8 Companies to Watch This Summer

Things have been heating up in Chicago this summer — both literally and figuratively. 

While the city has seen its fair share of above-average temperatures since the season began, the local tech scene is bringing its own heat in the form of fresh venture capital. A report from Quantum Insider states that a recently launched deep tech venture fund, Harper Court Ventures, will support startups emerging from the University of Chicago ecosystem that are focused on areas such as quantum computing, AI and life sciences. 

Meanwhile, the quantum craze continues at Infleqtion, which recently announced it will build the state’s first utility-scale, neutral atom quantum computer in Chicago. According to a Built In Chicago report, the initiative is expected to generate new opportunities for capital investment, research acceleration and job creation and will support government-funded programs, private foundations and other commercial partners. 

As Chicago’s tech scene continues to grow and invest heavily in the latest research and technology, local companies across many sectors are doing their part to make the city a haven for tech talent. 

For instance, at Caxy, technologists stay busy building custom software solutions for a wide range of clients, all while harnessing the power of AI with the proper frameworks in place. At CPI OpenFox, team members are focused on building software solutions for use by law enforcement and public safety agencies, supported by a culture that fosters a focus on “fresh thinking.” 

These two companies, along with six others, are a testament to the growing strength of Chicago’s tech community. Read on to learn about each one, including the technologies that drive success on their teams and the perks and benefits that help their people thrive. 

 

What TransUnion does: TransUnion is a global information and insights company that aims to help organizations understand consumers more effectively and deliver personalized experiences.

A return-worthy workplace: Sabrina Crouch, a global advisor for talent development at TransUnion, caught up with Built In last year to share why she decided to return to the company after taking on a position at a different employer. She shared that the company’s culture, coupled with opportunities to drive innovation, compelled her to return. “Being back, I’m so lucky to rediscover the opportunities to collaborate with diverse teams, tackle meaningful projects and pursue innovative ideas without fear of judgment,” Crouch said. “Our culture encourages experimentation, learning and growth, making it a truly special place to work.”

 

 

What Beyond Finance does: Beyond Finance offers financial products that are designed to help individuals overcome debt. 

Cultivating ownership: Beyond Finance Engineering Manager Mike Larkin caught up with Built In last year to describe how his team’s approach to fostering a focus on ownership, which includes rotating who gets to be a “project lead.” “This has helped ensure that everybody is exposed to more of the software development lifecycle, spreads out domain knowledge and creates opportunities for mentoring from the senior team members when they are not the acting lead,” he said. 

 

 

What ALIS does: ALIS’ flagship product is designed to help assisted living communities eliminate tedious paperwork, improve portfolio performance and more.

Harnessing the power of AI and ML: In an interview with Built In last year, ALIS Head of Data Science Reza Borhani described how the company has developed and refined a pipeline of taking AI and machine learning solutions to production, which begins with identifying pain point that may be amenable to data-driven solutions. “In doing so, we prioritize rapid iteration over prolonged analysis,” he said. “This helps us avoid investing significant time and resources in solutions that may not eventually be successful in production.”

 

 

Jobba Trade Technologies: Jobba Trade Technologies’ cloud-based solutions are designed to help commercial and residential roofers increase profitability and efficiency. 

In the news: Last year, the company announced the launch of new features, including Jobba Compass, a support feature that uses AI to give users the most tailored and helpful information. The company also rolled out a new geolocation feature in its Jobba Power Board scheduling program, which is designed to make the scheduling process more efficient. 

 

 

What Pangea Money Transfer does: Pangea Money Transfer, an independent subsidiary under Enova, offers a mobile app that’s designed to enable individuals to quickly and securely send money internationally. 

Impact meets collaboration: In an interview with Built In, Claire Moller, a strategy and operations manager at Pangea Money Transfer, shared what she believes sets the company’s workplace apart. “At Pangea, I enjoy the challenge of solving high-impact, complex problems in a highly collaborative team setting,” she said. “Across all teams, people want to help each other and are focused on doing right by our customers and business.”

 

 

What Caxy does: Caxy builds custom software solutions for organizations across a wide range of industries, including financial services, healthcare and hospitality. 

Embracing AI: Caxy Founder and CEO Michael LaVista caught up with Built In earlier this year to describe how the company overcame challenges during the AI adoption process. “We had to teach teams how to think about AI not as a department but as a layer — one that touches data, ops, UX and strategy,” he said. “Internally, we built lightweight templates for how to run AI discovery, validate assumptions with fast prototypes and bake in user feedback early. That made AI less intimidating and more repeatable.”

 

 

What Quantum Rise does: Quantum Rise is an AI-native company that builds a broad range of products for organizations in various industries, from private equity to consumer packaged goods. 

Harnessing the power of AI: In a blog post on the company’s website, Quantum Rise leaders offered insight into the decades of experience they have in helping organizations harness the power of AI. “We can hash out feature-store design or fine-tune bespoke RAG-system guardrails in minutes, because the team has already run them at scale,” Director of Data Science Shahbaz Khan shared in the post. “We combine battle-tested engineers, product managers, and change-management pros in one squad. We don’t just ship models — we decompose fuzzy problems, lay out the technical roadmap, and operationalize change so value sticks.”

 

 

What CPI OpenFox does: CPI OpenFox builds software solutions for use by law enforcement and public safety agencies. 

Innovation drives evolution: Earlier this year, CPI OpenFox Managing Director of Engineering Paul Jones spoke with Built In about how his team fosters innovation, which encourages engineers to continuously grow over time. “Almost every engineer I have ever worked with has had a stronger affinity to solving new problems with new technology compared to resolving the same issues over and over caused by an outdated tech stack,” he said. “Innovation and fresh thinking fosters growth.”