Attended a small presentation at 1871 last night, about how Chicago's startup scene is flourishing and how one might participate. It really is quite astonishing how investments flowing into startups have been growing so quickly over the years. There are now a good number of startup accelerators or incubators based in Chicago, to which founders apply to receive a small startup grant, space to work in, and very importantly, mentorship help. Needless to say, admittance to these programs is extremely competitive.
Even for those who are not founders, there are benefits to working for a startup, namely the opportunities to learn a lot (and this could not be stressed enough), the street cred working in a startup gives you, and the opportunity to hold a significant amount of equity in the company. The downsides are also pretty scary, and mainly has to do with the fact that 90% of startups fail. Since you would be paid mostly in equity, there is a good chance you will end up with nothing to show for all your efforts. Though perhaps the knowledge gained and the resume boost would make up for that.
Anyway, a few great resources for startups and potential startup employees are
Startup statistics trackers: BuiltInChicago, CrunchBase, and AngelList,
Startup accelerators: Startup Institute, TechStars, Good Food, Health2.0 (there are a lot more out there, and they tend to be very specific),
Startup networking events: Startup Weekends, Uncubed, BuiltIn Brews.
The budding data scientist might consider springboarding his/her career from a startup.
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