Funding
October 10, 2026
Midwest startup funding, week ending October 9, 2026: $6.6m across three deals, led by Bloom's $3.6m seed, plus Thrixel and SecondSight.
Midwest startups raised $2.06 billion across 82 venture rounds in Q3 2026 with Keyfactor's $1 billion Ohio round nearly half the total.
Technology
October 8, 2026
Oracle plans to draw 125 to 250 MW from the Point Beach nuclear plant for its AI data center in Port Washington, Wisconsin. Ratepayers are asking who pays.
People
Erin Wall of Minneapolis-based Lunr Capital on funding consumer brands before the purchase order, and why Minnesota's corporate giants need to move faster.
By
Phil Vella
•
October 12, 2026
Chicago startups built America's marketplace engine, from Groupon and Grubhub to Cameo and SpotHero. Why the city's VC culture keeps funding them.
Universities in Indiana and across the Midwest serve entrepreneurs best by helping students take the first step, and giving them a place to fail and learn.
At least 125 Ohio communities now have data center moratoriums. While Michigan, Illinois, and Minnesota towns are rewriting zoning rules to keep up with the boom.
START UP Season 14 spotlights 13 entrepreneurs from Columbus, Chicago and across Ohio and Illinois, premiering October 4 on WORLD Channel and PBS.
Digital Reference founder Ryan Stevens on leaving D.C. to build in Michigan, what AI has done to resume screening, and the trade-offs of a smaller pond.
Opinion
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September 9, 2026
September 8, 2026
September 5, 2026
Ecosystem
August 29, 2026
August 24, 2026
August 22, 2026
August 21, 2026
August 15, 2026
