With the recent slowdown in venture funding, Chicago didn’t see many venture deals completed this week. However, tech startups were still on the rise, announcing new initiatives, acquisitions and office spaces. Read up on Goldman Sachs’ latest acquisition or how a startup is helping Chicago students with the Built In Chicago refresh.
Goldman Sachs acquired NextCapital. NextCapital is a robo-investing startup that was founded in Chicago and helps companies that offer retirement packages better invest in retirement plans. Goldman Sachs already offers retirement plans, but by absorbing NextCapital, it will be able to offer better retirement options to its customers. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of the year. [Built In Chicago]
Logik.io looks to double in size. With a new office just north of Chicago in Highland Park, Logik is looking to double its employee base to populate the new space. Prior to the new office and announced hiring plans, the company raised $10 million last year and is now using the funds to fuel its growth. Logik creates custom Salesforce CPQ solutions that help companies compute products costs on their platforms when needing to take into account additional features that are not reflected in the base price of the product. [Built In Chicago]
CHILI publish secured $11M. The design automation software startup based in Chicago and Belgium said the new funding would be used to attract new talent and boost its go-to-market sales operations. CHILI’s design platform, used by companies like Coca-Cola, Mars and other Fortune 500 companies, speeds up the asset design process by allowing users to create, edit and share designs from one single platform. [CHILI publish]
Goodsend partnered with Noble Charter Schools. Goodsend is a giving platform in which local consumers and companies can donate directly to Chicago students in need. In its partnership with Noble Charter Schools, Goodsend will launch a new feature in which users can donate directly to students and their families. Students and families in need from the school’s 18 campuses must submit an application to be eligible for the one-time micro-grant. [Goodsend]
TechStars invested $80M to promote diverse founders. In Chicago and other major U.S. cities, Techstars is partnering with J.P. Morgan to launch a new accelerator aimed at helping Black, Latino and unrepresented founders. The accelerator is set to last three months and will provide participants with access to capital and one-on-one mentorship. The program is currently accepting applications for founders in Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Miami and Washington D.C. [Built In]
