2016 ITA CityLights Award Finalists Show A Maturing Chicago Tech Scene
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It’s easy to dismiss local business awards as mere boosterism. But I just looked at this year’s list of Illinois Technology Association CityLights Award finalists, and the quality of the nominees seems worth noting.
Founded in 2005, the ITA was an early cheerleader for Chicago’s growing tech scene, a place for geeky entrepreneurs to network, swap notes, share a cocktail or three, then more or less go back to flying under the radar of the local business scene.
But the companies on the list of 2016 finalists aren’t just starry-eyed startups. They are, for the most part, well-funded, fully emerging companies with solid market traction.
“The rocking tech companies and leaders selected by this year’s CityLights judges, without a doubt, showcase the high caliber of tech in Chicago,” said ITA CEO Fred Hoch.
Okay, so maybe it is a little boosterish.
But the firms vying for the Lighthouse award are nothing to sneeze at.
There’s Cleverbridge, the payments processor ramping up compliance offerings for online merchants facing the complex global regulatory landscape. KCura, which helps attorneys manage the digital discovery process in litigation, has raised $125 million. Digital marketing shop Signal has been riding the wave of data-driven marketing for more than 20 years. SMS Assist, which helps companies manage property maintenance, earlier this year raised a $150M series D round. And mobile marketer Vibes recently announced a partnership with Florida-based Syniverse, expanding it’s global reach.
It’s also nice to see a strong list for the Prominent Women in Tech award, including HighGround Chief Engagement Officer Andee Harris, Eved CEO and Founder Talia Mashiach, Lisa Olmsted, SVP of Business Operations at TransUnion, Mary Pigatti, CEO of Retrofit, Nicole Yeary, Founder and CEO of Ms. Tech, and Subha Sriram, Director of Product at ReviewTrackers.
You can vote in most of the categories here.