A trio of Chicago startup hubs landed $1.55 million in funding to support an initiative to develop and accelerate technology-based solutions for the coronavirus crisis.
The startup hubs, mHUB, MATTER and 1871, raised the grant funding from the Chicago Community Trust, the Walder Foundation and Bank of America.
According to a press release, the startup hubs are still looking to raise more funding, their goal being $3 million.
The funds will be used to support entrepreneurs at each of the three hubs who are working on business concepts related to fighting the virus. The startup hubs initially announced they were working together on Covid-19 responses and solutions back in March when the crisis became serious in the U.S. Combined, the hubs have nearly 1,000 members.
Since the beginning of the crisis, more than 300 innovators and experts have submitted solutions in the program to fight Covid-19, ranging from accelerating the production of personal protective equipment to manufacturing low-cost ventilators.
In March, mHUB members announced they were collaborating with Northwestern University to design and manufacture 6,000 face shields for healthcare workers at Chicago-area health systems. At the time, mHUB said it had the capacity to produce about 1,500 face shields per day.
“It has been incredibly inspiring to see the energy across the tech ecosystem to come together and fight the impact of this pandemic,” said mHUB’s co-founder and CEO Haven Allen in a statement.
