Why Chicago for a tech startup?

Lower cost of living means longer runway. Central timezone works for both coasts. Strong work ethic. And you don't need VC money when your overhead is near zero.

Building software by describing what you want in plain English and letting AI write the code. SPUNK LLC used Claude AI to build everything. No traditional coding required.

Why I Built a 220-Site Tech Empire From Chicago, Not Silicon Valley

Q: Can you build a tech company outside Silicon Valley?

Absolutely. SPUNK LLC built 220+ websites, 647 tools, and attracted 255K visitors from Chicago with $0 funding. In 2026, all you need is WiFi and AI. Location is irrelevant for digital businesses.

Q: Do you need VC funding?

No. SPUNK LLC has $0 external funding and is profitable. Vibe coding with AI eliminated the need for a dev team. Free hosting eliminated infrastructure costs. The tools to build are free — the only cost is your time and creativity.

Q: How do you compete with funded startups?

Speed and volume. While funded startups have meetings about meetings, solo founders ship. 220 websites in 28 days. No approval process. No committee. Just build, ship, iterate.

Published March 15, 2026 · 7 min · By @SpunkArt13, Chicago IL

The Short Version

You don't need to be in San Francisco to build a tech company. You don't need VC money. You don't need a team. You need WiFi, AI, and the willingness to work harder than everyone around you. I proved it from my apartment in Chicago.

The Numbers Speak

In 28 days, from a Chicago apartment with zero dollars of outside funding:

220+ websites built and deployed
647 digital tools created (317 free, 330 premium)
33 ebooks published
255,618 unique visitors (Cloudflare verified)
800,000 pageviews
4.4 million requests served
12,358+ git commits
656 registered users

All of this while Silicon Valley startups with $5M in funding are still figuring out their go-to-market strategy.

"While they're raising rounds, I'm shipping products. While they're hiring, I'm deploying. While they're in meetings about meetings, I'm building." — @SpunkArt13

Why Not Silicon Valley

Let me be real. I have nothing against the Bay Area. Great people out there building great things. But the VC model wasn't for me. Here's why:

$3,500/month rent in SF vs $1,200 in Chicago — That's $27,600/year I keep instead of giving to a landlord
VCs want control — I want to build what I want, when I want, how I want
AI eliminated the dev team — Claude AI writes every line of code. I don't need 5 engineers at $200K each
Free hosting eliminated infrastructure costs — GitHub Pages, Cloudflare Pages, Firebase. $0/month
Central timezone is an advantage — 9 AM meetings with both coasts without waking up at 6 AM or staying up until midnight

The Chicago Advantage

Chicago has something Silicon Valley lost a long time ago: humility combined with ambition. Here, nobody cares about your pitch deck. They care about what you shipped. The Midwest work ethic is real — you show up, you grind, you deliver.

The cost of living means every dollar goes further. My $0 funding feels like $50K of Bay Area runway because my expenses are a fraction of what they'd be in SF.

And honestly? The food is better. Deep dish pizza fuels more productivity than avocado toast. Fight me.

The Vibe Coding Revolution

The reason a solo founder can build 220 websites in 28 days is vibe coding — using AI to write code by describing what you want in plain English. I used Claude AI (specifically Claude Code CLI) to build everything.

This changes the math completely. In 2020, building 220 websites would require a team of 20 developers, 6 months, and $2M in funding. In 2026, it takes one person, one AI, and 28 days of relentless focus.

The tools I used: Claude AI, GitHub, Cloudflare, Firebase, spunk.codes (yes, I built tools to build more tools). Total cost for tooling: $0.

What I Built

clown.best — The internet's best meme generator. 777 templates, GIF maker, Clown Score AI
spunk.codes — 647 browser-based tools for developers, creators, and entrepreneurs
spunk.bet — Free provably fair casino powered by SPUNK•BET Bitcoin runes
ordinals.best — Bitcoin ordinals explorer and tools
spunkart.com — Original digital art and paintings
+ 215 more sites across 55 TLDs and 39 brand networks

The Lesson

You don't need permission to build. You don't need a zip code. You don't need investors. You need a laptop, an internet connection, and the discipline to ship every single day.

Chicago taught me that. Not a pitch competition. Not a networking event. Not a coworking space. Just the city that works.

"Winners Win. That's the whole strategy. Where you build doesn't matter. That you build does." — @SpunkArt13

Built in Chicago. Free for Everyone. 🤡

220+ websites. 647 tools. 33 ebooks. $0 funding. All from the Midwest.

647 Free Tools Meme Generator Follow @SpunkArt13

FAQ

Can you build a tech company outside Silicon Valley?

Yes. SPUNK LLC built 220+ websites from Chicago with $0 funding. In 2026, all you need is WiFi and AI.

Why Chicago?

Lower cost of living, central timezone, strong work ethic. Your runway stretches further here.

Do you need VC funding?

No. AI eliminated the need for a dev team. Free hosting eliminated infrastructure costs. The tools are free.

What is vibe coding?

Building software by describing what you want. AI writes the code. One person can build what used to require a team.

How do you compete with funded startups?

Speed. While they have meetings, I ship. 220 websites in 28 days. No approval process needed.