Who is Top in Chicago Tech? G2 Crowd publishes first Chicago GridScape (SM)

CHICAGO, April 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- G2 Crowd has published its first Chicagoland GridScape℠, a real-time visualization of 19 business software products, according to user satisfaction and market presence.

Using its Grid℠ methodology, G2 Crowd compiled a list of the top-rated business software products from vendors headquartered in the Windy City area, according to data from more than 700 reviews written by business professionals.

Satisfaction rankings are generated from user review data, and market presence is calculated from vendor size, market share, and social impact.

Here are the 10 Chicagoland-based business software products with the highest customer satisfaction scores, as of March 18, 2015:

1. Sertifi
2. Sprout Social
3. Steelbrick CPQ (Disclaimer: Steelbrick is a sister company of G2 Crowd)
4. SurePayroll
5. DialogTech
6. NumXL
7. ExpressPigeon
8. Geofeedia
9. Starfish ETL
10. Personify Live

"Chicago is the B2B capital of the software industry. It's great to see so many of our companies – from startups to old-timers – doing so well," said Fred Hoch, CEO of the Illinois Technology Association. "I look forward to seeing thousands of Chicago area companies on this Grid℠ and leading the industry for years to come."

Although the products listed had a wide range of satisfaction ratings, only three companies broke into the upper half of the GridScape℠: Sprout Social, SurePayroll and SilkRoad. This indicates that while there are a number of Chicago-area companies making waves, they're still relatively small when compared to software companies in other markets.  

Despite the smaller nature of these companies, they are rapidly growing in influence. One indicator of increased momentum is the amount of venture capital investment in Chicago; according to CBInsights and World Business Chicago, Chicago saw a record volume of startup investment deals in the third quarter of 2014, claiming 61 deals totaling more than $1.1 billion.

"The Chicago-area business technology scene is in the midst of a tremendous growth period," said Tim Handorf, president of G2 Crowd. "Players such as Sertifi, Sprout Social, SurePayroll and SilkRoad have not only been able to build great products, but scale in this market as well."

As the Chicago tech community grows, so will the Chicago GridScape℠. Future refreshes will provide updated rankings based on the latest reviews and social data.

"Chicago is a B2B world and we have a growing number of new and established businesses here which provide real and valuable services to our community and to customers nationwide," said Howard Tullman, CEO of 1871. "Platforms like G2 Crowd, and new offerings like its GridScape℠, help software purchasers better evaluate these businesses, and visualize the expansive growth of the local tech scene. The GridScape℠ also gives additional visibility to small and growing tech companies based in the Chicagoland area."  

About G2 Crowd, Inc.

G2 Crowd, the world's leading business software review platform, leverages its nearly 30,000 user reviews to drive better purchasing decisions. Technology buyers, investors, and analysts use the site to compare and select the best software based on peer reviews and synthesized social data. Co-founded by the founder and former executives from SaaS leader BigMachines and backed by more than $4.5 million in capital, G2 Crowd aims to bring authenticity and transparency to business technology research. For more information, go to G2Crowd.com.

CONTACT:  Mallory Snitker, 847-415-9300

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SOURCE G2 Crowd