In a celebration of Chicago’s innovative spirit, the winners of the 2024 Chicago Innovation Awards gathered at the Nasdaq MarketSite in Times Square on Aug. 1 to ring the NASDAQ Closing Bell. Hosted by Chicago Innovation, the annual event shined a global spotlight on the region’s most promising and impactful innovations, demonstrating the strength and diversity of creativity emerging from the Midwest.
Now in its 23rd year, the Chicago Innovation Awards recognize the most innovative new products, services and organizations in the Chicago region across industries. As part of the celebration, honorees, including corporate leaders, startups and mission-driven nonprofits, are invited to New York City to ring the NASDAQ bell, symbolizing the city’s leadership on a national stage.
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A powerful presence at the bell was Chicago Chefs Cook, the chef-led nonprofit initiative that began as a culinary response to humanitarian crises. Known for its ability to rally some of the city's top chefs to raise funds and awareness through food-centric fundraising events, the group was celebrated for its creative use of culinary influence to support causes ranging from Ukrainian relief to Chicago-based community needs.
Other honorees this year and participating in the ceremony were innovators spanning healthcare, tech, education, social impact and more. This included OpenMarkets, recognized for its Equipment Formulary platform that simplifies capital procurement in healthcare systems; DeVry University, awarded the People’s Choice honor for its Women + Tech Scholars program; and Feeding America, whose MealConnect platform earned them the Social Innovator Award for improving the way surplus food is distributed to fight hunger.
Other bell-ringing honorees included Abbott, Ascent Integrated Tech, CASMI (Center for Advancing Safety of Machine Intelligence), Cook County Manufacturing Reinvented, Dimension Inx, Disability Lead, First Women’s Bank, HDVI, LanzaJet, Medline, Rapunzl, REACH Pathways, Rush University System for Health, Springrose, True Star Media, United Way of Metro Chicago, and Valent BioSciences.
Founded in 2002, Chicago Innovation has evolved from a single awards ceremony into a year-round organization offering mentoring, networking and community support to innovators throughout the region.
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