How to get your startup on Built In Chicago
TL;DR
Built In Chicago is the Chicago city site of Built In, a tech jobs and media network. Startups appear there through job posts with a company profile, a free ATS integration that cross-posts open roles, and local news coverage. Built In publishes no prices for job slots or its employer plans, so it suits Chicago tech companies that are hiring and can book a sales call.
What is Built In Chicago?
Built In Chicago at builtinchicago.org covers the city's tech scene with four sections: Jobs, Companies, Articles and the Best Places to Work in Chicago awards. It is one of Built In's own city domains, next to Austin, Boston, Colorado, LA, NYC, San Francisco and Seattle.
The audience is tech job seekers. Built In says its network reaches 5M monthly visitors. The Chicago articles feed mixes staff lists such as "109 Chicago Software Companies You Should Know" and "15 Companies Hiring AI Engineers in Chicago" (both updated in October 2026) with labelled Brand Studio pieces that employers pay for.
A company profile on Built In Chicago shows your headcount, founding year, office setup, photos and video, open jobs, perks and benefits, the tools your teams use and any articles that mention you.
Who should use Built In Chicago?
- Tech startups with an office or team in the Chicago area that are hiring engineers, data, product, sales or marketing staff.
- Founders who want their company to appear in the local "companies to know" and "companies hiring" lists.
- Skip it if you have no Chicago presence or no open roles. Built In Chicago is a hiring and employer brand site, and it does not list products for customers.
How much does Built In Chicago cost?
- ATS integration: marked "Free" with "No additional cost" on Built In's job slots page. The request form lists 29 systems.
- Job Post: paid job slots that come with a simple company profile. No price is published.
- Premium Partnership: employer branding, AI visibility tracking and distribution of your story across AI and search. Pricing only through a demo.
- AI Reputation Dashboard: labelled free on the employer site. It shows your AI reputation and the sources shaping it.
- News tips: free.
How do you share your startup on Built In Chicago?
- Search builtinchicago.org/companies for your company name to see whether a profile already exists.
- Request the free ATS integration: the form asks for your name, company email, company name, job title, ATS and careers page URL.
- To post roles without an ATS, or to buy more reach, use the job slots page or book a demo on Built In for employers.
- Send funding rounds, launches and Chicago office openings through Built In's Send Us a Tip form.
Tips to get more out of Built In Chicago
- Fill in every profile field: perks, office photos and your tool list appear on your profile, and the Best Places to Work pages show each company's top perks and benefits.
- Start with the ATS integration, then judge paid job slots by the applicants it brings in.
- Watch the list articles: staff update Chicago lists by industry, such as healthtech, software and travel tech.
- Send funding news on announcement day with the amount, lead investor and how many people you plan to hire in Chicago.
- The DA of 71 belongs to builtinchicago.org. Measure the listing by applicants and profile views.
Our verdict
For a Chicago tech startup that is hiring, Built In Chicago is worth the free ATS integration and a news tip on every funding round. The paid plans have no public prices, so go into the demo with a hiring budget and a target number of hires.
More options: see all tech media, blogs and newsletters. Planning the launch around this listing? The Fe/male Switch startup game walks women founders from idea to first customers.