This is our round up of Chicago tech and startup companies that received venture capital investments during the month of March. If we missed one, let us know at info@chicagoinno.com.
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Chicago tech and startup companies raised at least $136 million in venture capital throughout the month of March, according to data compiled by Chicago Inno.
March’s fundings were led by Grassroots Cannabis, which raised $90 million, and HealthJoy, which raised $12.5 million.
Below are 10 Chicago tech and startup companies that raised money in March.
AMOpportunities: The Chicago startup, which provides international medical students and graduates with clinical training at U.S. healthcare systems, raised $2.2 million from investors. They included OCA Ventures, HealthX Ventures, Wildcat, M25 Group and the University of Chicago. The new funding brings AMOpportunities’ total funding to nearly $3.3 million.
BriteCo: BriteCo raised $2 million from investors, including Brian Spaly, the founder of Trunk Club, and Jeff Taylor, the former chairman and CEO at Cole Taylor Bank. The startup, founded in 2017, partners with jewelers to help shoppers insure their fine jewelry and watches at the point of sale, allowing jewelers to add a new source of revenue. The startup offers verified appraisals and immediate replacement coverage by HDI Global, a top insurance carrier.
Capital Markets Gateway: The startup, a financial technology firm making a workflow and analytics platform for capital markets professionals, raised $7.5 million in a Series A round from StagedotO.
Charge Running: The startup, which calls itself the “peloton for runners,” raised $625,000 from Annagram Ventures.
FanFood: FanFood, a mobile concession platform that allows fans anywhere to order concessions, and have them ready for express pickup or delivery at their favorite events, raised $2 million from Phoenix Sports Partners.
FoodBoss: FoodBoss, formerly known as Bootler, raised more than $2 million in a round led by Cleveland Avenue, a food and beverage-focused venture capital firm founded by the former CEO of McDonald’s, Don Thompson. Founded by CEO Michael DiBenedetto in 2015, FoodBoss has created an online search engine that aggregates available information about food delivery options and fees for several restaurants into one app.
Grassroots Cannabis: Grassroots Cannabis raised $90 million in funding, bringing its total amount raised to $165 million since it launched in 2014. Grassroots, which grows, processes and sells cannabis products, has more than 400 employees in Illinois, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan and other states.
HealthJoy: HealthJoy, a Chicago startup building a health benefits platform for employees that uses AI to answer questions, raised $12.5 million in a Series B round. The round was led by U.S. Venture Partners, with participation from Epic Ventures, Chicago Ventures and Sidekick Ventures.
Livly: Livly, a startup building a tech platform for property managers and renters, raised $10 million in funding from investors including Pritzker Group Venture Capital, Navitas Capital and JLL Spark, JLL’s $100 million fund that invests in tech startups. Livly’s software aims to be a one-stop-shop to help property owners manage their rental properties.
NativeERP: Chicago-based real estate startup NativeERP raised $2 million in a seed round led by FL Finance. The startup says it plans to use the funding for product evolution, national expansion and hiring.
UPshow: UPshow raised $6 million in a Series A round led by Washington, D.C.-based TDF Ventures and Chicago-based Jump Capital. The startup raised a $1.5 million seed round in 2017 from a group of angel investors that included Howard Tullman, Fieldglass founder Jai Shekhawat and ex-PlayboyCEO Scott Flanders.
