Anybody looking to start a company today knows the importance of a killer tech team. The people behind your startup's technology will likely make or break the product, so including a strong leader with a vision can take your business to the next level, faster. At Built In Chicago, we want to foster the growth of local digital companies by helping entrepreneurs connect and learn from each other. These 4 Chicago CTOs have helped mold their companies into what they are today, and we hope you can learn a bit from what powers their technology and what they see for the future.
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Shane Cruz, GoHealth
Before GoHealth, shopping for health insurance was dreadful. Thanks to its online marketplace, that's no longer the case. The Chicago-based company works with more than 300 health insurance companies and allows customers to easily search, compare and purchase a health insurance plan online. CTO Shane Cruz joined GoHealth in 2004, and is working to continue improving GoHealth's technology and platform as they landscape of healthcare in America constantly changes. Built In Chicago caught up with Cruz recently to learn more about how their technology is evolving and what they're looking forward to in the future.
[ibimage==47600==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-left]Nick Doulas, Iris Mobile
Nick Doulas is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Iris Mobile. He previously spent 14 years in technology leadership at Motorola, building his expertise in mobile technology and wireless networks. Doulas is defining the tech strategy for the marketing technology SaaS company, and Built In Chicago caught up with him recently to learn more about current mobile marketing trends and how his technology is ready to keep up with them.
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John Higginson, Enova
John Higginson joined Enova as Chief Technology Officer in 2014 — a big year for change for the financial services company. It's one of Chicago's largest digital tech companies, and went public in October. It also spun off from its parent company Cash America later in November. Higginson runs the team that powers Enova's global business in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia and Built In Chicago caught up with him recently to learn about how Enova's technology is evolving and what they're looking forward to in the future.
Paul Zhang, Avant
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As one of the three co-founders of Avant, Paul Zhang, has been building their technologies from day one. Zhang had experience working with financial services technology startups previously, and now manages a team of more than 60 tech and analytics employees in Chicago. He's continuing to expand the tech team of the rapidly growing company and is striving to maintain the startup culture of his team as the company grows.
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