Thousands show up for a glitch-free Pokémon Go Fest
Avoiding the tech issues that plagued its first iteration, this year’s Pokémon Go Fest in Chicago was a success. Attendee numbers were crazy high with 21,000 people in Lincoln Park and 180,000 in the Chicagoland area. Attendees walked 6,000 kilometers combined, completing research tasks and catching an average of 350 Pokémon during the two-day event. [Variety]
Oracle is building a construction tech test site
Oracle, the global cloud platform company, acquired Textura two years ago. This week, it announced what Textura’s old Deerfield headquarters is going to be used for. Oracle plans on creating a mock construction site in its place, showcasing Oracle’s construction technology, including trackers and drones, to name a few. The company intends to open the site this summer, and it will be Oracle’s first of many centers around the world. [Crain’s]
Check out the 10 companies that made Techstars Chicago’s 2018 cohort
After stops in 15 Midwest cities and universities, 2,243 applications, and 408 interviews, Techstars Chicago picked 10 awesome companies to participate in its 2018 cohort. The three-month program gives founders working space, $120,000 in funding, and a set of Chicago-based mentors. Check out the companies that made the cut. [Built In Chicago]
Crain’s releases Tech 50 list featuring only women
For Crain’s 7th annual Tech 50 list, the publication switched it up, listing only women founders, leaders, technologists and investors. The shakeup was part of the paper’s Woman Up initiative, aiming to shed light on the stories of women in Chicago business all year long. Just last year, our very own CEO Maria Katris was named one of Crain’s Tech 50. Check out the full list here. [Crain’s]
Accenture acquires Schaumburg-based Kogentix
Kogentix, a data company that solves big data issues, has been acquired by the major consulting firm, Accenture. With Kogentix employing 220 people, Accenture plans to keep those employees and one day move to Accenture’s Innovation Hub in the Loop, according to AmericanInno. The acquisition will allow Accenture to combine their data with Kogentix and create more opportunities for both sides. [AmericanInno]
YouEarnedIt acquires Chicago-based HighGround
Austin HR tech platform YouEarnedIt announced on Thursday that it has acquired HighGround, a Chicago-based performance management platform launched in 2012. The companies will continue to operate independently, with plans to integrate the solutions in the near future. Details of the deal were not disclosed. [Press Release]
5 Chicago tech companies welcome new executives
Chris Townsend is the newest addition to the Wellspring team, after being announced as chief marketing officer this week. Bringing 15 years of marketing experience, his most recent gig was chief marketing officer at Imaginatik. During a time of growth for the technology scouting software company, Townsend plans on driving global marketing operations. [PR Newswire]
Ascent RegTech, the platform working to make sure your company stays compliant with regulations, just added two new rockstars to its team. With 20 years of experience in product management, Subha Sririam will start as vice president of product, planning to work across markets to integrate data and user feedback.
Jeff Heine, announced as Ascent’s new chief revenue officer, will also bring extensive experience from his previous CRO roles to Ascent. He will start by creating a go-to-market strategy and work to enter new verticals. [Ascent]
STATS’ newest senior vice president of customer success, Lisa Ackerman, plans on developing and expanding the company’s customer relations program. In an effort to do this, she will onboard STATS’ clients with customer training, professional services and support. Having previously lead the customer experience team at SumTotal Systems, this position is right up Lisa Ackerman’s alley. [Business Wire]
Matt Miller has been a key player for Centro’s growth and two big acquisitions in the past six years. The advertising software company announced this week that Miller has been promoted as chief executive officer, aiming to maintain Centro’s financial foundation during a time of great growth. [Centro]
Alicia M. Torres has been announced as Payformance Solutions’ new chief executive officer. With 30 years of experience in the healthcare industry, Torres will lead Payformance in expanding new technologies and transitioning the healthcare system to value-based payment models. [Press release]
