The 10 Most Anticipated Startups In Chicago

TechStars has become one of the most prominent startup accelerators in the world, with locations in Boston, Boulder, New York, London, and Seattle.

Late last month, TechStars announced the 10 startups that beat out nearly 1,000 applicants to join its inaugural program in Chicago. TechStars Chicago was formerly known as Excelerate Labs, but the two recently formed a partnership and decided to use the TechStars branding.

TechStars is a three-month accelerator program that gives entrepreneurs access to mentors, and invests $118,000 in each company: $18,000 in seed funding and an optional $100,000 convertible note.

Startups that go through TechStars seem to be bound for success. TechStars has funded companies like SendGrid, Condition One, Kinvey, and Timehop, to name a few.

Out of the 175 startups that have gone through TechStars, 90% of them are still up-and-running or have been acquired.