San Francisco
Everyone's building for other people in tech. The problems being "solved" only exist inside a very specific bubble. You start to lose track of what normal people actually need.
The Place Why
Why
Chicago
We didn't pick Chicago because it was convenient. We picked it because something about this city makes you want to build things that actually matter. Also you can afford rent.
The Problem
Tech Lost the Plot
At some point, tech stopped being about solving problems that matter. The coasts optimized for fundability instead of usefulness. Metrics instead of meaning. Everyone knows this but nobody seems to leave.
New York
Everything runs through finance and media. Success means exits and press coverage. At some point the story about the work becomes more important than the work.
Austin / Miami
Tax arbitrage dressed up as a scene. People moved there to run the same playbook somewhere cheaper. The main problem being solved is "how do I get funded."
Meanwhile, the world has actual problems. Healthcare, education, infrastructure, logistics. Problems that affect real people. But most of the talent keeps flowing toward apps that solve mild inconveniences for people who already have everything.
The Alternative Chicago Is
Chicago Is
Different
Chicago wasn't built for fundraising. It was built to work. The culture here has always been about solving problems that need solving, not problems that sound good in a pitch deck.
01
Born from Necessity
The city burned down in 1871. We rebuilt it and invented the skyscraper while we were at it. That's kind of how things work here—problems show up, people fix them.
02
Where Things Actually Work
Still the #1 or #2 manufacturing metro in the US. Still the nation's freight hub. This is where stuff actually has to function. Nobody here is impressed by a demo that only works on stage.
03
Substance Over Story
Midwest directness. People don't spend a lot of time telling you how important they are. They just show you what they built.
04
Freedom to Solve Real Problems
You can actually afford to live here and work on what you want. You don't need VC money just to pay rent. That changes what you end up building.
The Numbers Actually
Actually
Builds Things
New York's economy is 29% finance. San Francisco's top three sectors are all white-collar services. Chicago? We still make stuff. Manufacturing is 12% of our economy—nearly 4x San Francisco's share.
San Francisco
Top 3: 57%19.2% Finance
18.9% Prof. Svcs
18.7% Information
10.9% Trade/Trans
10.3% Manuf.
6.9% Government
6.4% Health/Ed
3.2% Hospitality
5.5% Other
Tech/Info concentrated
New York
Top 3: 58%29% Finance
15.1% Prof. Svcs
13.9% Trade/Trans
9% Health/Ed
8.7% Information
8% Government
4% Hospitality
3.1% Manuf.
9.2% Other
Finance-dominated
Chicago
Top 3: 55%21.4% Finance
18.4% Trade/Trans
15.6% Prof. Svcs
11.9% Manuf.
8.4% Health/Ed
7.8% Government
4.3% Hospitality
3.8% Information
3.4% Construction
5% Other
Most balanced economy
2023 BEA data · GDP by industry sector
When tech crashes in SF, the whole city feels it. When Wall Street sneezes, New York catches a cold. Chicago doesn't have that problem. Manufacturing, finance, healthcare, logistics—they balance each other out.
That diversity isn't an accident. This is where all six Class I railroads meet. Where food gets processed and shipped. Where derivatives get traded. When you're the crossroads of a continent, you don't get to specialize in just one thing.
Why It Matters
For Problem Solvers
Where you are changes what you build. When you're surrounded by real industry and real needs, you start thinking about real solutions. Funny how that works.
Closer to Real Problems
When you're not surrounded by tech people all day, you stay connected to what normal people actually need. It's harder to disappear up your own ass.
All Kinds of People
Finance people, manufacturing engineers, healthcare folks, logistics operators, software people. They're all here in roughly equal numbers, and they actually talk to each other. That's how interesting stuff gets built.
People Actually Help Each Other
Nobody's competing for the same VC money, so people share what they know. The vibe is collaborative in a way that's hard to find on the coasts.
The Point
Chicago Builders exists because Chicago does. The vibe of this community—no sales pitches, no recruiting, just people working on stuff—isn't something we invented. It's just how Chicago is.
You get one life. A lot of us realized we didn't want to spend it making software for other people who make software. We wanted to build something that matters to someone outside the tech bubble. Something that makes life a little better, not just a little more optimized.
If you're working on something like that, you're in the right place. These are your people.