THE CRUNCHIES: With Billions At Stake, San Francisco's Tech Elite Take A Night To Celebrate

Owen Thomas, Business InsiderYahoo CEO Marissa MayerThursday night, hundreds of members of the technology elite—founders, investors, hustlers, hackers—gathered at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall for the sixth annual Crunchies Awards, a ceremony which celebrates private-stock valuations and product launches instead of box-office scores and film premieres.

When a handful of tech blogs launched The Crunchies five years ago, the notion of an awards ceremony for startups modeled after the Oscars seemed like a self-mocking joke—and indeed, few took it seriously at the time.

Fast-forward to 2013, and it's clear as day that the tech world has stars like Marissa Mayer, Mark Zuckerberg, Aaron Levie, Brian Chesky, and Kevin Systrom. And arguably, the digital products they launch on the world are far more important than the ephemeral celluloid narratives of Hollywood.

We donned a tuxedo, brought our cameras, and took our seats.