The Built In Chicago CTOs You Should Know series highlights the experiences and lessons of technology leaders in Chicago. Our next round of CTOs have helped to make Chicago what it is today. Here's your opportunity to take a few pointers from them.To nominate a CTO for this series, contact [email protected].
Dylan Richard, Modest
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Dylan Richard has, according to the President of the United States (and probably the general population), a "fierce" beard. Before leading the Obama re-election campaign to victory in 2012, Dylan worked on commerce platforms.
Now, Dylan is working on Modest - a startup hailed as one of the most anticipated of 2014 that strives to "make commerce easy."
Gabriel Burt, Civis Analytics
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Gabriel Burt works to create social impact. For that reason, he joined the Obama campaign back in 2011 where he led a team of nine analytics engineers, working on 50TB analytics database. Since, he took his experience to Civis Analytics - a technology firm that solves the worlds problems with Big Data.
When he's not working on changing the world, you might find Gabriel flying a plane (he's a certified pilot) or biking along Lake Shore Drive with his wife.
Aaron Rankin, Sprout Social
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Aaron Rankin is the CTO and co-founder of Sprout Social, the social media platform powerhouse that is coming up on its fourth anniversary.
In the past, Aaron worked with Endeca and IBM - where he said he learned "anti-patterns." He's also the co-inventor of a patent that distinguishes relevant network security threats.
Craig Ulliott, Belly
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Born in England, Craig Ulliott now calls Chicago home and believes that "there has never been more opportunity here." Craig got his start by launching the Where I've Been app for Facebook (which was acquired by TripAdvisor).
Now, Craig is the CTO of Belly - the nation's largest owner/operator of consumer-facing tablet devices. When he's not running the world's "funnest" loyalty program he's working with organizations like Chicago Ideas Week or learning to ride motorcycles with his fiance - who also happens to be a leader in the Chicago tech scene.
Ryan Unger, Punchkick Interactive
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Ryan is a Chicago CTO who has been working and developing in the city for over 15 years. About 10 years ago he co-founded Punchkick Interactive (which was recently named the best place to work by Chicago Business Journal); the company has been leading the mobile marketing industry ever since.
Ryan said he realized the potential of the mobile space back in 2006 at a conference powered by Adobe: "it's hugely important to not underestimate the power of networking."
View 5 Chicago CTOs You Should Know, Part 1 Here
