Built In Chicago proudly presents the 2016 list of the Top 100 Digital Technology Companies in Chicago. The list ranks digital tech employers of every stripe, from data analytics startups to e-commerce companies and digital agencies, based on local, full-time employee count.
Chicago’s tech companies are growing
The major players in Chicago's tech scene are getting bigger. The total number of people employed locally by the companies in this year's Top 100 alone was around 41,000, up 17 percent from last year's 35,000.
That growth is reflected throughout the entire list: 9 companies on this year’s list had over 1,000 employees in Chicago, up from 6 companies last year, and the threshold for inclusion also rose significantly.
Companies on the rise
IBM Cloud Object Storage (formerly Cleversafe) was responsible for the biggest jump from last year's list, moving 36 spots north to the 32 slot. LaunchPoint, CSG International and Rightpoint also made impressive climbs of 20, 16 and 14 spots, respectively.
Data analytics startup Uptake, which made a huge splash last year by snagging the list’s 35th spot during its second year in existence, continued its meteoric rise this year by climbing to a shared 21st. The 2015 Forbes Hottest Startup winner, founded by Groupon co-founders Brad Keywell and Eric Lefkofsky, doubled its employee count from 300 to 600 in the past year.
Young companies make their mark
Eight percent of companies represented in this year’s list were founded in the past five years, down from nine percent last year. Twenty-eight percent of the listed companies launched in the past 10 years, and a whopping 48 percent launched in the past 15 years.
Employees: 112 | Founded: 1984 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 92
Employees: 113 | Founded: 2006 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 116 | Founded: 2003 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 117 | Founded: 1994 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 91
Employees: 120 | Founded: 2005 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 96
Employees: 120 | Founded: 2010 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 124 | Founded: 1993 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 125 | Founded: 1998 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 86
Employees: 125 | Founded: 1999 | Type: E-commerce | 2015 Rank: 60
Employees: 125 | Founded: 2007 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 127 | Founded: 2005 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 85
Employees: 130 | Founded: 1996 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 130 | Founded: 2013 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 96
Employees: 130 | Founded: 2010 | Type: E-commerce | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 131 | Founded: 2006 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 70
Employees: 135 | Founded: 1991 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 135 | Founded: 2006 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 137 | Founded: 1990 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 137 | Founded: 1998 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 66
Employees: 137 | Founded: 2011 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 140 | Founded: 1999 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 76
Employees: 140 | Founded: 2011 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 149 | Founded: 2013 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 150 | Founded: 2003 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 70
Employees: 150 | Founded: 1996 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 153 | Founded: 2002 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 82
Employees: 156 | Founded: 2009 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 81
Employees: 161 | Founded: 1998 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 79
Employees: 165 | Founded: 1987 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 83
Employees: 170 | Founded: 1999 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 176 | Founded: 2003 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 67
Employees: 180 | Founded: 1997 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 65
Employees: 182 | Founded: 1995 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 58
Employees: 185 | Founded: 1768 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 51
Employees: 186 | Founded: 1999 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 57
Employees: 190 | Founded: 1995 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 60
Employees: 200 | Founded: 2011 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 200 | Founded: 1997 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 200 | Founded: 2005 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 52
Employees: 200 | Founded: 2008 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 52
Employees: 200 | Founded: 1994 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 76
Employees: 202 | Founded: 2008 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 79
Employees: 205 | Founded: 1993 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 44
Employees: 214 | Founded: 2010 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 63
Employees: 218 | Founded: 2004 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 64
Employees: 220 | Founded: 2001 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 52
Employees: 244 | Founded: 1998 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 47
Employees: 245 | Founded: 2001 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 46
Employees: 250 | Founded: 2015 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 52
Employees: 257 | Founded: 1999 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 39
Employees: 260 | Founded: 1981 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 261 | Founded: 2013 | Type: E-commerce | 2015 Rank: 47
Employees: 263 | Founded: 2000 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 47
Employees: 265 | Founded: 2001 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 43
Employees: 271 | Founded: 1994 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 41
Employees: 286 | Founded: 2007 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 59
Employees: 300 | Founded: 2009 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 2009
Employees: 300 | Founded: 1998 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 40
Employees: 300 | Founded: 2007 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 34
Employees: 310 | Founded: 1996 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 35
Employees: 331 | Founded: 2001 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 50
Employees: 340 | Founded: 1978 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 38
Employees: 350 | Founded: 1982 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 29
Employees: 400 | Founded: 2006 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 33
Employees: 425 | Founded: 2006 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 45
Employees: 440 | Founded: 1995 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 31
Employees: 450 | Founded: 1980 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 24
Employees: 451 | Founded: 1992 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 30
Employees: 485 | Founded: 2004 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 68
Employees: 495 | Founded: 2003 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 26
Employees: 500 | Founded: 2001 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 31
Employees: 510 | Founded: 1975 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 23
Employees: 525 | Founded: 2001 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 25
Employees: 550 | Founded: 2012 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 13
Employees: 565 | Founded: 1999 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 26
Employees: 567 | Founded: 1835 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 588 | Founded: 1998 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 22
Employees: 600 | Founded: 2014 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 35
Employees: 600 | Founded: 1998 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 19
Employees: 600 | Founded: 2000 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 28
Employees: 623 | Founded: 2001 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 19
Employees: 629 | Founded: 2001 | Type: E-commerce | 2015 Rank: 7
Employees: 665 | Founded: 1996 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 21
Employees: 694 | Founded: 2004 | Type: E-commerce | 2015 Rank: 18
Employees: 697 | Founded: 1989 | Type: E-commerce | 2015 Rank: 16
Employees: 700 | Founded: 1980 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 17
Employees: 753 | Founded: 1999 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 11
Employees: 800 | Founded: 1997 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 15
Employees: 839 | Founded: 1998 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 9
Employees: 842 | Founded: 1969 | Type: Agency | 2015 Rank: 12
Employees: 897 | Founded: 1928 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: N/A
Employees: 1,048 | Founded: 2006 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 4
Employees: 1,152 | Founded: 2004 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 5
Employees: 1,167 | Founded: 2006 | Type: Consumer Web | 2015 Rank: 14
Employees: 1,191 | Founded: 1998 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 6
Employees: 1,200 | Founded: 1985 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 3
Employees: 1,253 | Founded: 2009 | Type: E-commerce | 2015 Rank: 10
Employees: 1,400 | Founded: 2005 | Type: Software | 2015 Rank: 8
Employees: 1,433 | Founded: 1984 | Type: B2B Web | 2015 Rank: 2
Employees: 1,950 | Founded: 2008 | Type: E-commerce | 2015 Rank: 1
*Correction: Guaranteed Rate was wrongfully omitted from this list. They currently have 1,414 employees in Chicago. SPR Consulting was also not included in this year's list despite having 175 employees in Chicago. We regret the errors.
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Built In Chicago’s Top 100 is a ranking of the largest digital tech employers in the Chicagoland area based on local, full-time employee count as of September 1, 2016. This ranking is compiled by submissions to the Built In Chicago website and market survey as well as public company database research.
To be eligible for inclusion, a company’s primary business and industry must be digital technology/innovation, including web and mobile applications, software, IoT, e-commerce, VR/AR and digital agency work. Employee numbers only include workers in Cook, Lake and DuPage counties and do not count part-time employees, interns, contractors or non-W2 workers. Both private and public companies have been surveyed.
Some companies that may have been eligible have been excluded because they have self-opted to not disclose headcount or have not supplied the required information requested in the survey.
