An advertising and marketing company in Illinois was named one of the top 50 best startup employers in 2025 in a recent Forbes ranking. Chicago-based Attain, which CEO Brian Mandelbaum co-founded in 2019, landed the 49th spot in Forbes’ March 4 article “America’s Best Startup Employers 2025.”
“Being recognized by Forbes as one of the best startup employers is a proud moment for everyone at Attain. Our team thrives on curiosity, creativity, and a deep commitment to client success, backed by a culture that values personal growth, meaningful recognition, and genuine collaboration,” Mandelbaum wrote in an April 29 emailed statement to the News-Democrat. “Building a great company starts with a great team, and this recognition reflects the talent, dedication, and culture that makes Attain what it is today. We are so grateful to everyone who has been part of our journey, and a huge thank you to Forbes for including us. This honor reflects what we do and the success Attain achieves through our aligned vision and teamwork!” Forbes named the best 500 startup employers in the U.S., and nine Illinois businesses made the cut. To compile the ranking, Forbes partnered with market research firm Statista to assess 3,000 privately owned companies headquartered in the U.S. on company reputation, employee satisfaction and growth.
Each business evaluated had more than 50 employees, was founded between 2015 and 2022 and is an independent company rather than a spinoff of a larger corporation, Forbes said.
Illinois’ statewide unemployment rate was 4.8% in March, the most recent month for which data are available, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The most recent data from the St. Louis metro area, including the metro-east, is from February and shows a 4.2% unemployment rate, the same as the national rate.
Here’s what to know about the nine Illinois startups to make the list, as well as where they landed in the ranking. Each of these companies is based in Chicago; some have remote employment opportunities available.
Illinois’ top startup employers
Attain: This advertising and marketing firm took 49th place Forbes’ ranking. Attain is based in Chicago, but also has offices in New York City and Redwood City, Calif. On its careers webpage, Attain highlights training and mentorship opportunities, diversity and inclusion and learning and development.
Tovala: Tovala, a lifestyle and health company, landed in 201st in Forbes’ list. Tovala is a food delivery service that utilizes a brand-specific smart oven to prepare the meals. The company was founded in 2015 and has several open positions listed on its careers page, including in data, marketing, operations and more.
Pixis, an artificial intelligence-powered advertising company, was ranked the 204th best startup employer in the U.S. Pixis was founded in 2018 and its mission is to “make advertising simpler and more effective.” Its employment page highlights empowerment, team values and diversity. Evozyne is a biotechnology and agriculture company that snagged the 210th position in Forbes’ report.
Evozyne was founded in 2020 and “designs novel protein therapeutics to solve previously unaddressable patient needs.” As of Monday, the startup did not have any open job positions listed online.
Elevate K-12, the 226th company to make the list, is an education technology company founded in 2015. Elevate K-12 is an online learning platform focused on live, synchronous teaching. The company is currently hiring.
Logiwa, which landed in 270th place, is a software and technology company that was founded in 2017. Logiwa has an Istanbul office in addition to its Chicago location, and locations currently have open positions listed online.
LogicGate, a technology company in 352nd place, was founded in 2015. The company focuses on risk management for businesses and has a variety of open positions available, including remote work options.
Paro landed in 447th place and was founded in 2015. Paro is an AI talent acquisition company for finance and accounting experts and businesses. The company highlights its “remote-first” approach to careers and encourages interested candidates to email them.
Puttshack is the 458th startup employer to make Forbes’ list. Puttshack is a mini golf company with a digital twist — the golf balls track each shot, and scoring is calculated for you. St. Louis’ City Foundry has a Puttshack location. The company is currently hiring.
