The Chicagoland Entrepreneurial Center (CEC) announced yesterday the companies selected for its second “CAP 20″ class of high-growth entrepreneurs, a division of its Cluster Acceleration Program (CAP) to foster startups. Included among the eleven businesses it chose were midVenturesLAUNCH companies PV Power and School Town.

Through the CAP program, Illinois startups in key industry clusters (alternative energy, consumer products and services, and information technology for the new media, financial services and healthcare markets) receive access to critical resources and relationships. Each is matched with a CEC advisor who provides guidance on a plan for growth as well as three volunteer mentors—a seasoned entrepreneur, an industry expert, and a business development professional. The mentoring helps the startups project one- and two-year goals for growth, moving them forward as businesses.

“The CAP 20 program connects entrepreneurs with the critical resources and mentor relationships they need to be successful,” said John Roberson, Executive Vice President of the CEC, in a recent press release.

Plus, not only does the program offer opportunities for brand exposure but also the chance to win up to $8,000 in grants.

PV Power, a virtual distributor of solar components, was among three companies chosen from the Alternative Energy sector, and ELearning and collaboration platform School Town was one the four IT/New Media startups selected, along with Innovative Exams, Rover Enterprises, and Shift Worldwide.

Also picked were alternative energy businesses Peoria-based tankless water heater manufacturer Intellihot and Chicago-based Power2Switch; consumer products and services companies Mata Traders and Solixir; and IT/financial services businesses Balanced IT Solutions and FinanceSeer.

Serving companies from five regions—Chicagoland, Rockford, Quad Cities, Peoria, and Carbondale—CAP was made possible by seed funding from a two-year grant from the US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA) with funds awarded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Other sponsors include the US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration and PNC.