What Chicago TREND does

Chicago TREND is a Chicago-based social enterprise founded in 2016 that identifies, acquires, and operates community shopping centers in low-and-moderate income urban neighborhoods while enabling local residents to invest alongside institutional capital on equal terms. The company currently owns five to seven inclusively owned shopping centers across Chicago, IL (Butterfield Plaza, South Loop, Roseland Center), Baltimore, MD (Walbrook Junction, Edmondson Village), and Columbus, OH (Mount Vernon Plaza / Chatham West), with a stated goal of reaching 16 properties and a $125M+ portfolio by end of 2026 in which 300+ Black, local, and small impact investors own meaningful equity stakes (typically 5–49% per project).

The company's underlying technology stack combines a 20+ year proprietary database of neighborhood demographic, business, and real estate characteristics with an annual Shopper and Neighborhood Choice Survey (over 8,600 respondents and 17,000 store visits in the first wave) and predictive models for neighborhood trajectory, retail viability, and site-specific market potential. These analytics power four integrated service modules: Development Facilitation (acting as master broker among developers, tenants, and communities, including operation of the Retail Coalition of the Willing with 40+ retailer relationships); Data and Analytics; the Survey product; and Financing ($7.2M in loans deployed, with 90% directed to developers and entrepreneurs of color). Advisory services are also delivered to corporations, philanthropy, and impact investors.

The business model is multi-stream: rental and asset management income from owned shopping centers; advisory and consulting fees from cities, foundations, and corporations; flexible debt financing interest income; and fund management fees from the newly launched $15M commercial real estate fund (led by Pritzker Traubert Foundation). TREND's go-to-market is community-led and partnership-driven, relying on direct engagement with developers, building owners, retailers, community development organizations, and a growing base of 460 community investors averaging $2,000 contributions. The first portfolio exit — Chatham Plaza, acquired for $2M in 2022 and sold for $3.2M in 2025, delivering a five-fold return to local investors — validated the model and positioned the company for follow-on fund growth.

Name

Chicago TREND

Legal name

TREND CDC

Website

https://chicagotrend.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chicago TREND is a 2016-founded social enterprise that acquires, owns, and operates community shopping centers in low-and-moderate income urban neighborhoods across Chicago, Baltimore, and Columbus, enabling local residents to invest alongside institutional capital through an integrated platform of data analytics, development facilitation, financing, and advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Real Estate Services

NAICS

All Other General Merchandise Retailers (455219), General Merchandise Retailers (455)

SIC

Retail-Variety Stores (5331), Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional Department Store Groups / Holding Companies (CRAGAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Shopper & Retail Insights (In-Store/Path-to-Purchase, Category Insights) (MPAAALAJ)

Keywords

• Community real estate investing
• Urban commercial development
• Retail site analytics
• Shopping center acquisition
• Development financing advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Shopping Center Acquisition and Ownership: TREND identifies, evaluates, acquires, and improves service-oriented community shopping centers in select urban neighborhoods. They structure deals to enable community members to invest and financially benefit as owners of the shopping centers.
2. Advisory Services: Fees for assisting small businesses in accessing capital, advising cities, economic development organizations, corporations, and philanthropy on community development projects.
3. Flexible Debt Financing: TREND provides flexible debt financing that stays in transactions long enough to match tenant lease terms. Financing includes subordinate debt for tenant fit-out or franchise fees to lower early-stage risk.
4. Commercial Real Estate Fund Management: Operating a commercial real estate fund targeting $15 million, with the financing round led by Pritzker Traubert Foundation alongside several major foundations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chicago TREND identifies, acquires, and improves service-oriented community shopping centers in select low- and moderate-income urban neighborhoods. The company bundles market data and analytics, development facilitation, flexible debt financing, and advisory services, while structuring deals so community members can invest in shopping centers alongside institutional investors.

Product overview

Chicago TREND is a social enterprise offering an integrated suite of commercial real estate services focused on inclusive ownership and strategic retail development in urban neighborhoods. The core offering consists of six inclusively owned shopping centers (Butterfield Plaza, Mount Vernon Plaza/Chatham West, South Loop, Walbrook Junction, Edmondson Village, and Roseland Center) that enable Black, local, and small impact investors to own up to 49% stakes. Supporting these properties are service modules including Market Data and Analytics (predictive market data based on 20+ years of data), Development Facilitation (due diligence, transaction facilitation, deal structuring), the Shopper and Neighborhood Choice Survey (annual survey of 8,500+ respondents), Financing (flexible debt financing for retail projects), and Advisory Services (financing assistance and project advisory for minority-owned businesses and developers). The company also operates a Retail Coalition of the Willing to connect retailers with urban development opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Butterfield Plaza
• Mount Vernon Plaza (Chatham West)
• South Loop
• Walbrook Junction
• Edmondson Village
• Roseland Center
• Development Facilitation
• Data and Analytics
• Shopper and Neighborhood Choice Survey
• Financing
• Advisory Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 5-fold return delivered to local investors on Chatham Plaza exit
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Urban Land InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTREND has been engaged by Urban Land Institute for advisory services on community development and inclusive commercial real estate strategies.
• JP Morgan ChasecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTREND provides advisory services to JP Morgan Chase on community development projects and inclusive economic growth strategies.
• Affiliated Non-Profit Community Development CorporationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTREND formed an affiliated non-profit CDC to further foster inclusive growth in neighborhoods, cities, and regions.
• Local Entrepreneurs and ResidentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTREND partners with local entrepreneurs and residents as co-owners of shopping centers, enabling them to invest and financially benefit from commercial real estate ownership.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Mosaic: Mosaic is a real estate crowdfunding platform that enables individual investors to participate in commercial real estate projects. Comparable to Chicago TREND's inclusive ownership model in democratizing access to CRE investment, though Mosaic focuses on solar and broader commercial assets.

Direct peers

• Jonathan Rose Companies: Jonathan Rose Companies is a mission-driven real estate developer and investment manager focused on affordable and mixed-income housing and community-oriented development. Shares Chicago TREND's impact-first approach to urban real estate and use of LIHTC and impact capital.
• Cleveland Neighborhood Progress: Cleveland Neighborhood Progress is a community development intermediary focused on strengthening Cleveland's neighborhoods through real estate, retail corridor, and small business support. Operates in a similar Midwest urban context with comparable retail corridor focus.
• Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC): ICIC focuses on private-sector economic development in inner-city neighborhoods, including research, advisory, and capital deployment for urban retail and commercial corridor strategies. Strong conceptual overlap with Chicago TREND's data-driven retail corridor development approach.
• Community Development Trust: CDT is a CDFI-organized REIT focused on acquiring and developing commercial real estate in low-income communities nationwide. Closely parallels Chicago TREND's model of community-oriented commercial property ownership with blended-capital structures.
• Avanath Capital Management: Avanath is an impact-focused real estate investment manager specializing in workforce and affordable housing in underserved markets. Similar mission-driven approach to urban real estate investment with institutional-quality execution.
• LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation): LISC is a major national CDFI with a similar mission of community economic development, including commercial real estate investment in underserved urban markets. Both deploy catalytic capital to support neighborhood revitalization through real estate and small business lending.

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Community Partners: Enterprise is one of the largest U.S. CDFIs with a broad community development mandate including housing and commercial real estate. Larger and more diversified than Chicago TREND, but shares the mission of using investment capital to strengthen underserved neighborhoods.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thechitrend
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChicagoTREND
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-chicago-trend-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago TREND