Chair of New Products & Product Management Category Judging
Ross Kimbarovsky, crowdSPRING

In 2007, Ross Kimbarovsky co-founded and became co-executive of crowdSPRING, a Chicago technology start-up that operates an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of creative services. Buyers who need a new logo, website, marketing materials, product design, or other creative content post what they need, when they need it, and how much they’ll pay. Once the request is posted, creatives from around the world (nearly 50,000 from 170+ countries) 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 helps 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. The company was honored with a Stevie Award for Best New Product or Service of the Year in The 2009 American Business Awards.

Prior to co-founding crowdSPRING, Kimbarovsky spent 13 years as a successful trial attorney. He 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.

Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Kimbarovsky emigrated with his family to the U.S. in 1979. In 2006, he was named an Illinois SuperLawyer® and one of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under Forty to Watch” for intellectual-property and complex commercial litigation. Kimbarovsky holds a B.A. in Political Science and Philosophy from Northwestern University, and a law degree from the University of Illinois.