Silicon Prairie News

SmartyPig, the West Des Moines-based online social savings company that bills itself as a "free online piggy bank," was named to Entrepreneur Magazine's "100 Brilliant Companies" list for 2011.

The list is organized into ten categories, such as "travel," "startup," and "social shopping," with ten companies spotlighted in each. SmartyPig is included in the "value" category.

According to editor-in-chief Amy Cosper, in a video on the magazine's website, the criteria for a "brilliant company" is a mix of deep understanding of the company's customers, innovation and sustainability in revenue model, passion for their work, "guts" and brilliant leadership.

Among that leadership at SmartyPig is co-founder Michael Ferrari, who commented on their inclusion in an email earlier today. "It's a pretty fantastic feeling to be recognized for your passion and all the hard work you've put into something over the past few years. And by 'you' I mean 'we,' the team here at SmartyPig. We're all pretty pumped to be included in their list this year. They sent us a copy of the magazine edition. It's one thing to see your name listed on their site. But seeing it in print is pretty cool."

Also, Storenvy, a California startup that began in Kansas City, made the list in the Social Shopping category.