Growth in Chicago Startup Scene

Here’s a great infographic that shows the dramatic increase in the Chicago startup scene over the last two years. I moved to Chicago in July 2011 and I could see the dramatic momentum and growth that was building up in this community. Before I moved here, Technori Pitches hadn’t started yet – and now they sell out the full 500 seat Chase Auditorium. Healthbox, the second healthcare-focused startup accelerator, was just launching and I had the opportunity to attend the first few events. Other new developments in the startup community include 1871, the startup co-working space, and the FireStarter Fund, the newest angel investing group in Chicago. It’s clear that the rest of the country is also realizing the growth in startups here in Chicago, since Brad Feld, founder of Foundry Group and TechStars, recently mentioned it in his blog as well. It's a very exciting time to live in Chicago and watch this community continue to grow!