines and gain international exposure. Data and operations teams have the most current openings with two each.
What Purchasing Platform does: Purchasing Platform is an online marketplace that connects property management companies and vendors. Its software simplifies purchasing and saves real estate operators both time and money.
TECH STACK
- Java
- Python
- React
- SQL
- Ruby on Rails
A strong appreciation culture: “When there is a problem, we work together in a blame-free environment to fix it. When there is a success, we share credit and acknowledge the contributions of everyone who helped get the win,” Principal Engineer Joe Dzikiewicz told Built in Chicago last March. “The amount of positivity that results from this is one of the best things about working for Purchasing Platform. I’ve been at a lot of companies that talked the ‘teamwork, blame-free and positivity’ talk. I’ve never been anywhere that so thoroughly walks the walk.”
What Chamberlain Group does: Chamberlain Group provides technology and products that give customers seamless and secure access to their homes and businesses.
THE PERKS
- Adoption assistance and generous parental leave
- 401(k) with company matching and performance bonuses
- Mental health benefits and an in-office meditation space
- Tuition reimbursement
- Paid volunteer time
In the news: In late 2023, Chamberlain Group announced a new auto integration for its myQ Connected Garage offering. Honda and Acura drivers can now open, close and monitor their garage doors from anywhere via dashboard displays. MyQ Connected Garage is also available in select models from Tesla, Volkswagen, Mercedes, and Mitsubishi.
What Bridge Legal does: Bridge Legal’s software platform automates marketing, intake, business intelligence and other tasks for consumer law firms and their funders.
TECH STACK
- Docker
- React
- Elasticsearch
- Python
- SQL
Who Bridge Legal is hiring: Bridge Legal is always on the lookout for anyone who can help the company improve the consumer legal experience. Current openings include positions in cybersecurity, project management and operations.
What IMC Trading does: IMC Trading is a proprietary trading firm and market maker in various products listed on over 80 exchanges worldwide.
CORE VALUES
- Hiring talented people and giving them lots of responsibility
- Making things happen today and making them better tomorrow
- Being here to stay
- Diverse people bring diverse ideas
Centered on curiosity: “We’re looking for people with a strong ability to communicate their ideas and have productive discussions,” Software Developer Kate Monson told Built In Chicago. “We win together, we succeed together and we thrive together. Additionally, being excited and interested in continuously learning new things is the key to career growth at IMC. Our teams are filled with curious individuals who take initiative and seek new information daily.”
What CarAdvise does: CarAdvise revolutionizes the way people manage their vehicles by making auto care more transparent and trustworthy.
THE PERKS
- Flexible work schedule
- Hiring practices that promote diversity
- Company-sponsored outings
- 401(k), performance bonus and company equity
- Generous PTO
Expanding the portfolio: “Today, I am proud to say we are implementing solutions around the entire lifecycle of the vehicle as a one-stop-shop marketplace to save people money ranging from fuel to tires, insurance to extended warranties,” Founder and CEO Greg Tepas explained to Built In. “We want to make the complicated world of vehicles uncomplicated, and ensure people save money in every way possible.”
What Everspring does: Everspring is a university solutions provider that develops high-quality, innovative online programs for its partners in education.
TECH STACK
- React
- Scala
- SQL
- MongoDB
- Ember.js
- Redux
In the news: In May of 2023, Everspring added another major public research university to its long list of clients, inking a deal to support two important graduate-level programs offered by the University of Iowa’s College of Education. The move is designed to help the college attract new students while delivering outstanding student outcomes by providing marketing, enrollment and student success services.
What Avant does: Avant improves the borrowing experience for customers with financial tools ranging from credit cards to loans.
CORE VALUES
- Authenticity
- Collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Customer
- Initiative
Staying True: CEO Matt Bochenek told Built In how Avant’s values are reflected in its environment. “It was critical that our new space included parents’ rooms, a multi-faith room and everything that Avantees need to come to work and still live their ‘authenticity’ value,” he explained. “We designed spaces for personal focus time and groups, with special attention given to the way we connect with our remote workforce to promote our ‘collaboration’ value.”
What Adage Technologies does: Adage Technologies is a web design and development firm that builds solutions for arts and nonprofit clients.
