Built In Chicago Congratulates the 2013 Moxie Award Winners

CHICAGO, June 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago was the epicenter of the national digital startup scene last night at the Second Annual Moxie Awards, recognizing 21 individuals and organizations as Chicago's best technology leaders and companies.

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Built In Chicago (www.builtinchicago.org) received nearly 100,000 votes in the competition.

"It's fantastic that the digital companies in Chicago continue to challenge themselves, each other and the City of Chicago to consistently grow," said Matt Moog, Founder Built In Chicago.

It's because of companies like the ones nominated for and awarded with Moxies that Chicago is able to call itself a tech hub.

"The Chicago technology economy is vibrant and thriving," said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "The entrepreneurial spirit and innovation we see is creating jobs and opportunity now and will have an impact on the city for years to come. I look forward to working with all of these companies as they grow and evolve."

Just in the first quarter of 2013 alone, $61 million was raised in funding for local digital companies (twice as much as Q1 2012).

"The contributions of all the innovators in this room, representing organizations from large corporations and venture capital firms to startups and incubators, make a Moxie Award meaningful and something worth striving for," said Built In CEO Maria Katris.

2013 Moxie Award Winners

Best Consumer Web Startup: SpotHero

Best B2B Startup: Belly

Best Healthcare Startup: GiveForward

Best Education or Recruitment Startup: eSpark Learning

Mobile App of the Year: iAnnotate - Branchfire

Best Civic App: Chicago Bike Map App

Best Bootstrapped Startup: Branchfire

Best Startup Founders/Co-Founders: Marc Kiven, Mike Sands and Eric Lunt (BrightTag)

Best Service Provider: SurePayroll

Digital Agency of the Year: Rise Interactive

Mentor of the Year: Chuck Templeton (Impact Engine)

Investor of the Year: J.B. Pritzker (The Pritzker Group & New World Ventures)

Tech Woman of the Year: Shradha Agarwal (ContextMedia)

CTO of the Year: Harper Reed (Obama for America - 2012)

Best Beard: Jim Shea

Best Company Culture: Centro

Best Software Company: Sprout Social

Best Corporate Digital Innovation: Guaranteed Rate

Startup of the Year: Belly

Breakthrough Digital Company of the Year: Braintree

CEO of the Year: Mike Sands (BrightTag)

Built In Chicago is an online community for digital entrepreneurs and innovators. With a community of 12,000+ registered members, Built In Chicago hosts a job board, publishes data on the digital tech sector and organizes monthly, quarterly and annual events.

Contact: Maria Christopoulos Katris (312.447.6119)

SOURCE Built In Chicago