The tech industry, both nationally and in Chicago, is at a pivotal moment. More than two years since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, startups have gone from raising record venture funding in one of the best years for tech firms in recent memory to largely pumping the brakes this year as rising interest rates, inflation and a challenging market for public tech stocks combine to bring the startup world back down to earth.
Where Chicago's tech economy goes from here depends, in part, on the next generation of builders. The young startup leaders tackling important problems, the super-connectors working to boost the city's tech scene, the techies bringing innovative approaches to complex challenges and more will help define Chicago's innovation economy for years to come.
For Chicago Inno's newest Inno Under 25 list, we set out to recognize young innovators who are already making their mark on the city's business community. Based on nominations from our readers, Chicago Inno compiled a list of founders, investors, community builders and more who are 25 years old and younger. This year's list features a Theil Fellowship winner, a Mark Cuban-backed startup, Techstars accelerator participants and more. Our list also includes startup founders tackling difficult challenges in health care, energy, Web3, public safety and other sectors.
Dive into this year's Inno Under 25 list below, and see the 2021 list here and 2020 list here.
Claude Cimeus, 25
Director of platform, P33
If you've spent any time networking at Chicago startup events, you've probably met Claude Cimeus. The 25-year-old, who's early career includes stops at Chicago tech firms like ActiveCampaign and Forager, has quickly built himself into one of the city's biggest startup champions. At his current role as director of platform at P33, a local group led by Penny Pritzker and Chris Gladwin that aims to boost Chicago's tech sector, Cimeus has spearheaded projects like TechChicago Week, a three-day event that included Gov. J.B. Priztker and rapper Pusha T. He also helped launch ChiTechIRL, a startup event and networking group that launched a series of events in Chicago. When he's not connecting Chicago's tech ecosystem, he's working on his own, yet-to-be-announced, startup.
Landon Campbell, 24
General manager, Drive Capital
In September, Landon Campbell was named the Chicago general manager for Drive Capital, a Columbus, Ohio-based venture firm that backs startups across the Midwest and recently raised $1 billion in new funds. The DePaul University graduate also has spent time at the Hustle Fund and Inside.com, Jason Calacanis' business-focused media company. But Campbell isn't just focused on his story as a 20-something tech leader; he's also working to inspire other young entrepreneurs through his podcast called inTheir20s, a show that interviews business leaders, celebrities and other influencers who talk about what life was like in their 20s and lessons learned during that pivotal decade. Guests on the podcast have included politician Beto O'Rourke, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez.
Ana Cornell, 21
Founder and CEO, Acorn Genetics
Facing a life-changing choice to finish up her degree at Northwestern University or launch her business, 21-year-old former engineering student Ana Cornell chose the latter. She received the Thiel Fellowship earlier this year and in doing so got $100,000 to drop out of school to launch Acorn Genetics, a privacy-focused genetic testing company. Acorn Genetics started out of a personal need for Cornell. She had to get tested for a genetic condition found in certain members of her family but was unhappy with existing commercial genetic testing companies. She started Acorn Genetics, a company that provides privacy-focused, at-home DNA testing kits, for those concerned about the lack of privacy by existing companies and now leads a team of more than 10 employees.
Cami Darling, 25
Director, Decasonic
Since joining Decasonic in April 2022, Cami Darling has led all marketing efforts for the Chicago VC firm that invests in blockchain, metaverse, NFTs and other Web3 technologies. The VC firm closed a $49 million fund at the beginning of the year. At Decasonic, Darling helped launch the Blockchain for the Billions podcast, where she interviews founders in the space about what it was like to build their products, and she led the Web3 Investor Day conference as she continues to be a key player in the growth of Chicago’s Web3 ecosystem.
Paul Couston, 25
Founder and CEO, Ascent Integrated Tech
Paul Couston, along with Alex Gorsuch, founded Ascent Integrated Tech in 2020 to help firefighters better communicate. Known by his peers as someone who combines his experience with candid feedback, Couston and his team have talked to more than 1,500 fire departments across the Midwest to perfect the product. Accepted into the hardware startup accelerator program at mHUB, Ascent recently closed a $400,000 pre-seed round from investors, which included mHUB as well as Illinois Ventures, Fox Ventures and Darley, a fire department equipment supplier based in Itasca, Illinois. Couston also co-founded Optivolt Labs, a startup with roots at the University of Illinois that builds solar-powered charging devices.
