Startups Chicago

Map of the local innovation industry.
Meet some of the best and newest startups based in Chicago.

52 retail Startups View all

Quality GPTs - Custom designed GPTs for businesses

QualityGPTs

GPTs, personalized for you.
Agency providing easy to use AI tools to small businesses.

Ox&Pen - retail loyalty programs restaurants local businesses

Ox&Pen

loyalty and rewads program focused on generating repeat business for local merchants
Ox&Pen is a web and mobile based universal loyalty and rewards program that provides local business owners with a technology-based marketing platform in which to attract and retain customers. Our program rewards members with points for purchases, check-ins, and ...

ZinALittle - retail wine and spirits social commerce interior design

ZinALittle

In-Home Wine Tasting Parties
Wine Based In-Home Party Plan System ZinAlittle is an in-home wine tasting party with a twist. Unique and socially relevant wine labels take the snobbery out of the traditional tasting party. Less focus on the history of the grape, more focus on great wine & ...

cThru.us - retail publishing small and medium businesses events

cThru.us

iBeacon and Augmented Reality for Retail
cThru.us allows any retail business to deliver promotions, merchandise, offers and customer service using iBeacons and Augmented Reality (AR) without any programming knowledge. Our out-of-the-box platform lets small business owners and their bigger counterparts ...

Momma Cuisine - mobile social media retail cooking

Momma Cuisine

Great Everyday Meals
Johanna M. Cook has been capturing audiences as Momma Cuisine since 2009 with her mission to get families across America making Great Everyday Meals with simple ingredients and basic cooking techniques. Momma Cuisine’s warm and engaging personality has helped her ...

Yella - retail loyalty programs restaurants internet of things

Yella

The Smart Rewards Program
Yella is the Smart Rewards Program. Simply visit any Yella location to earn points towards awesome rewards. No need to stamp, scan or check-in - it's all automatic. Actually, it's automagic. Use Yella to leave feedback about your visit. Store owners take your ...

DriShade - retail

DriShade

"Razor-thin" Patent-pending Umbrella Backpack
The DriShade design will redefine the traditional backpack as it successfully combines the backpack and the umbrella in a stylish way people can embrace. No more getting caught in the rain, and no more forgetting your umbrella. The problem is solved in such a ...

Lost Crates - retail subscription businesses

Lost Crates

Subscription service for handpicked designer goods
Lost Crates is a subscription service that delivers design-inspired goods right to members' doors. The company offers several different subscription themes as well as crates curated by partners such as Better Living Through Design and Design Milk. Members are welcome ...

Lowcost Email cheap flights alerts

NowBoarding ✈️

Invite-only mailing list.
We search the best weekend and long-haul flight deals so you can book before everyone else.

SetuServ - mobile retail analytics

SetuServ

Text Analysis
SetuServ is a text analytics firm focused on building Voice of Customer (VoC) solutions using Natural Language Processing (NLP) and curation. These VoC solutions derive actionable insights that clients can use to "close the loop" with their customers and to make ...

Collaborative Group - retail fashion ventures for good artists globally

Collaborative Group

Collaborative Group connects brands and retailers to artisans in the developing world.
Collaborative Group connects brands and retailers with artisans in the developing world. We create collaborations that provide sustainable livelihoods in underserved communities and unique, socially impactful products to our brand partners. The artisan sector ...

Mantle - digital media retail film marketplaces

Mantle

Movies Worth Watching
Mantle allows users to display movies they love and compare with friends via Facebook. People can rank, comment and add films to their "WatchList" so they have a digital shopping list next time they go to rent or buy a movie. Mantle is studio, medium and retail ...

Reppio - e-commerce retail marketplaces social commerce

Reppio

Marketplace that brings together the best specialty shops in one convenient location
Reppio is an online marketplace that brings together select specialty shops from the best neighborhoods in one convenient location. We aim to be the premier guide for locals and tourists alike to shop and explore hyper-local culture, style, and talent. Starting ...

Wrightwood Furniture - e-commerce retail home decor

Wrightwood Furniture

Amazing Handmade Furniture Made Affordable
Wrightwood makes amazing furniture affordable. Savings of 30% to 70% over ALL forms of retail including traditional retail and flash sales. Shop online or in our Lakeview, Chicago store.

