Momentum Awards

9.19.24

Join 1871’s 17th annual tech award show honoring the best innovators across Chicagoland!

Year 2023 Rewind

Looking back on 1871's 2023 Momentum Awards.

2023 winners

Here are the incredible founders, leaders, and companies who took home the trophies for our 2023 Momentum Awards.

Rising Star

Presented to an early stage company that is positioned to grow into a leader in its market.

Momentum

Presented to a growth company with the strongest potential to emerge as a leader in its market.

CityLIGHTS

Presented to a late-stage company that is becoming a category leader.

Outstanding
Tech CEO

Presented to a CEO who has successfully scaled & nurtured their company through outstanding leadership.

Maria Christopoulos Katris, CEO of Built In

Industry
Disrupter

Presented to a company that has developed an innovative product that has the potential to significantly disrupt their industry.

Social Impact

Presented to a company that has fostered a commitment to DEI, community contributions, & social impact.

Corporate Champion

Presented to a company that champions the growth of the Illinois tech industry through community-focused action.

Chicagoness

Presented to an individual who exemplifies the values of the Chicago entrepreneurial community & empowers future innovators.

Kevin Willer, Partner of Chicago Ventures

2024 sponsor opportunities

Support our mission, get visibility, & collaborate

When you sponsor Momentum Awards, your perks span pre, during, and post the event, as well as throughout the year. As a 501c3 nonprofit, the work we do is made possible by the generous support of our community.

Help us inspire, equip, & support by becoming a sponsor.

Choose which benefit group is right for you.

Phases

1 Nominations

Learn about the awards

2 Public voting

3 Finalists announced

View 2023 finalists!

4 Award show

Event Details

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Location

Morgan MFG or Virtual

Time

6:00 – 7:00 PM CST – Virtual & in-person networking, featuring live entertainment from The Jellyvision Band!

7:00 PM CST – Award program & celebration

8:15 PM CST – After party celebration with special entertainment guests

10:00 PM CST – Silent Auction & Raffle close and event concludes. We’ll see you next year!

Past winners

Rising Star

2022: Valqari

2021: Valqari

Momentum

Presented to a growth company with the strongest potential to emerge as a leader in its market.

2022 winner: Ocient

CityLIGHTS

Presented to a late-stage company that is becoming a category leader.

2022 winners: ActiveCampaign

Outstanding
Tech CEO

Presented to a CEO who has successfully scaled & nurtured their company through outstanding leadership.

2022 winner: Kelly Manthey, Global Chief Executive Officer of Kin + Carta

Industry
Disrupter

Presented to a company that has developed an innovative product that has the potential to significantly disrupt their industry.

2022 winner: Rheaply

Social Impact

Presented to a company that has fostered a commitment to DEI, community contributions, & social impact.

2022 winner: Zing Health

Corporate Champion

Presented to a company that champions the growth of the Illinois tech industry through community-focused action.

2022 winner: Navistar

*Closed for nominations*

Chicagoness

Presented to an individual who exemplifies the values of the Chicago entrepreneurial community & empowers future innovators.

2022 winner: James (Jim) Reynolds Jr., Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Loop Capital

*Closed for nominations*

Reserve your ticket!

1871 Members, you’ve got a discount code waiting for you. Check your inbox or reach out to us!

In-person

Single: $1,000

Virtual

Single: $50

5-pack: $225

10-pack: $450

Event Experience

We’re gearing up for an incredible night of fun, new connections, & celebration! In addition to cheering on today’s brightest tech founders & leaders at our award show, here is what you can expect when you purchase your ticket:

Pre-show entertainment

Local tech band, The Jellyvision Band, will be performing during opening cocktail hour! Featuring nine multi talented employees of Jellyvision and performing hits of yesterday and today, this band rocks!

Support towards 1871's mission

Our array of robust silent auction packages, unforgettable experiences, and exclusive raffle items are now live on our events platform!The proceeds help contribute towards supporting our mission.

Whether you’re joining us in person at Momentum or from the comfort of your own home, browse and enter to win incredible packages & experiences like: Farmer’s Fridge FOR LIFE, Blackhawks game tickets, Spend A Day in the life with 1871’s ZEO, and so much more!

How to participate

Raffle

Purchase “entry tickets” to enter yourself into the raffle for each item you want to win. Enter as many times as you’d like!

Silent Auction

Make a bid on each item that catches your eye. The highest bid will win!

Networking

Connect with fellow entrepreneurs & business leaders across our tech community either in-person over refreshments or through our networking feature on Hopin!

After party entertainment

The party won’t end after the last award is delivered! Stay tuned afterwards for an exciting afterparty experience featuring, local tech band, Live Stream.

Sponsorship

Want more branding opportunities to go along with your access to Momentum 2023? Contact momentum@1871.com to learn more about our wide variety of event sponsorship opportunities.