Shane Dolan, 22
Founder, OptiAg
For his mechanical engineering independent study project, Northwestern University engineering student Shane Dolan designed and built OptiAg to help with one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century: food supply. An intelligent sprinkler controller for large agricultural operations, OptiAg uses satellite imagery and sensor data to evaluate the health of crops in a field. With a design that is retrofittable, Dolan’s prototype was found to have potential water savings of around 10% to 13% for some crops, translating to nearly $130 per acre in savings annually. Dolan is also an engineering program manager at Tesla.
Alexander Choi, 22, and Steven Bruening, 22
Co-founders of Natuur Brands
Led by University of Chicago graduates Alexander Choi and Steven Bruening, Chicago startup Natuur Brands wants to upend the edible cannabis industry. Based out of the West Loop, the company placed third in the University of Chicago’s College New Venture Challenge and participated in a Polsky Center incubator over the summer. Natuur’s proprietary Natuur Nano cannabinoid powder turns any food or beverage into a fast-acting cannabis edible. The duo plans to soon bring the company's product to the East Coast.
Kevin O’Sullivan, 23, and Mason Rodriguez Rand, 22
Co-founders of Alpha Nur
Kevin O’Sullivan and Mason Rodriguez Rand first wanted to build a nuclear reactor together their freshman year of college at the University of Chicago. Years later, their company, Alpha Nur, seeks to provide small modular nuclear reactors to installations in need of reliable, clean energy. They have raised $25,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy. The startup also was accepted into the 2022 Nuclear Innovation Bootcamp and participated in Polsky Center’s I-Corps program and its BUILD summer accelerator program.
Kevin Kaspar, 21
CEO, InfernoGuard
Kevin Kaspar and his startup, InfernoGuard, received $150,000 from Northwestern University to help develop his wildfire detection startup. After noticing the harmful smoke effects from a wildfire nearly 100 miles away from his hometown, Kaspar and his team formed what is now known as InfernoGuard. The wildfire detection and notification company took home the VentureCat grand prize at Northwestern's annual pitch competition. In two years at the university, InfernoGuard has won more than $470,000 in prize money across various early stage startup competitions.
Alex Kosyakov, 21
CEO, Natrion Inc.
Alex Kosyakov is the CEO of Natrion Inc., a battery tech startup that is working to make electric vehicles charge faster and drive farther. An undergraduate student in materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Kosyakov started Natrion with Indiana University finance student Tom Rouffiac, leading to the “solid-state” battery. The battery uses only solid components instead of liquid components that are highly flammable. In May, the company announced a $2 million seed round featuring high-profile investors like Mark Cuban. The oversubscribed round was led by Chicago-based TechNexus Venture Collaborative.
Izzy Mokotoff, 21, and Alexis Chan, 20
Co-founders of SteadyScrib
Izzy Mokotoff and Alexis Chan are the founders of SteadyScrib, a company that produces a self-stabilizing pen for people living with Parkinson's disease. The product counteracts the tremors, rigidity and other conditions Parkinson's sufferers face through a device that includes a magnetic pen and clipboard with weighted core and wide grip. The startup won first place and the audience favorite award at Jumpstart Demo Day, The Garage at Northwestern’s pre-accelerator program. SteadyScrib also was awarded a Venture Well grant earlier this year.
Mateo Price, 23
CEO, AMA Digital
Mateo Price started working on Authentic Media Ascension (AMA) Digital the summer before his sophomore year at Northwestern University, helping YouTube creators best unlock their earning potential. Within three years of launching the company, he helped creators unlock more than $6 million in incremental revenue. At age 22, he sold AMA to tech unicorn Jellysmack earlier this year, accepting a role at Jellysmack as director of YouTube Development as part of the buyout. He also runs Jumpstart, the accelerator program for students at The Garage at Northwestern University.
