Innovation DuPage is the premier business incubator and accelerator in the western suburbs of Chicago, serving entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses throughout the greater Chicago region and beyond. Founded through a unique partnership between College of DuPage and the Village of Glen Ellyn, Innovation DuPage was established to fuel economic growth, foster innovation, and provide entrepreneurs with the resources, expertise, and connections needed to build scalable, sustainable businesses.
A community for startups, growing companies, and small businesses
Since its founding as a nonprofit organization in 2018, Innovation DuPage has supported more than 400 companies across a diverse range of industries, helping founders transform promising ideas into thriving enterprises. Today, the organization serves a vibrant community of more than 250 members, including bootstrapping startups, growth-stage companies, and established small businesses seeking to accelerate growth and increase their market impact. While rooted in DuPage County, Innovation DuPage attracts entrepreneurs from throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and beyond, creating a dynamic and collaborative innovation ecosystem.
With its headquarters located in downtown Glen Ellyn, ID’s state-of-the-art co-working space fosters a vibrant community built around the needs of entrepreneurs and small business owners. Through a network of more than 80 strategic partners and over 90 experienced subject matter experts serving as mentors, ID provides unparalleled access to business guidance, industry expertise, professional services, funding opportunities, and strategic relationships that help entrepreneurs navigate every stage of growth.
Support services at Innovation DuPage
Innovation DuPage offers a comprehensive suite of business support services, including one-on-one advising, mentorship, educational workshops, accelerator programs, networking events, strategic partnerships, and access to capital resources. Through flagship initiatives such as its Owner to CEO business accelerator, industry-specific cohorts, such as the CEJA Clean Energy Contractor Incubator Program, and collaborations with public, private, and nonprofit organizations, ID equips entrepreneurs with the knowledge, confidence, and capabilities needed to achieve sustainable growth and long-term success.
Innovation DuPage advances the entrepreneurial ecosystem, strengthens the regional economy, and empowers founders to create jobs, drive innovation, and build the next generation of successful companies. Their impact is measured by the success of the entrepreneurs and businesses they serve and by the stronger, more resilient communities they help create. At Innovation DuPage, they help entrepreneurs “Collaborate. Scale. Succeed.”
Spotlight Guests: Dan Facchini, Managing Director, Innovation DuPage, and Noel Thompson, Founder, Nakamakula Productions