Invitation codes

The referral community
Invitation App is a social network where people post their referral codes and collect rewards on autopilot.

Chitowncellular - e-commerce retail retail technology

Chitowncellular

THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTS IPADS ETC WITH HIGH PROFIT MARGINS
ChitownCellular will be home for all mobile phones and latest technology toys..With competitive pricing for consumers and high profit returns for investors..ChitownCellular will not be the average mobile phone site.It will feature exclusive wholesale pricing for ...

Belly - retail advertising small and medium businesses retail technology

Belly

Belly is a universal loyalty program that customers can take with them anywhere! We're spreading the love to your favorite places, enabling you to earn rewards wherever you go. Whether it's your morning cup of Joe or late-night beard trim and hair cut, Belly is ...

BucketFeet - e-commerce retail fashion art

BucketFeet

Our mission is to connect people through art.
Our mission is to connect people through art.

Groupon - retail deals discounts travel

Groupon

Daily Deals. Delivered.
Groupon features a daily deal on the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in 45 countries, and soon beyond (read: Space). We have about 10,000 employees working across our Chicago headquarters, a growing office in Seattle and Palo Alto, CA, local markets throughout ...

FLW International - retail nonprofits entertainment industry

FLW International

Location Based Platform Services
Our Platform offers Push Notification, Location Based Mobile analytics.

Blitsy - e-commerce retail communities diy

Blitsy

Arts & Crafts Ecommerce and Community
Blitsy is on a mission to become the online market leader in the Arts and Crafts market.

Boomerang - retail direct marketing social commerce incentives

Boomerang

Advertising meets rewards
Boomerang is the first platform that lets websites and mobile apps engage their audiences with free, real-world rewards from top brands. Partners use our technology to offer free $5 - $10 shopping credits at brands like Target, Reebok, and Newegg (similar to ...

Get Fresh Kit - retail mens specific

Get Fresh Kit

Discover the best in men's grooming and skincare
Get Fresh Kit aims to help men effortlessly discover the best in men’s skincare and grooming products by making it easy to try and restock products. To learn about new brands or determine which type of shaving cream, shampoo, etc. works best, members can try GFK’s ...

Live Storefronts - retail advertising sales and marketing

Live Storefronts

Online Showrooms made easy
Live Storefronts helps Brick & Mortar businesses keep their website up to date with their inventory.

Project: Living Well - consumers retail fashion product design

Project: Living Well

The North Face for Unicorn Chasing Adventurers.
If FakeGrimlock were our CEO, he'd most likely describe our business as: "PEOPLE ON JOURNEY WANT FEEL LIKE WHAT DO MATTER. JOURNEY DIFFICULT. JOURNEY LONELY. TWO FRIEND HAVE IDEA. WHAT IF MAKE PRODUCT FOR HELP JOURNEY? MAKE FOR PEOPLE WEAR. MORE THAN WEAR. HELP ...

Doggyloot - e-commerce consumer goods retail pets

Doggyloot

Top Dog in Online Pet Product Discovery, acquired by FamilyPet in 2015
doggyloot is a super-simple eCommerce platform that sells curated pet products to a highly engaged customer base. We help dog-loving customers discover top-quality products every day at the most competitive prices with our daily emails, and make it convenient for ...

Retailbound - retail

Retailbound

We help manufacturers market their products to retailers
* Outsourced Retail Marketing * Retail Consulting * Retail Coaching

Monica + Andy - e-commerce retail babies baby and kids

Monica + Andy

Bonobos for babies
We aspire to be the most thoughtful children's brand ever created... Monica + Andy (www.monicaandandy.com) is a vertically integrated, e-commerce driven children’s apparel brand. We are building a unique, community-driven brand which places boutique quality goods ...

Trunk Club - retail fashion personalization

Trunk Club

Hand-selected outfits shipped to your door
Traditional retail or e-commerce doesn't work well for most guys, and we’ve built our business around the idea that there’s a better way. We send guys a trunk of awesome clothes personalized for them by a real person on our team - each guy keeps what he likes and ...

