• by Tyler Loechner  @mp_tyler, January 26, 2015

According to Built In, a network of online communities for tech startups, Chicago tech startups had their best year ever in 2014.

The start-ups pulled in $1.6 billion in funding, and their “exits” tallied $7 billion. The funding was up 50% over 2013, and the exit haul was up 129% year-over-year.

Marketing and advertising was one of the hottest sub-categories, as well, with 15 Chicago-based ad tech firms raising money last year. That tied healthcare for biggest industry in terms of number of companies to receive funding.

“In only a few years, the City of Chicago has gone from being a flyover city in the tech world to having a thriving tech economy that is creating new jobs, attracting top tech talent, and bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars in new venture capital to get more Chicago businesses off the ground,” stated Mayor Rahm Emanuel.