Winter is arriving in Chicago. Whether you’re skating the ribbon at Maggie Daley Park, strolling with hot chocolate through the Lincoln Park ZooLights or seeking out ambiance-heavy restaurants fitted with fireplaces, it might also be a good time to catch up on the movers and shakers in your local tech scene — and Built In Chicago has curated 12 noteworthy companies to get you started.
What’s more: Many of the city’s tech employers are developing upgrades to the breadth, depth and inclusion of their company culture, tech stacks and benefits.
The Chicago-based companies we featured are special in many ways, but all 12 have one thing in common: They are innovative, people-first organizations with intriguing perks — and well worth keeping on your radar in the winter season ahead.
What TransUnion does: TransUnion is committed to ensuring every consumer is reliably represented in the marketplace. The company’s app allows individuals to monitor and manage their credit score, offering annual credit reports, fraud alerts and credit freezing.
THE PERKS
- Unlimited vacation policy
- Adoption assistance
- Child care benefits
- Mental health benefits
- Mentorship program
- Employee stock purchase plan
In the news: The company has been included in the Human Rights Campaign’s list of “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality” for the past four years. Earlier this year, the company also landed a spot on Built In’s lists of “2022 Best Places to Work in Chicago” and “50 Companies With the Best Benefits in Chicago.”
What Revantage does: Revantage provides real estate services to Blackstone portfolio companies and investments. The company’s solutions include portfolio management, accounting and transaction execution support.
THE PERKS
- Adoption assistance
- Tuition reimbursement
- 100-percent cost coverage for short-term and long-term disability
- Generous PTO
- Flexible work scheduling
- Family medical leave
In the news: Earlier this year, the company received recognition on Built In Chicago’s 2022 lists of “Best Places to Work in Chicago,” “Best Midsize Companies to Work For in Chicago” and “Best Paying Companies in Chicago.”
What Hyatt does: Hyatt operates 20 hospitality brands across the globe. The company’s current portfolio includes more than 1,000 hotel, all-inclusive and wellness resort properties.
THE PERKS
- Employee stock purchase plan
- Continuing education stipend
- Complimentary and discounted stays at Hyatt hotels
- Meditation lounges
- Mental health benefits
- Company equity
Guiding growth: “The best days of my job are when we promote someone, especially someone who came to Hyatt in a junior role and is now reaching new heights in their career,” Chief Information Security Officer Benjamin Vaughn told Built In Chicago earlier this year. “There’s nothing more gratifying than that.”
What Life Fitness does: Life Fitness operates a family of brands, including Life Fitness, Hammer Strength and Cybex. The organization provides a wide range of cardio, strength training and group training products, from treadmills and rowing machines to heavy bags and kettlebells.
TECH STACK
- Matlab
- Perl
- Ruby
- Kotlin
- Angular.js
- Spring
Who Life Fitness is hiring: The company is searching for talent to fill roles across several departments, including engineering, finance, marketing and design.
What Syncron does: Syncron offers a service lifecycle management solution for manufacturers and distributors. The company offers a broad range of solutions, including service parts inventory and field service management.
THE PERKS
- Documented equal pay policy
- Mental health benefits
- Generous PTO
- Continuing education stipend
- 401(k) matching
- Company equity
In the news: Earlier this year, the company announced the launch of its Syncron D2D software solution, which is designed to help dealers reduce service repair times, shipping costs, excess stock and parts returns.
What Everspring does: Everspring develops online educational programs for universities. The company offers assistance in a wide range of areas, from marketing and strategic planning to instructional design and online program management.
TECH STACK
- Ember.js
- MongoDB
- Spring
- Java
- Python
- PHP
Employee growth: “Everspring cares about people. They invest in me every single day, and it makes me want to invest back.” Operations Manager Francisca Acevedo told Built In in this Insider Video. “There is a lot of professional and personal growth at Everspring.”
What Screencastify does: Screencastify is a screen recorder for Chrome browsers that allows teachers, students and others to record, edit and share videos. The software offers various features, such as engagement monitoring and comprehension checks.
THE PERKS
- Documented equal pay policy
- Mental health benefits
- Home office stipend
- 401(k) matching
- Company equity
- Generous PTO
Company culture: “Our people are nurtured in terms of proactive career development and skill tracking, a healthy work-life balance and an appropriate amount of autonomy and independence,” VP of Customer Success Melissa McMillan told Built In Chicago in October.
What BigTime Software does: BigTime Software’s operating platform enables consulting firms to manage their workforces and finances. Some of the software’s features include project management, billing and invoicing and reporting and analytics.
“We have increased our women in leadership across the organization. Currently more than 40 percent of all leadership roles are held by women.”
– Jami Klotz, SVP Product, "On Women's Equality Day, Chicago's Women Tech Leaders Share How Their Companies Elevate Them"
In the news: Earlier this year, the company earned a spot on Crain’s “2022 Best Places to Work in Chicago” list as well as on the “2022 Inc. 5000 List of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America.”
What Adage Technologies does: Adage Technologies designs and develops e-commerce websites for arts and nonprofit organizations. The company’s services include content strategy, DevOps and analytics.
THE PERKS
- Generous PTO
- Flexible work scheduling
- Generous parental leave
- Pre-tax commuter benefits for CTA and Metra
- 401(k) matching
- 100-percent coverage for short-term disability
Remote yet connected: “We’ve adopted a virtual-first approach to everything we do,” Director of Talent Operations Victoria Sullivan told Built In Chicago in February 2022. “Our remote culture reflects our company culture in that we are still very collaborative.”
What Lever does: Lever’s software is designed to help organizations manage and optimize their hiring practices. The company provides solutions for high-volume hiring, diversity, equity and inclusion, recruitment marketing and reporting and analytics.
THE PERKS
- Unlimited vacation policy
- Company equity
- Tuition reimbursement
- Child care benefits
- Fitness subsidies
- Paid volunteer time
Influencing hiring equality: “Lever, as a product, is an exciting opportunity to work on,” Director of Engineering Kate Bierbaum told Built In in August. “You get to help shape the future of hiring, have a wide impact across the tech industry and bring focused attention to diversity, equity and inclusion into the hiring process.”
What Higi does: Higi is dedicated to helping consumers gain access to more accessible, affordable and convenient healthcare. Individuals can connect to the company’s network of digital Smart Health Stations using their smartphones in order to keep track of health risks and locate resources that match their personal needs.
TECH STACK
- ASP.NET
- JavaScript
- PHP
- Redux
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Redis
In the news: Last month, the healthtech company announced a new partnership with Verizon Wireless, which will enable the organization to open up greater access to care for historically underserved populations, such as those living in rural areas and senior citizens. In a statement, Higi CEO Jeff Bennett said, “The addition of our station into a trusted community setting, powered by Verizon connectivity, provides access to primary care resources on behalf of partners seeking scaled solutions to improve health literacy, capture health and social data, and effectively deliver care.”
What Dais Technology does: Dais Technology’s no-code platform helps insurance agencies and providers create, manage and distribute digital products. The software’s features include instant quoting, workflow creation and policy lifecycle management.
TECH STACK
- Python
- JavaScript
- Rust
- Spring
- Node.js
- PostgreSQL
In the news: Last month, the company announced a new partnership with Telemedicine Solutions, which will enable the organization to deliver clinical applications to skilled nursing facilities and senior living facilities of CareAgents by K&B. In a statement, Dais Technology Chief Revenue Officer Aaron Larson said, “Times of crisis create opportunity, and healthcare facility operators have a unique opportunity to turn things they take for granted, like the clinical data their care teams log every day, into high-value information to equip their teams to improve patient outcomes.”
