Real, verified funding sources for artificial intelligence founders in Illinois: VC funds, accelerators, angel networks, and active grant programs — sourced from SEC filings and Grants.gov, not estimates.
General partners: Lauren DeLuca, David Wieland
TechNexus Venture Collaborative
Polsky Center (UChicago)
Northwestern Jumpstart Pre-Accelerator
TechRise (P33 / Verizon / 1871)
📍 Chicago, IL
📍 Chicago, IL
📍 Evanston, IL
📍 Chicago, IL
📍 Chicago, IL
📍 Champaign, IL
Artificial Intelligence falls under the broader "Technology" category in federal grant data. These are federal programs open to eligible founders nationwide (including Illinois) — live from Grants.gov, refreshed nightly.
DARPA - Information Processing Technologies Office
DOC NOAA - ERA Production
69A355 Research and Technology
69A355 Research and Technology
Geological Survey
Office of Naval Research
Yes — 1 funds headquartered in Illinois have "Artificial Intelligence" (or a close synonym) in their legal name, based on SEC Form D filings. This is a name match, not a verified thesis, so it understates true local investor interest.
6 accelerator programs open to Illinois-based artificial intelligence founders are in our database, including programs based in Illinois and globally-available programs.
Yes — 6 angel investor networks based in Illinois are in our database, ranked by member count with artificial intelligence-relevant groups surfaced first where our sector data supports it.
60 currently open federal grant programs are tagged under the Technology category, which is where artificial intelligence falls in our grant classification. These are federal programs open to eligible founders nationwide (including Illinois), pulled live from Grants.gov and refreshed nightly.