THE PERKS
- Dependent Care FSA and generous parental leave
- 401(k) with 3% company match and quarterly profit-sharing performance bonuses
- Commuter benefits
- Paid industry certifications
- 20+ days of PTO
In the news: Last summer, Adage received a Gold Hermes Creative Award for its work in redesigning Access Community Health Network’s website. The fully bilingual update boasts location filtering and other user-friendly features that improve functionality and accessibility.
What Accelerated Digital Media does: Accelerated Digital Media is a performance marketing agency with a focus on paid media management for digital health and e-commerce companies.
THE PERKS
- Health, dental, vision, disability and life insurance covered at 90%
- Employee-led culture committees
- Mean gender pay gap below 10%
- Mandated use of vacation days with no cap on the number of days
- Generous parental leave and return-to-work program
Who Accelerated Digital Media is hiring: It comes as no surprise that the expert marketing agency is focused on bringing in more marketing experts. Recruiters are currently looking to onboard media strategists and account managers as teams set goals for 2024 and beyond.
What SteelSeries does: SteelSeries develops hardware and software for the gaming industry.
TECH STACK
- Django
- Golang
- JavaScript
- jQuery
- Redux
Endless opportunities: “We have built a culture that allows product managers to bring their ideas to life in our product lines, pushing boundaries and expectations along the way,” Nick Bourne, head of product development told Built In Chicago back in September of 2022. “We empower subject matter experts to build category-defining product lines, not just individual products.”
What Grubhub does: Grubhub is a food delivery marketplace featuring more than 365,000 restaurant partners in over 4,000 U.S. cities.
CORE VALUES
- Customer Obsessed
- Diverse Collaborator
- Curious Innovator
- Rigorously Analytical
- Scrappy Entrepreneur
- Authentically Fun
In the news: Grubhub is helping Choice Hotels International entice users to its loyalty program by offering a branded ordering experience, $0 delivery fees and one free month of Grubhub+ to guests at 500 participating locations. Choice operates approximately 7,500 hotels worldwide.
What MVMNT does: MVMNT's TMS freight brokerage software was built specifically for freight brokers, allowing clients to move more freight, faster.
THE PERKS
- Medical, vision and dental insurance covered in full
- 401(k) with a 3.5% company match, plus company equity and performance bonuses
- Extensive mental health benefits, including dedicated mental health days each month
- Unlimited PTO
- Mean gender pay gap below 10%
In the news: Just two years after CEO Michael Colin started MVMNT, the company raised $20 million in a series A round. The infusion, announced in October of 2022, was tagged to help MVMNT increase its headcount and grow its logistics platform.
What Screencastify does: Screencastify is a simple video screen capture software for Chrome, giving users everything they need to record, refine, share and assess video for work, education, or personal creations.
THE PERKS
- 100% company-paid medical premiums and 50% company-paid dental and vision premiums
- 12 weeks of paid maternity leave and six weeks of paid caregiver leave
- Unlimited PTO with a 15-day minimum vacation policy
- Hybrid work model with office in Fulton Market
- Charitable contribution matching
Who Screencastify is hiring: Leaders at Screencastify value passionate individuals who maintain a growth mindset and prefer to see setbacks as opportunities. Current openings include roles on product, legal, engineering and customer success teams.
What Geneva Trading does: Geneva Trading is an international, proprietary trading firm offering its users risk management, market enhancement, technology innovation and alpha generation solutions.
THE PERKS
- Generous parental leave
- 401(k) with company matching and performance bonuses
- Relocation assistance
- Mental health benefits
- Continuing education stipend and tuition reimbursement
Addressing retention: “We’ve made a point to continue to develop programs that reward employees and support work-life balance, such as recognizing the last week of the year as a company holiday,” CTO Darek Potchebout told Built In Chicago. “We strive to create an environment where employees are heard and recognized in a variety of ways for the impact they have on the firm.”
What Locusview does: Locusview’s digital construction management platform enables energy, telecom and water utilities to automate data capture during construction and streamline the close-out process.
TECH STACK
- C++
- Java
- JavaScript
- SQLite
- Zend
Who Locusview is hiring: Locusview offers flexible schedules and a hybrid work environment. HR pros are currently looking to add headcount to the company’s high-performing sales and engineering teams.
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