MHub names Ascent Integrated Tech rising star, recognizes other hardtech startups at Fourth Revolution Awards

By Alex Zorn - Staff Reporter

March 18, 2024, 02:53pm CST

Ascent Integrated Tech, a startup working on sensor technology to help firefighters communicate better, has been named a rising star by mHub.

The Chicago incubator that launched in 2017 held its seventh annual Fourth Revolution Awards last week to recognize the companies that are shaping the future of hardtech in Chicago and the rest of the region.

MHub recently opened its new home in the Near West Side neighborhood that serves as the largest independent manufacturing innovation center in the country.

Winners at the awards ceremony included NanoGraf; Ludlow Manufacturing Inc.; the Manufacturing, Technology and Engineering Center at Daley College; and Dr. Adam Jakus, and featured small and medium manufacturers and companies developing groundbreaking technology.

Jakus co-founded Chicago-based Dimension Inx Corp., a Northwestern University spinout that's looking to combine engineering and biology with 3D-printed implants, before leaving in January 2024 to help build BioThera3 Advising & Consulting LLC.

"These pioneers embody the spirit of ingenuity and collaboration that defines the heart of mHub and the Midwest's manufacturing ecosystem," Haven Allen, mHub co-founder and CEO, told Chicago Inno. "Together, we are shaping a future where technology and humanity intersect to create a better world for all."

Lion Electric and the Illinois Manufacturer's Association were also honored for their contributions to the sector. Lion Electric opened a new electric vehicle manufacturing facility last year, the largest all-electric U.S. plant dedicated to medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle production.