Company: Bigcommerce, Austin, TX
Entry Submitted By: Bigcommerce
Company Description: Bigcommerce is a client-centric company focused entirely on helping SMBs sell more using their e- commerce selling platform. Their pro-level SEO features and easy-to-use marketing tools are built right in at no extra cost, helping small businesses build brands, not just online stores. They help to democratize retail by providing pro-level tools to SMBs.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Computer Software - More Than 250 Employees

Nomination Title: Bigcommerce

1. Tell the story about what this nominated organization achieved since January 1 2013 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

2013 was a watershed year for Bigcommerce. The company showcased unprecedented growth in clients, sales and staff this year and shows zero signs of slowing down.

A few key stats to illustrate Bigcommerce’s growth in 2013 include:

• A 51 percent increase in clients. In 2013, Bigcommerce earned the business of 17,000 new stores and the company projects that it will have a grand total of 50,000 stores using its e-commerce platform by the official close of the year.
• These stores sold $2.75 billion dollars’ worth of products to 16,285,247 customers in 2013, representing an astonishing 108 percent year-over-year growth in volume.
• A 57 percent increase in headcount at the company so far this year to accommodate its incredibly rapid growth.

In fact, Bigcommerce was growing so quickly this year that the company had to move to an office space that was nearly five times larger than their original office. The company also saw a substantial investment from world-renowned tech visionary and founder of America Online (AOL), Steve Case in 2013. Case’s Revolution Growth fund made a Series C investment of $40 million in Bigcommerce in July of 2013 – recognizing the tremendous opportunity that e-commerce has to democratize the retail sector and give entrepreneurs the opportunity to go toe-to-toe with giants in their space. This investment brings Bigcommerce’s funding to a little more than $75 million since the company launched four years ago.

By the end of this year, Bigcommerce will have helped entrepreneurs sell more than $3 billion in product across more than 65 countries. Bigcommerce achieved several other noteworthy milestones in 2013. In April, the company was named one of the ‘Best Places to Work’ in Austin, Texas and in October it hosted the very first e-commerce circle in the fourth annual Global Startup Battle – a competition designed to pinpoint and reward promising, innovative and enthusiastic entrepreneurs (which ties directly back to its mission to help entrepreneurs develop and build their vision through the democratization of e-commerce. Bigcommerce also announced in December 2013 that its clients saw a 113 percent revenue spike during the four biggest shopping days of the holiday season, compared to 22 percent for the e-commerce industry as a whole. These impressive numbers highlight not only the awesome products that Bigcommerce’s clients offer, but the strong mobile optimization options provided by the platform, which allows clients to take advantage of the 29 percent of online shopping orders made from smartphones.

Bigcommerce is a client-centric company focused entirely on helping SMBs sell more. Their pro-level SEO features and easy-to-use marketing tools are built right in at no extra cost, helping small businesses build brands, not just online stores. This also allows them to create, maintain and grow their brands while establishing identities in their respective markets- serving to democratize retail by empowering even the smallest businesses with online presences and tools that rival those of much larger businesses.

Bigcommerce is renowned for its customer service, earning a 95 percent average customer satisfaction rating. The decision to put customers and employees first has resulted in continuous growth throughout Bigcommerce’s brief history.

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Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader of this nominated organization:

Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper met in a chat room and started writing code and selling software packages together in 2003. They went through various levels of success before they had perfected their business model with Bigcommerce. As Mitch and Eddie came up with the idea for Bigcommerce, they realized they would be competing with some of the world’s largest companies, such as eBay and Amazon, for customers. They wanted to create a business that catered to small businesses by helping them establish and build their brands. To do this, they ignored the traditional market structure and created an entirely new way for SMBs to sell online. Bigcommerce is a software-as-a-service model, allowing any aspiring entrepreneur to create and run a store within minutes.