Tennille White - e-commerce retail fashion custom retail

Tennille White

Plus-Size Fashion Lifestyle Brand
Tennille White is an “attainable” luxury lifestyle brand that aims to provide plus-size women with quality high fashion products. This lifestyle concept has multiple product categories, including ready-to-wear, shoes and accessories for women sizes XL- 4X (14 - ...

Sporty Threads - e-commerce retail sports fashion

Sporty Threads

Where fashion meets sports
We make "being a fan" cool. Unlike the Walmarts of fan apparel, where you can find everything from coffee mugs to underwear, Sporty Threads carefully curates only the most fashionable fan apparel for women. It's their one stop shop where they know they are getting ...

Mack Dryer Sheets - retail fashion small and medium businesses mens specific

Mack Dryer Sheets

Dryer Sheets for the male population
My idea stems from being lazy in college. Simply put, I was always in a rush and never wanted to iron my clothes. I ALWAYS threw my shirt in the dryer for about 20 minutes before wearing it. Not only did I just like the feel, but I actually felt cleaner [even though ...

mobywize - SaaS enterprise software retail retail technology

mobywize

A digital Swiss Army Knife for retail associates
mobywize offers a smart, native mobile sales enablement app that empowers retail associates to deliver a more engaging shopper experience resulting in incremental sales. Built for retailers - by retailers, the mobywize technology is simplistic yet powerful. The ...

RawNature5 - retail food and beverages fitness Health Foods

RawNature5

Almond Milk Protein Drinks
RawNature5 Is an Almond Milk based Protein Drink line. Each product s Gluten Free, Organic, Lactose free and Vegan. There are five flavors that all come in 12oz bottles packed with 24 grams of hemp protein. We currently specialize in selling to middle to high ...

Scout - retail fashion shopping

Scout

Personal Shopping. Everywhere.
Scout connects shoppers to retailers to provide product suggestions based on personal style, budget, and search intent.

Tem Jal - e-commerce retail Women's apparel and accessories Ethical Fashion

Tem Jal

Globally Aware | Artisan-made | Ecommerce
Tem Jal is a social enterprise dedicated to the design and production of exclusive personal accessories. We are committed to the preservation of tribal and traditional cultural heritage, promoting environmental and social awareness through the use of recycled materials ...

Flowers for Dreams - e-commerce retail ventures for good flowers

Flowers for Dreams

Warby Parker for Flowers
Flowers for Dreams is a new kind of flower service. Locally crafted flowers sold online for a simple $35 with free local delivery - all done with the click of a button. Each purchase benefits an amazing local charity. We're making flowers more accessible, simple, ...

RewardsByKilo - retail retail technology

RewardsByKilo

DataAnalytics for Retail Store Outlets
We provide Data Analytics to retail businesses using loyalty programs as a platform. Customer Demographic and Behavioral data is captured at the Point of Sale System using our application. The information is used to create targeted and personalized email marketing ...

The Arrogance Club - retail manufacturing fashion

The Arrogance Club

Conceptual High Fashion Clothing
The Arrogance Club is an upscale clothing company based out of Chicago. Started in 2011 with about 100$, I have managed to build a brand with celebrity endorsements (Chumlee, Christina Millian, Taj Gibson), a social media platform (a following of combined 5k+ consumers), ...

Avé Gourmet - e-commerce retail food and beverages mobile commerce

Avé Gourmet

Digital Platform for Social Event Shopping
We help retailers showroom products in the real world at amazing events easier and cheaper than banner ads.

House Of Múizz - e-commerce retail fashion blogging platforms

House Of Múizz

Online Luxury Retail
House of Muizz is an online boutique that will provide consumers, both men and women, in the Unites States with access to luxury brands such as Pierre Balmain and etc that are seldom available to any other U.S. based online luxury boutique. The primary goal of ...

Little Independent - e-commerce retail social commerce retail technology

Little Independent

local design on t-shirts & mugs
Founded in 2010, Little Independent is a Chicago-based marketplace for t-shirts and mugs featuring local designs. Find bike shop t-shirts, coffee shop mugs, bookstore shirts and more. Proceeds are split 50/50 with small businesses. New designs are added regularly ...

