TechCrunch Reveals Comedian John Oliver Will Host Sixth Annual Crunchies Awards

Entertainer leads tech community in celebrating the most compelling startups, Internet and tech innovations of 2012

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TechCrunch announces actor and comedian John Oliver will host The Crunchies, the annual ceremony recognizing top tech industry accomplishments of 2012, co-hosted by TechCrunch and partners GigaOM and VentureBeat on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013, at 7:30 p.m. at San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall.

“The Crunchies is our opportunity as an industry to step back and recognize that hard work – and have some fun while we’re at it.”

Oliver, best known for his standup comedy and work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, joins the biggest names in Silicon Valley for a look back at the innovations and technology that shaped 2012. The English comedian and Emmy nominated writer, also known for his recurring role on NBC’s Community, brings his satirical wit to the Davies stage, blending the worlds of pop culture and technology in a fresh way for a packed house.

For the sixth year running, the Crunchies will honor the most deserving startups, founders and investors across 20 categories from Best New Startup to Founder of the Year to Sexiest Enterprise Startup. Last year’s winners and attendees included Marissa Mayer, Jack Dorsey, Ron Conway, Reid Hoffman and Ben Horowitz, all coming together to kick off a new year in tech with an awards ceremony and after party.

Public nominations have been tallied for commendable achievement in a variety of categories, including seven additions new for this year: Best Collaborative Consumption Service, Best E-Commerce Application, Fastest Rising Startup, Best Content Discovery Application, Best Education Startup, Best Hardware Startup and Sexiest Enterprise Startup.

“People in tech spend every day of the year pouring their heart and souls into creating and improving their products and services,” said Ned Desmond, chief operating officer of TechCrunch. “The Crunchies is our opportunity as an industry to step back and recognize that hard work – and have some fun while we’re at it.”

Tickets for the The Crunchies start at $80 and are now available for purchase on Eventbrite.

List of Nominees and last year’s winners include:

• Best Technology Achievement (2011: Siri)
• Best Collaborative Consumption Service (New for 2012)
• Best E-Commerce Application (New for 2012)
• Best Mobile Application (2011: Evernote)
• Fastest Rising Startup (New for 2012)
• Best Content Discovery Application (New for 2012)
• Best Design (2011: Path 2.0)
• Best Bootstrapped Startup (2011: Imgur)
• Sexiest Enterprise Startup (New for 2012)
• Best International Startup (2011: Peixe Urbano)
• Best Education Startup (New for 2012)
• Best Hardware Startup (New for 2012)
• Best Time Sink (2011: Words With Friends)
• Biggest Social Impact (2011: Twitter)
• Angel of the Year (2011: Reid Hoffman)
• VC of the Year (2011: Marc Andreessen & Ben Horowitz)
• Founder of the Year (2011: Jack Dorsey)
• CEO of the Year (2011: Jeff Weiner)
• Best New Startup of 2012 (2011: Pinterest)
• Best Overall Startup of 2012 (2011: Dropbox)

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