Portfolio Companies

LandscapeHub raises $4.4M seed round to make cities more beautiful

If you think about it, tree-lined streets and perfectly landscaped parks and public spaces are a logistical miracle. A single city block can contain plants shipped in from every corner of the country. Professionals in the landscaping industry still manage most of those logistics manually. But that won’t last long, if LandscapeHub has its way. “Landscaping is a sleeper industry […]

March 14, 2018 By Tina Wink

ParkWhiz Names Beyond the Rack Founder as Its CEO

Chicago on-demand parking startup ParkWhiz has a new CEO. The company announced Tuesday that it has appointed Yona Shtern as its next chief executive. He replaces Aashish Dalal, ParkWhiz’s founder, who will transition to chairman of the company’s board.  Shtern has been ParkWhiz’s chairman for the past year. He was previously the co-founder and CEO of Beyond the Rack, an e-commerce […]

March 6, 2018 By Tina Wink

FourKites Raises $35M as It Lines up More Big-Name Customers

Chicago logistics startup FourKites just snagged some new funding to expand and improve its technology that helps trucking companies predict shipping times. FourKites announced Tuesday that it has raised $35 million in new funding in a round led by August Capital, a Menlo Park, CA-based venture firm that has also invested in Chicago startups Avant and Rocketmiles. The […]

February 20, 2018 By Tina Wink

FourKites to double headcount after closing $35M Series B

FourKites will be a lot bigger by year’s end. On Tuesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the freight tracking and logistics technology company has just raised a $35 million Series B. August Capital led the round, which also included existing investors Hyde Park Ventures and Bain Capital Ventures — the lead investor on FourKites’ $13 million Series A. FourKites has […]

February 20, 2018 By Tina Wink

Startup FourKites Raises $35 Million to Expand Abroad, Improve Shipping-Time Prediction

FourKites Inc., a startup that tracks freight shipments in real time, said it has raised $35 million to expand its operations abroad and improve its ability to predict shipping times. The Chicago-based company makes software that shows shippers and logistics companies the location of their cargo and alerts them to potential delays. The technology helps retailers and […]

February 20, 2018 By Tina Wink

Introducing Chicago Inno’s 2018 Tech Madness Finalists

Get ready, folks. We’re only three weeks out from our annual Tech Madness bracket reveal event. Each year, the Chicago Inno team hosts a reader-driven bracket competition in the spirit of March Madness to drive awareness and excitement for Chicago’s startup ecosystem. On March 7, we’ll unveil the official 2018 Tech Madness bracket at our reveal party […]

February 13, 2018 By Tina Wink

How to be a Mission-Driven COO

At Farmer’s Fridge, Shayna Harris finds the value in listening and purpose. Why It Matters In a growing company, leaders who focus on priorities, mission, and culture help define what the organization is about — and what its future holds.   When’s the last time you browsed a vending machine and ended up selecting the […]

February 13, 2018 By Tina Wink

Packback raises $4.2M Series A after doubling down on student engagement

Packback’s decision to double down on student engagement appears to be paying off. The edtech startup, whose AI-driven learning platform lets college students explore topics more deeply by asking and answering questions, announced on Wednesday that it has raised $4.2 million in Series A funding. University Ventures led the round, in which celebrity investor Mark […]

January 31, 2018 By Tina Wink

Mark Cuban, Other Investors Put More Money Into AI Startup Packback

As Packback continues its pivot away from an online textbook platform and into artificial intelligence software for college courses, Mark Cuban and other investors are pouring more money into the Chicago startup. Packback announced Wednesday that it has raised a $4.2 million Series A round of funding led by University Ventures. Cuban, the Dallas Maverick’s owner and […]

January 31, 2018 By Tina Wink

Unsafe At Any Speed? Seatbelts For Online Learning

In early January I received the sad news that a college friend had passed away at the untimely age of 46. Although I’ve never mentioned him in this Letter, I’ve been tempted on many occasions. Shohei “Speed” Kuga was the most colorful character I’ve ever known. In relaying the news, his college roommate said, “It […]

January 25, 2018 By Tina Wink