Chicago Belt Company - e-commerce retail fashion small and medium businesses

Chicago Belt Company

American made canvas and ribbon dring belts with Chicago and Great Lakes themes.
Chicago Belt Co. makes American made canvas and ribbon dring belts with Chicago and Great Lakes themes.

Axadax - e-commerce retail marketplaces business development

Axadax

Internet Marketplace - etsy for professionals
Our Marketplace solves all e-commerce issues for vendors. We provide a store front to sell products, a 'back room' to run the business, on-boarding support to get started, business mentors to guide, business specialists to fill skill gaps, educational support to ...

Ruffnet Basketball Equipment - retail manufacturing home owners basketball

Ruffnet Basketball Equipment

Garage Hoops Made And Installed
We manufacture,sell and install basketball goals on garages and driveways.We provide a more personal tailored to fit hoop buying experience then the bix box stores can. Our customer typically is a home owner with small children.

Cygany - e-commerce retail

Cygany

Poopy Products, Pooh Pee Tracker APP
Poopy Products are over 20 retail products in pet waste management. We are up in over 20,000 stores including online store locations. The Pooh Pee Tracker APP, just launched in September, 2013, is an innovative, educational, and fun animated social media APP, allows ...

PhoneTender - e-commerce retail small and medium businesses groceries

PhoneTender

Ending the Check Out Line
Ending the Check Out Line.

Sgnify - retail governments restaurants travel & tourism

Sgnify

Advertising supported public access digital signage for municipal customers
Proximity based advertising delivered through interactive digital signage installed in municipal transit, public parking garages, municipal locations such as bus shelters or other high pedestrian trafficed locations. Target locations included tourist and visitor ...

Out of Pages - e-commerce retail design art

Out of Pages

Notebook Subscriptions
Subscribe to the best field-tested notebooks around. Some ideas can't be saved on a smartphone. They have to be sketched, diagrammed or written by hand. They have to be torn out and handed to someone or rolled into a bottle and sent adrift. Out of Pages wants ...

Forever Yogurt - retail restaurants franchises

Forever Yogurt

Aggressively Growing Franchise Company
Forever Yogurt is an award-winning, leading brand in the frozen yogurt industry. Forever Yogurt has experienced tremendous growth, both domestically & globally, only in its first year of franchising! With high grossing stores & low overhead, taking part in Forever ...

Femaneek - retail fashion women-focused

Femaneek

Online Women's Apparel Boutique
Femaneek is an online retailer for women ages 18-35 offering trendy apparel ranging from office wear to that perfect dress for the weekend. I will offer apparel for women of most sizes at an exceptional rate for a higher quality product. Being a fashion merchandising ...

Kingaroo Pouche - e-commerce retail custom retail celebrity

Kingaroo Pouche

KP is a single unit product that merges your cell phone and listening device.
KP was designed to merge cell phone and IPOD with earplug or headphone to eliminate two thing; constant hand held process, and the limp noodle effect of dangling earplug cords during commuting. KP can be worn inside or outside of any attire during any season, during ...

Purple Vain - e-commerce retail fashion

Purple Vain

Providing fun individual pieces to women of style !
Purple Vain is an online fashion boutique that provides fun fashion pieces for all women. Some of our pieces are handmade. We go above and beyond to find the most unique styles to allow our customers to make a statement without saying a word.

Danie Marie Boutique - retail fashion women-focused

Danie Marie Boutique

Fashion Discount Clothing ($10 Clothing)
Danie Marie Boutique is a trendy fashion boutique with the latest styles at unbeatable prices. We will carry apparel and accessories such as, shirts, blouses, pants, jeans, shorts, jackets, jewelry, sunglasses and seasonal styles.

Gekks - retail fashion Designer footwear

Gekks

Innovative no-show sock
Gekks are thin, breathable liner socks that grip to the inside of your boat shoes, loafers, drivers, and more. Our customers get to keep their sockless style by slipping in and out of their shoes barefoot, yet add comfort and anti-stench properties while inside ...

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