Portfolio Company of the Year Award

IVCA Annual Awards

Begun in 2010, the Portfolio Company of the Year Award recognizes a venture capital-backed and a private equity-backed company based on the following criteria:

  • Company is located in Illinois
  • Is/Was VC or PE backed, had a realized liquidity event in 2020 or 2021 and the exit was successful for investors 
  • Examples of a great outcome might include:
    • Great returns to investors
    • Speed to achieve key milestones
    • Impressive revenue growth
    • Impressive net growth
    • Impressive employment growth
    • Introduced a key and impactful technology
    • Turnaround story

Previous Awardees are:

2021:  Factor (Venture-backed)
2021:  Option Care (Private equity-backed)
2020:  Sprout Social (Venture-backed)
2019:  Livongo (Venture-backed)
2019:  Evans Food Group (Private equity-Backed)
2018:  Aptinyx (Venture-backed)
2018:  The Stepping Stones Group (Private equity-backed)
2017:  Naurex, Inc. (Venture-backed)
2017:  Kronos Foods (Private equity-backed)
2016:  Cleversafe (Venture-backed)
2016:  Sage Products (Private equity-backed)
2015:  Paylocity (Venture-backed)
2015:  Sterigenics International (Private equity-backed)
2014:  GrubHub (Venture-backed)
2014:  Fieldglass (Private equity-backed) 
2013:  Gogo (Venture-backed)
2013:  Actient Pharmaceuticals (Private equity-backed)
2012:  SurePayroll (Venture-backed)
2012:  Flexera Software (Private equity-backed)
2011:  Accretive Health (Venture-backed)
2011:  Great Kitchens (Private equity-backed)
2010:  Initiate Systems, Inc. (Venture-backed)
2010:  Ovation Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Private equity-backed)