Nominee Name/Nominee Company NameCityLIGHTS Award: G2
Finalist for the:CityLIGHTS - for companies with $25MM+ in revenue
About the Nominee:G2 was founded in 2012 by five entrepreneurs who were frustrated by how slowly analysts adapted to changes in technology and how much power a singular analyst held over an industry. So they decided to put the power into the hands of real customers, in a way that would give software entrepreneurs a fair chance to build their reputations and new categories.
G2 is the world’s largest and most trusted software marketplace, helping more than 60 million people every year make smarter software decisions based on authentic peer reviews. Thousands of companies partner with G2 to build their reputation, manage their software spending and grow their business -- including Salesforce, Hubspot, Zoom, Adobe, and more.
To support its mission to become “the place for software,” the company has raised over $250M in funding from IVP, Accel Partners, Permira, Emergence Capital, Pritzker Group, Chicago Ventures, Hyde Park Ventures, and industry leaders and founders, which includes our Series D round of $157M. Founded and headquartered in Chicago, the company now has a valuation of over $1.1B and operates globally with offices in London, Bangalore, and Singapore.
G2 has been commended for its workplace and culture - recognized in 2022 as a Forbes America’s Best Startup Employer, Inc. Best Workplace, and BuiltIn Best Place to Work in Chicago. This is in part due to the fact that before the concept for G2 was even determined, the co-founders landed on the type of company they wanted to build. They landed on PEAK values, which stands for Performance, Entrepreneurship, Authenticity, and Kindness. These values stand strong today, as the company lives and breathes them daily – with G2’s strategic plans and employee evaluations mapping back to them. To continually improve its workplace, G2 has hired a Conscious Leadership Coach who coaches G2’s leadership team, as well as an official DEI partner. Priti Patel, a former company coach, was also brought onto the senior leadership team in 2021 as Chief People Officer.
Why they should win:G2 has validated its peer-review model’s value and impactful contribution to the industry, reflected by the $157M Series D financing and its valuation of $1.1B, cementing its place as one of Chicago’s most valuable startups. G2 has welcomed over 200+ new team members in the past year alone, spanning across offices in Chicago, London, Bangalore, and Singapore, and nationwide thanks to hiring remote employees, equating to 50% growth in just one year.