ITA Recognizes Finalists for Prominent ITA CityLIGHTS Award

CHICAGO, IL--(Marketwired - Sep 11, 2014) - The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) Board of Directors is proud to announce the finalists for the 2014 ITA CityLIGHTS Award. The finalists include:

• Rishi Shah and Shradha Agarwal, ContextMedia
  ContextMedia brings contextually relevant and hyper-targeted health education to patients with chronic disease when and where they need it to live healthier lives through digital, mobile and interactive media. Our mission is to empower and educate patients living with a chronic condition and engineer better patient-physician dialogues. We utilize the latest media technology to deliver healthcare messages during, pre- and post- physician visits.
  
  
• Terry Howerton, TechNexus
  Terry Howerton is the founder and CEO of TechNexus, Chicago's free market venture collaborative, and a tireless advocate for innovating both businesses and communities.
  
  
• Brad Keywell, Groupon and Lightbank
  Brad Keywell is cofounder and director of Groupon, MediaBank and Echo Global Logistics. He is a cofounder and managing partner of Lightbank, a venture fund investing in disruptive technology businesses. He serves as chair of Governor Pat Quinn's Illinois Innovation Council, and is founder and chair of Chicago Ideas Week.
  
  
• Jim O'Connor Jr, MVC Capital
  Mr. O'Connor is a senior investment professional with over a decade of private equity and venture capital experience. Prior to becoming a Managing Director of the Fund in 2008, Mr. O'Connor held senior management positions within Motorola, Inc., and was founding Chairman of the CEC and 1871.
  
  
• Sanjib Sahoo, tradeMONSTER
  Sanjib Sahoo is an award-winning CTO/CIO for online trading and stock broker, tradeMONSTER. Under his leadership since 2006, Sahoo's strategy to approach innovation and reduce the risk of failing when using emerging technologies helped tradeMONSTER to leapfrog the competition and rank as one of the top 2 online trading firms.
  
  

"It's my honor to recognize these executives who do so much to help the local technology ecosystem thrive," said Fred Hoch, CEO of the Illinois Technology Association. "This group truly supports and makes our industry grow and flourish. We wouldn't be where we are as a community without their impact on our mutual success."

Winners of all 2014 ITA CityLIGHTS awards will be named at the main event on September 18 at Chicago's hottest new venue, Morgan Manufacturing.

The event is a great opportunity to celebrate some of the many accomplishments of the local tech industry and the growing importance of this economic sector. The Gala is attended by more than 700 executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and technology champions from the breadth and depth of Illinois business.

This program wouldn't be possible without the continued support of the 2014 ITA CityLIGHTS sponsors including Presenting Sponsor, Grant Thornton, Platinum Sponsor, CDW and Event Sponsors, Authentify, Cars.com, Crain's Chicago Business, HERE, KPMG, kCura, Lantern Partners, Southpoint Insurance, SurePayroll, Illinois DCEO and McGuireWoods.

About the Illinois Technology Association
The Illinois Technology Association (ITA) is an enabling organization powering the growth of tech in Illinois. Through vibrant programs, services and strategic consulting, the ITA drives our dynamic industry by working to grow, build and elevate our members. For more information, visit www.illinoistech.org, follow ITA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/itabuzz, and view the ITA's Facebook profile at www.facebook.com/illinoistechnology.