Built In Chicago

2 weeks ago | builtinchicago.org | Ashley Bowden

Cargado, a Chicago-based logistics company, has secured $12 million in a Series A funding round. The investment was led by LGVP with participation from others, including Conversion Capital and Assembly Ventures. The money will help enhance product development and expand the company’s integrated cross-border freight marketplace. Cargado aims to simplify cross-border logistics by reducing friction and promoting collaboration among logistics providers and carriers.

2 weeks ago | builtinchicago.org | Taylor Rose

Chicago has tech innovation built into its bones. Quite literally. From the World’s Fair laying the groundwork for innovation in 1893 to the forthcoming campus on Chicago’s south side, Chicago has a long history with innovation, and today’s tech scene in the Windy City is no different. The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce boasts that the area has the highest share of female founders in the world, with 34 percent of startups founded by women.

2 months ago | builtinchicago.org | Taylor Rose

In 2025 it’s easy to feel like tech jobs are blooming and wilting at the same time. Software developer jobs saw a rise and fall, peaking in 2022 and dropping again in 2023, according to data from Indeed and Axios. On the other hand, Forbes reported that in 2025, AI engineering roles will likely be the top hiring priority. The article notes that 60 percent of U.S. tech managers are hiring for AI roles, nearly double what we saw in 2024.

2 months ago | builtinchicago.org | Taylor Rose

Chicago is built on great project management — literally. Engineers managed to reverse the flow of the Chicago River, and in doing so, marked the city for an important milestone in civil engineering in history. The Chicago River sits in a unique geological position. After the last ice age, the river sat on a tipping point between the Great Lakes and Mississippi River watersheds, meaning water flowed into both, depending on the weather.

2 months ago | builtinchicago.org | Conlan Carter

With a history of energy entrepreneurship spanning five generations, Energy CX’s founders are carrying on a family legacy aimed at transforming the way people view energy. Founded in Chicago in 2010, Ellen Rice and her husband, Mark, saw an opportunity to address critical gaps in the energy procurement industry.