At CEO (Boardroom Media) we track over 1,000,000 startups and over 5,000,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top Chicago based CEO’ operating in the Commercial space. If you think a CEO’ is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on [email protected].
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.

Michael Clune
Chairman & CEO of Clune Construction
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Mike Clune began his career in the construction business at an early age in Europe and the Middle East. In 1978 he moved to Chicago, Illinois. Shortly after his arrival, he secured an entry-level job at the company would ultimately be the foundation for building his own firm. Over the years, Mike’s personal work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit guided him in transforming that company into Clune Construction where he is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. In 1996, this same work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit earned Mike his induction into the Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. Sponsored by the University of Chicago, the award is given to innovative business leaders in the Chicago area who have spearheaded private companies, overcome challenges, and exhibited high levels of excellence while demonstrating consistent sales growth, employment generation, innovation and profitability.
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About Clune Construction: Clune Construction is a large construction company specializing in commercial building.
Michael Jansen
Chairman, Founder & CEO of Cityzenith
Michael Jansen is a sought after Smart City industry leader and public speaker with numerous awards and accolades to his credit, and has been featured on CNN, CNBC, and myriads of business, technology, and AEC publications worldwide, including Architectural Record, ENR, Business Week, Domus, Contract Magazine, et. al. In 2007, Michael was awarded Building Design + Construction Magazine’s prestigious “40 Under 40” award honoring top CEOs in the architecture, engineering, and construction industry under the age of 40. An impassioned architect, urbanist, and entrepreneur, Michael founded Satellier in 2004, a CAD and BIM production services company backed by venture capital firm Sequoia Capital. Under his leadership, in just four years Satellier experienced explosive growth from a team size of 10 to over 450 and fundamentally changed the way AEC firms deliver services. In 2010, Michael assumed the helm of Cityzenith to pursue his dream of transforming life in cities all over the world. Michael was educated as an architect at Yale and Cambridge; earned a Fulbright scholarship; studied art and architecture in China and India; speaks four languages and has traveled to more than 80 countries; designs high-end, exotic furniture, and is an avid guitar player.
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About Cityzenith: Cityzenith is a technology startup that provides data visualization platform software and applications for IoT and Smart Cities.

Ryan Letzeiser
CEO and Co-Founder of Obie
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About Mac Properties, Obie: Obie is an insurtech startup that offers insurance and risk management for real estate investors.

Ross Gordon
Founder and CEO of Mystery Tackle Box
Ross Gordon is CEO/Founder Catch Co.
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About Catch, Mystery Tackle Box: Mystery Tackle Box is a retail company that deals with fishing products at affordable prices.
Erhan Musaoglu
CEO of Logiwa
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About Logiwa: Logiwa is the industry-leading WMS serving retail, e-commerce, wholesale, and 3PL businesses worldwide for over a decade.

Brian Grady
CEO of Gorilla Group
Brian Grady is a CEO at Gorilla Group
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About Gorilla Group: Gorilla Group provides innovative e-commerce solutions for enterprise, B2B, and direct-to-consumer brands.
Bill Ness
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Neighborhoods.com
Bill Ness is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Neighborhoods.com.
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About Neighborhoods.com: Neighborhoods.com is a Chicago-based online real estate resource.
Soheil Ebadat
Co-Founder & CEO of Airspace
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About Airspace: Office Management, Office Services, Technology, Data Analytics, Commercial Real Estate

Daniel French
CEO of Brownfield Listings
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About Brownfield Listings: Brownfield Listings is a nationwide property marketplace & project workspace for real estate with reuse challenges.
Colin Kovas
Chief Executive Officer of Hipercept
Colin leads Hipercept’s Advisory team.Colin Kovas brings over 20 years of experience establishing global strategies for major investment management firms in operations and management, with a focus on technology. Colin Kovas is a leader in large scale business transformations in the Real Estate, Telecommunications and Financial Services verticals. He has successfully lead complex financial software implementations, transformed data management operations and streamlined business processes for many Fortune 500 companies.
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About Hipercept: Hipercept is a global provider of consulting, technology & managed services to the alternative investments industry.