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"path": "/money/2026/02/04/chicago-software-firm-activecampaign-buys-ai-startup-feedback-intelligence",
"publishedAt": "2026-02-04T23:40:57.810Z",
"site": "https://chicago.suntimes.com",
"textContent": "<p>Chicago software company ActiveCampaign announced Tuesday that it bought AI startup Feedback Intelligence in San Francisco for an undisclosed sum.</p><p>ActiveCampaign is a $3 billion AI-driven marketing platform used by hundreds of thousands of small businesses worldwide, according to the Loop-based firm. Founded in 2003, the company uses AI to automate tasks such as email and text message marketing.</p><p>Homegrown ActiveCampaign has about 300 employees in Chicago as part of a global workforce of 800 in the U.S.<b>,</b> Ireland, Poland, Australia, Brazil and Costa Rica. It is headquartered at 1 N. Dearborn St.</p><p>Chinar Movsisyan, founder and CEO of Feedback Intelligence, will join ActiveCampaign’s technology and product organization, and oversee a three-person Feedback Intelligence team, alongside a broader AI team.</p><div class=\"Enhancement\" data-align-floatRight> <div class=\"Enhancement-item\" data-crop=\"\"> <figure class=\"Figure\"><a class=\"AnchorLink\" id=\"image-610000\" name=\"image-610000\"></a> <picture data-crop=\"medium\"> <source type=\"image/webp\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b2cd916/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2400x1347+0+1127/resize/490x275!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc7%2Fab%2Fffa8a6e84a46a35b9020772214c7%2Fjason-vandeboom-ceo-activecampaign.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/0750d40/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2400x1347+0+1127/resize/980x550!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc7%2Fab%2Fffa8a6e84a46a35b9020772214c7%2Fjason-vandeboom-ceo-activecampaign.jpg 2x\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <source width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9029a6a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2400x1347+0+1127/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc7%2Fab%2Fffa8a6e84a46a35b9020772214c7%2Fjason-vandeboom-ceo-activecampaign.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" srcset=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" /> <img class=\"Image\" alt=\"Jason VandeBoom, CEO, ActiveCampaign.jpg\" srcset=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9029a6a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2400x1347+0+1127/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc7%2Fab%2Fffa8a6e84a46a35b9020772214c7%2Fjason-vandeboom-ceo-activecampaign.jpg 1x,https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f271755/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2400x1347+0+1127/resize/980x550!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc7%2Fab%2Fffa8a6e84a46a35b9020772214c7%2Fjason-vandeboom-ceo-activecampaign.jpg 2x\" width=\"490\" height=\"275\" data-src=\"https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9029a6a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2400x1347+0+1127/resize/490x275!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2Fc7%2Fab%2Fffa8a6e84a46a35b9020772214c7%2Fjason-vandeboom-ceo-activecampaign.jpg\" data-lazy-load=\"true\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyNzVweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4=\" > </picture> <div class=\"Figure-content\"><figcaption class=\"Figure-caption\"><p>Jason VandeBoom, founder and CEO of Chicago marketing software firm ActiveCampaign.</p></figcaption><span class=\"line\"></span><div class=\"Figure-credit\"><p>ActiveCampaign</p></div></div> </figure> </div> </div><p>The acquisition of Feedback Intelligence’s AI analytics tool strengthens ActiveCampaign's AI engine, called Active Intelligence, which powers fully automated \"autonomous marketing\" for businesses.</p><p>The engine drives interaction between users and AI software, called agents.</p><p>“Basic metrics like conversation volume or thumbs-up/thumbs-down don't tell us why an AI agent succeeded or failed,” Chai Atreya, chief product and technology officer at ActiveCampaign, said in a news release. “Feedback Intelligence gives us the visibility to detect unmet customer needs, track sentiment shifts and provide specific recommendations.”</p><p>Feedback Intelligence analyzes conversations between AI software and customers to understand user satisfaction, accuracy, friction points and more. Its models evaluate AI software performance and recommend improvements.</p><p>Jason VandeBoom, founder and CEO of ActiveCampaign, started the company in 2003 in his apartment as a side project to support his studies in fine arts at the Illinois Institute of Art. He is a self-taught software engineer.</p><p>VandeBoom also serves on the board of the Future Founders Foundation, a Chicago-based organization that supports business leaders and young entrepreneurs.</p><p>ActiveCampaign was founded more than 20 years ago. But in recent years, Chicago has been making a push to become a tech hub. The West Loop is home to tech companies such as battery maker <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/technology/2025/07/10/battery-maker-pure-lithium-moving-chicago-investing-46m\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Pure Lithium</u></a>, which announced its move from Boston last year; as well as <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/small-business/2024/03/06/nanograf-lithium-battery-tech-expansion-west-loop-office\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>NanoGraf</u></a>, maker of advanced lithium-ion batteries and <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/technology/2025/10/10/economy-manufacturing-incubator-mhub-startups-tariffs\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>MHub</u></a>, the nonprofit high-tech incubator.</p><p>The city aims to establish itself as a <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/money/2025/08/25/business-investments-intersect-illinois-economic-development-19000-jobs-study\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>tech and quantum</u></a> computing hub with the <a class=\"Link\" href=\"https://chicago.suntimes.com/technology/2024/07/25/psiquantum-steel-south-works-quantum-computer-johnson-darpa\" target=\"_blank\" ><u>Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park</u></a> breaking ground at the former U.S. Steel South Works site last year.<br></p>",
"title": "Chicago software firm ActiveCampaign buys AI startup Feedback Intelligence",
"updatedAt": "2026-02-05T00:05:42.717Z"
}