About

In 2007, Ross co-founded and is co-executive of crowdSPRING, LLC a Chicago technology start-up that operates an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of creative services. Buyers who need a new logo design, stationery design, web design, banner ads, marketing materials, product design, company name, product name or other creative content (see, for example, 99 Designs You Can Crowdsource on crowdSPRING) simply post what they need, when they need it and how much they'll pay. Once posted, creatives from around the world submit actual work - not bids or proposals. As the submissions come in, buyers are able to review, sort, rate, provide feedback and collaborate with multiple creatives until they pick their favorite. crowdSPRING is helping to radically transform the creative industries by providing a level playing field for tens of thousands of talented designers and by offering small and mid-size businesses real choice for their graphic design needs. crowdSPRING launched publicly in May 2008. Over 15,000 buyers from 75+ countries are registered on crowdspring.com and over 70,000 designers and writers from 175+ countries work on crowdspring.com. Since launch, crowdSPRING has been featured in many media publications and shows, including Forbes, New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Crain's, Chicago Tribune, Advertising Age, Chicago Tonight, Fast Company, SmartMoney, and many others. crowdSPRING has also prominently represented Chicago in Illinois and around the world. Shortly after its launch, crowdSPRING received the audience, judges and best of show - audience awards at the Under the Radar Conference in Silicon Valley (showcasing the most disruptive internet startups of 2008). Following up on its successful launch, crowdSPRING was a finalist for the Chicago Innovation Award in 2008, won WIRED Magazine's Small Biz 2008 competition, won a Business.com's best people solution competition, won the Illinois Technology Association's Newcomer award in 2009, was nominated for a 2009 Webby Award (as one of only five startups in the world) for the Community category, was named an Official Honoree for the Services and Applications category in the 13th Annual Webby Awards, and in June 2009, won a Stevie Award for Best Product/Service (crowdSPRING was also a 2010 finalist for best e-commerce site in the 2010 Stevie Awards). Prior to crowdSPRING, for 13 years as a successful attorney, Ross counseled and represented clients (from small internet startups to Fortune 100 companies) in complex disputes involving intellectual property in United States state and federal courts and before the World Intellectual Property Organization. In 2006, Ross was named one of "40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch" for intellectual property and complex commercial litigation. email: ross at rosskimbarovsky dot com