The Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Food 2025 delivered one of its strongest showings yet, marking the tenth edition of World Business Chicago’s signature innovation and investment platform. Since 2014, the summit has become one of the city’s most influential gatherings for entrepreneurs, investors, and corporate leaders driving inclusive growth across Chicago’s dynamic innovation economy.

This year’s summit brought together 713 participants—including 130 startups, 100+ growth capital firms, and representatives from 375 organizations spanning the private sector, academia, and government. Attendees from 21 U.S. states and 16 countries reinforced Chicago’s growing reputation as a global destination for innovation and capital investment in the food industry.

The program also introduced the Future of Food Waste Forum, presented with WBC board member Nicor Gas, expanding the summit’s reach into sustainability and circular economy innovation. With 29 official sponsors and partners, and an enhanced national outreach effort connecting with more than 400 investment firms, the 2025 summit underscored Chicago’s role as the meeting point of ideas, talent, and investment shaping the future of food.

More than a conference, the Chicago Venture Summit has become a connector for food innovation and capital—a place where local innovation meets global opportunity, and where the story of Why Chicago continues to be written by the people building its future.

Be sure to watch for our next Business Pulse, powered by LinkedIn, where we’ll share more highlights, insights, and stories from this year’s Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Food. 

How Chicago Is Shaping the Future of Food

In the meantime, one of the biggest takeaways from the summit came from the World Business Chicago Research Center, which unveiled new data confirming what investors, founders, and civic leaders across the region already know: Chicago is shaping the future of food.

The newly released Chicago Business Bulletin: Innovation in Chicagoland’s Food & Ag Industry highlights how the convergence of food manufacturing, biotechnology, and agtech is transforming Chicagoland into one of the world’s most dynamic food innovation hubs—driven by the same collaboration and ambition that energized this year’s Venture Summit. Download the full Chicago Business Bulletin: Future of Food, here.

According to the report, Chicagoland remains the nation’s food manufacturing capital—and one of the country’s fastest-evolving food innovation centers. The region’s food and beverage manufacturing sector produces $11.8 billion annually, employing more than 72,000 residents across the metro area. Nearly 40% of food firms operate outside Cook County, underscoring the regional reach and strength of this powerhouse industry.

Key Findings from the Report

Food Manufacturing Dominance

Chicagoland ranks #1 nationwide for food and beverage manufacturing, generating $11.8 billion in annual output and recording the strongest GDP growth of any U.S. metro since 2017.

Innovation Through Biotech and Alternative Proteins

Over 60% of local startups receiving seed funding in 2024–2025 focused on biotech-based foods or alternative proteins. The region now hosts at least 23 alternative protein manufacturers and 46 bioengineered food producers, alongside legacy firms such as Mars, Kellanova, and Kraft Heinz.

A Thriving Agtech Cluster

Chicagoland is home to 400+ agriculture and agtech companies (with more than 360 headquartered locally) and 50 active investors. Since 2018, these firms have raised nearly $400 million in growth capital and completed 23 acquisitions—evidence of a maturing, innovation-driven ecosystem.

Pro-Chicagoland Investments

Since 2021, more than 74 food-related expansions and investments have taken place across the region, including:

• Mars: $42M R&D hub on Goose Island
• Blommer Chocolate: 10,000-sq-ft R&D expansion
• Batory Foods: New innovation center in Will County
• Silesia: $40M flavor production facility in Kane County

“Chicagoland is not just America’s food manufacturing core — it’s becoming a global laboratory for the next era of food production, technology, and sustainability.”

Competitive Advantages and Emerging Opportunities

The Bulletin identifies several factors driving the region’s long-term competitiveness:

• Strategic Location & Logistics: Over 16,500 logistics firms, 3,900 miles of rail, and 10 interstate highways connect Chicagoland to every major U.S. market. O’Hare International Airport ranks #3 nationally by trade value ($295B, 2024).
• Cold-Chain Strength: 14.9 million sq ft of industrial cold storage—with another 3.3 million sq ft under construction—supports next-generation efficiency and sustainability standards.
• Natural Assets: The Great Lakes provide 84% of North America’s freshwater, offering a vital advantage for agriculture and manufacturing resilience.
• Talent and R&D Pipeline: Chicagoland’s workforce includes 72,000 food manufacturing employees, 150 annual food-science graduates, and 2,200 life-sciences graduates—ensuring a deep bench of technical and creative talent.
• High-Growth Verticals: AI-enabled foodtech, bioengineered ingredients, and sustainable cold-storage infrastructure are poised to define the region’s next phase of growth.

National Headwinds and Industry Shifts

The report acknowledges that Chicago’s momentum is unfolding amid complex national conditions:

• Investment Slowdown: U.S. growth-capital investment has cooled since its 2021 peak, with only 29 food-sector deals recorded in 2025 to date.
• Federal Policy Changes: New legislation such as the Make Our Children Healthy Again (MAHA) Report and One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB) are reshaping subsidies and nutrition standards, challenging smaller innovators.
• Trade Volatility: Illinois agricultural exports are down 41% year-over-year, as global tariffs and supply-chain disruptions reshape markets.
• Climate and Sustainability Pressures: 2024’s widespread crop losses have accelerated adoption of regenerative and climate-resilient practices.
• Consumer Shifts: GLP-1 medications and rising food costs are transforming household demand, particularly for sugary and processed foods.

Despite these headwinds, the report concludes that Chicagoland’s diversity, infrastructure, and talent pipeline position it to adapt faster than peer metros—turning national challenges into local opportunities for innovation.

Looking Ahead

From legacy manufacturers to next-generation biotech startups, Chicagoland’s food innovation ecosystem is demonstrating how a region built on manufacturing excellence can reinvent itself as a global laboratory for food technology, sustainability, and growth.

The 2025 Chicago Venture Summit: Future of Food didn’t just celebrate the region’s success—it showcased its future, where data, innovation, and collaboration converge to feed the world.

About the WBC Research Center

The World Business Chicago Research Center produces original, data-driven insights that promote inclusive regional growth. Its Chicago Business Bulletin series tracks key industries shaping Chicagoland’s competitiveness. Email: Research@worldbusinesschicago.com