This celebration of the Chicago ecosystem is brought to you by @properties, the leading Chicago real estate brokerage serving both the city of Chicago and North Shore through dynamic marketing and innovation. So it’s no surprise that there is a strong startup culture that caters to local foodies. Chicago is home to the country’s first food incubator, Good Food Business Accelerator (GFBA). The accelerator just wrapped up its first six-month program and is in the process of sourcing applications for round two. Like many entrepreneurs in Chicago, Slama is encouraged by the state of ‘food capital’ in the city because it attracts VCs looking to invest in food tech. The U.S. food tech industry has been growing in the last few years; in 2014 with a total of $2.4 billion of private capital invested into the ecosystem – 42% greater than 2013’s $1.7 billion, and twice as much as 2012’s influx of $1.2 billion. Chicago-based company, GrubHub, is the nation’s leading mobile food-ordering startup that has raised over $180 million in funding. This success story has inspired many local food-focused startups. We have a list of some of the startups that are taking Chicago’s foodie scene by storm: Food Genius Food Genius helps companies enhance their pricing strategies, stay current on competitors that are driving industry trends by collecting data about the food industry. Some the company’s clients include Kraft, IHOP, and Arby’s.
Artizone Artisanal offers users a curated collection of the very best artisan food in the Chicago area. It’s an unique portal provides aggregated access to authentic, handcrafted food stuff.
gDine gDine is an online platform that allow users to book and prepay for dinner. Guests can browse for restaurant options and view the expansive prix-fixe menus. (prix-fixe menu, optional wine or cocktail pairings, plus tax & gratuity). You can even Split-The-Check between multiple guests.
WeDeliver WeDeliver connects businesses to their customers by providing same-day delivery of goods, real-time tracking and customer feedback. Using a fleet of curated, on-demand drivers powered by algorithmic dispatching, the company ensures the quickest delivery of any product from any business to any customer at any time.
Meal Sharing What better way to experience local food than to eat at a local’s home? Meal Sharing connects users with a home cooked meal in people’s homes. For those who love to cook, it’s a great opportunity to become a host and show off your city’s gems.
Table Savvy This app offers last minute offers in any Chicago restaurant. It also finds same day tables at your favorite local spot and offer them to you at 30% off. Great last minute deals on the go.
Fooda This online platform connects restaurants to people while at work. With a focus on the corporate crowd, Fooda provides catering services to groups of 10 to 500, and it takes care of delivery, setup and cleanup.
Kitchfix Kitchfix delivers healthy meals to homes, offices and gyms throughout the Chicago area. They offer the online ordering of healthy and delicious meals for people who always want to make the best choice when it comes to their food.
Radish Radish delivers healthy, ready-to-eat meals, on demand. It doesn’t only offer a weekly set menu like most delivery startups, instead it mixes and match any combination of items. They deliver in 20 minutes or less.
DinnDinn Need some advice on what to order? DinnDinn is an app that allows you to see dishes, drinks, or desserts look like before you order them. Once you order you can even rate the item yourself.
Every Last Morsel Scheduled to launch this month, Every Last Morsel is a community marketplace where local growers can use online record-keeping tools and sales outlets to develop their business or hobby.
Image Credit: Flickr/Mike Lavoie
