Steven Marciniak

Originally from the Chicago area, Founder and CEO Steven Marciniak graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in December 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Management-Entrepreneurship. Shortly after graduation, he was introduced to a lobbyist at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce who was searching for a better way to track legislation. Steven instantly recognized not only the business potential but the significance of government transparency and involvement and founded PolicyEngage (formerly TrackBill). The following year was an uphill battle for the founder—struggling on food stamps, sleeping on a friend’s couch, and selling his plasma to get the company off the ground.

In February 2013, PolicyEngage was accepted as one of five startups (out of 120) into the Capital Innovators accelerator program in Saint Louis, MO. After successfully completing the three-month curriculum, PolicyEngage caught the attention of Arch Grants, also located in Saint Louis, and became one of 20 companies (out of 707) to receive a grant from the startup competition. Grateful for the support of the city, PolicyEngage established Saint Louis as its headquarters in May 2013.

Following its move to Saint Louis, PolicyEngage raised $2.6 million from two venture capital firms, Cultivation Capital in Saint Louis and Serra Ventures in Champaign, IL. Since then, the company has expanded its operations with an office in Washington, DC.

In his spare time, Steven enjoys hiking, reading about space and physics, and researching Ancient Egyptian history.