The annual Chicago Innovation Awards was held last night at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park. Out of a record breaking 562 applicants, SiNode was selected as a top 100 finalist as well as one of ten Up & Comer winners. The Up & Comer award recognizes early stage companies that show great potential for disruptive products and services in the Chicagoland area.

Out of a record-breaking 562 nominees, SiNode Systems has been selected as one of the Top 100 Finalists still in the running for the 12th annual Chicago Innovation Awards. The awards celebrate the most innovative new products and services in the Chicago region across all organization sizes, sectors and industries.

Last Friday, August 23, SiNode Systems had the honor of ringing the NASDAQ closing bell in New York City. The celebratory event was also attended by investors, family members, representatives from the Rice Alliance, and key SiNode advisors. SiNode would like to thank everyone who was able to fly out for the event.

After competing with five other regional finalists from across the United States, SiNode Systems was crowned the winner of the 2013 Department of Energy National Clean Energy Business Plan competition — and a grand prize of $100,000 in cash and services.

EVANSTON, Ill. – April 22, 2013 – SiNode Systems, a company developing superior anodes for Lithium-ion batteries, won the Grand Prize at the 2013 Rice Business Plan Competition, an award that has been described by Fortune and CNN/Money as the Super Bowl and World Series combined for startups.

SiNode Systems took home the grand prize at the 2013 Rice Business Plan Competition, the world’s richest and largest business plan competition. In total, SiNode was awarded over $800,000 in prizes generously sponsored by the GOOSE Society of Texas, the OWL Investment Group, Mercury Fund, Greater Houston Partnership, U.S. Department of Energy, Trailblazer Capital, PKF of Texas, Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, BBVA Compass, Miller, Egan, Molter & Nelson LLP, and others.

Julie Wernau of the Chicago Tribune stopped by our labs to profile SiNode for an article covering green tech start-ups in the Chicago area. The article covered two other local start-ups HEVT and Lanza Tech.

After beating more than 140 teams competing at the north central region Clean Tech Open (CTO), SiNode was one of three teams to win $20,000 in cash and in-kind services as well as the opportunity to compete at the CTO’s Global Forum in San Jose.