Dante Vaisbort, 22; Tyler Revesz, 21; Raj Lulla, 21; and Namin Shah, 22
Co-founders of Haylon Technologies
Haylon Technologies is a startup founded out of the University of Chicago that's working to prolong battery life and reduce battery waste. The startup tied for second place in UChicago's 2022 College New Venture Challenge, and it was selected to the 2022 Techstars Chicago class. The startup, which demoed a fully operational prototype battery pack and software platform at this year's CNVC, has more than $5.5 million in letters of intent and is partnering with a publicly-traded battery technology company to develop a pack with its cells.
Will Xenakis, 21, and Niraj Shah, 21
Co-founders, Xenah Developers
Northwestern University students Will Xenakis and Niraj Shah are the founders of Xenah Developers, a company that provides technical consulting and assists businesses in building their apps and websites. Both computer science majors, the duo participated in Northwestern's Tinker program at The Garage, the school's entrepreneurship hub. Xenah works with undergraduate computer science students at Northwestern, offering them the chance to work on real-world projects outside of class.
Alexandra Chung, 24
MBA associate at Decibel Partners
Alexandra “Alex” Chung received Chicago Booth’s Hyde Park Angels VC Award this spring, awarded annually to a graduating MBA student based on demonstrated leadership in venture capital. As co-chair of Booth’s Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Club, Chung has made it one of the most active student groups on the University of Chicago campus by inviting industry-leading speakers. She begins her VC career at Decibel Partners, a Palo Alto, California-based VC firm, while also pursuing her MBA at Booth. The independent venture firm invests in seed, Series A and Series B stage software companies.
Kolade Aderele, 23
Investment associate, Cleveland Avenue
Kolade Aderele is an investment associate at Cleveland Avenue, a Chicago VC firm led by Don Thompson, the former CEO of McDonald's Corp. Cleveland Avenue invests in food and beverage businesses, with investments in brands like Beyond Meat and Farmer's Fridge. Cleveland Avenue also operates a $70 million fund that backs Black and Latino food entrepreneurs in Chicago. Aderele, a graduate of Boston University, previously worked for Louisville, Kentucky-based Render Capital as an investment associate.
Yasmeena Faycurry, 22
Investor, Chicago Ventures
Yasmeena Faycurry joined Chicago Ventures this year after working part time for Listen Ventures, another Chicago VC firm. She's also the founder of Unfound, an app where people share places they love. A graduate of Northwestern University, Faycurry and Unfound participated in Jumpstart, a pre-accelerator program from The Garage, Northwestern's entrepreneurship hub. Unfound has grown its following to more than 100,000 participants across its TikTok channels.
Estelle Reardon, 22
Founder, StandOut Search
University of Chicago grad Estelle Reardon founded StandOut Search in 2020 as a free platform for high school students to find internships at startups and nonprofits. This year she tied for second place in UChicago’s College New Venture Challenge, earning $30,000. Reardon this year also merged StandOut with another startup she founded, Slingshot, that connects startups with teenage coding and growth-hacking prodigies, giving the students experience and the budding companies an early talent pipeline. Slingshot, which has gone through the Techstars and Alchemist accelerators, has matched more than 1,000 high school students with internships, 300 of which were Chicago-based.
Lewis Burik, 25
Co-founder and COO, DubClub
Born in Chicago, Lewis Burik attended Stanford University and majored in management science and engineering while playing on the Stanford football team. After college, he ventured back to Chicago and worked at TechNexus Venture Collaborative, where he was a strategy and venture analyst. He now is CEO and a co-founder of DubClub, a marketplace that allows professional sports handicappers to share real-time predictions and analysis with fellow sports fans. The product features a messaging system that lets bettors send real-time plays and information to their subscribers via text message, email or other channels. DubClub's platform aims to create real-time interactions between sports betting handicappers and their fans.
Hamza Shaikh, 25
Founder and CEO, Stabl
Hamza Shaikh is the founder of Stabl, a digital health platform that helps patients during their post-operative recovery. Using computer vision, the startup's technology takes a patient's real-time motion feedback to facilitate home exercises during rehab. Its aim is to take the rehab process out of the clinic and into a patient's living room. The startup was selected this year to a Techstars accelerator in partnership with the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.
