[marothisu]

^ Amazon probably wasn't mentioned because they only have a few hundred people in Chicago. it's funny that companies like IBM were mentioned considering they've been in Chicago for *years*. Even the tech consulting practice I used to work for has been in Chicago for probably around 20 years. Of course, the IBM Building was built in the early 1970s in Chicago.


Now for some other news:

SpotHero Raises $50M to Accelerate Growth, Make 50 Engineering Hires

https://www.builtinchicago.org/2019/...s-50m-series-d

In Chicago, like many places, finding parking can sometimes be a nightmare. So SpotHero provides a platform where you can buy or sell parking spots.

And now its business is accelerating. On Thursday, SpotHero announced that it raised a $50 million Series D funding round. That brings the company’s total funding to $118 million.

..

Lawrence told Built In that the new funding will go towards strengthening SpotHero’s partnerships, as well as signing new ones. The company also wants to put the funding toward scaling its digital parking marketplace and hiring swaths of people — including 50 engineers.

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Not big news, but still good

VC-Backed Photo App VSCO to Open Chicago Office

https://www.americaninno.com/chicago...hicago-office/

VSCO, a popular photo editing app that’s reportedly valued at $550 million, is opening an office in Chicago.

The startup announced this week that it plans to open a Chicago outpost this fall at the Working From, a co-working space inside The Hoxton hotel in the West Loop. The Chicago office will start with a handful of employees and plans to grow to 20 over the next 12 months.

The Windy City space will be VSCO’s second office outside of its headquarters in Oakland, where it currently employs 150 people.

..

“With a strong talent pool, a city-wide appreciation for the arts, and a diverse mix of cultures and points of view, Chicago was an easy choice,” VSCO’s VP of People Katy Shields wrote in a company blog post.

..

The company said it will be hiring in Chicago across “all disciplines,” and its current local job openings include director of engineering, senior product manager and technical recruiter.

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Kin Raises $47M to Launch Own Insurance Carrier in Florida

https://www.americaninno.com/chicago...er-in-florida/

Chicago-based Kin, an insuretech startup that’s created an easier way to buy home insurance, raised a new round of funding to launch its own insurance carrier in Florida.

The startup announced Tuesday that it raised $47 million in a round led by August Capital. Hudson Structured Capital Management (HSCM Bermuda), Avanta, the UChicago Startup Investment Program and existing investors also participated.

The new round brings Kin’s total funding to more than $60 million. Kin, founded in 2016, last raised $12 million in 2018 to continue growing its insurance platform that allows it to make underwriting decisions quickly based on data from satellite images, public records and other sources.

The new financing will be mainly used to support the creation of its Kin Interinsurance Network, a new insurance entity that allows the startup to independently offer its services in Florida. Up until now, Kin has been operating as a managing general agent, a model that’s allowed Kin to use its tech to insure policyholders but required them to use another insurance company’s license to do it, said CEO Sean Harper.

He said by launching the Kin Interinsurance Network, the startup can control the entire insurance process for its policyholders, which also brings down the cost.