While tech news in Chicago was fairly quiet last week, a handful of players in the space announced new moves. A foodtech startup secured a deal with a major grocery store chain, and a Californian EV maker is expanding its Midwest footprint. This is the Built In Chicago Weekly Refresh.
CoPilot raised $23M. CoPilot operates a mobile app that lets consumers shop for new and used cars available at dealerships. The company secured its most recent investment after adding a ChatGPT-powered feature to its platform. Max Levchin, the co-founder of payments company PayPal, led the round. [TS 2 Space]
Rivian will open a Chicago showroom. Operating in the electric vehicle space, truck and SUV manufacturer Rivian announced plans to open up a new showroom at 871 N. Rush St. Having decided to situate itself on Chicago’s Gold Coast, the Southern California-based company is embracing its focus on the environment and outdoors by occupying real estate near Connors Park and Lake Michigan. [CoStar]
Chicago Tech Quote of the Week
“We’re excited to welcome Silicon Foundry to the Kearney family and look forward to partnering with their world-class experts in providing best-of-breed innovation services for our clients. Given Kearney’s global reach, the ability to provide clients across Europe, Middle East and Asia with direct access to some of the most disruptive startups across the major global technology ecosystems will truly set the firm apart from our competitors.”— Ben T. Smith IV, Kearney board of directors member
Kearney acquired Silicon Foundry. Kearney is a management consulting firm for company executives, government entities and nonprofit organizations. The Chicago firm announced its acquisition of Silicon Foundry, a San Francisco-based advisory firm that helps companies navigate new technologies. The deal means to cement Kearney’s commitment to helping executive teams fully transform their organizations. [PR Newswire]
Kooshy Croutons to sell at Whole Foods. Chicago-based snack brand Kooshy Croutons provides dairy-free and vegan flavors of croutons. The company launched in February 2022 and got its start selling its products at the Logan Square Farmers Market. Kooshy Croutons are now available at 500 Whole Foods Markets locations across the U.S. [Chicago Inno]
