In New York City, it seems like anything you could possibly want exists right outside your front door.
Soon enough, software you often didn’t know you needed will be (if it’s not already) available on the other side of your phone’s lock screen, thanks, in part, to fast-paced businesses like the following eight companies, which are all developing solutions to long-standing technical pain points. We recently caught up with leaders from their teams to learn more about their hiring practices, onboarding processes and culture. Here’s what they had to say.
What they do: Better.com uses proprietary technology to remove the middle man in the home buying and ownership process. They eliminate hurdles (and headaches) typically associated with purchasing or refinancing.
One thing that would surprise people about Better.com: How fast they are growing. In the last year, they have scaled their sales team from 30 people to over 200. “A lot of team members have seen personal and professional growth that you wouldn't get elsewhere,” said Head of Sales Sarah Pierce. “We like to say Better is like life in dog years.”
One trait all team members share: The sales team is a diverse group. Despite different backgrounds, they all share a common drive to win and be part of a team.
What they do: Discovery Digital Media is a startup within Discovery Communications that uses technology to create increasingly immersive viewing experiences for some of the world’s most popular brands. Hint, hint: The Food Network.
One thing that would surprise people about Discovery Digital: The company aspires to build all of their own software intellectual property to power their products globally.
One trait all team members share: They have each other's backs. According to SVP of Product and Technology Joseph Ambeault, they are very team-oriented and collaborative.
What they do: The Trade Desk is an on-demand platform for managing display, social, video and television advertising campaigns.
One thing that would surprise people about The Trade Desk: While they have well over a thousand more people today than they did six years ago, the heart of their company culture really hasn’t changed. It’s been their founders’ top priority from the start. As a result, everyone takes a lot of pride in contributing to it and protecting it.
One trait all team members share: “We’re all committed and passionate about what we do, and we’re all incredibly generous and helpful to each other,” said VP of Strategic Accounts Amber Joi Seipel. “This is certainly the best team I’ve ever been on and I continually hear the same thing from others.”
What they do: HyperScience uses a machine learning platform to help customers extract valuable data from processed documents. This technology lets businesses step away from time-consuming, manual operations; something we could all use more of.
One thing that would surprise people about HyperScience: Employees take their work seriously, but they don’t take themselves too seriously. “Just today, Farra, who leads employee experience for our company, asked some awesome questions during an interview dressed up like one half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for Halloween,” said VP of People Manya Ellenberg. “One of our company values is ‘ambition pairs best with humility’ and it speaks to this very example.” The team rejects arrogance and challenges dogma. They know bold ideas come from everyone and everywhere.
One trait all team members share: The HyperScience people team leads with compassion. Ellenberg told us that they care about people as individuals from the first email to the job offer and through onboarding. “We partner with you to make your time at HyperScience rewarding by designing and executing experiences, benefits and development opportunities that support every team member's growth and performance.”
What they do: Plaid helps developers create easy, accessible user experiences. They work with companies like Venmo, American Express, Betterment and Coinbase.
One thing that would surprise people about Plaid: Everyone at Plaid is approachable and accessible, including leadership. “People will always find the time to answer any questions you may have or grab a coffee to learn more about you and what you're working on,” said Growth Manager Erica Martinez. Their leadership team hosts onboarding sessions for every new hire class.
One trait all team members share: On the growth team, no one person is the same. Everyone comes with different backgrounds, different types of experience and different skills. Martinez told us that when you bring all the diversity and different perspectives together, it makes for a great and even stronger team.
What they do: Eight Sleep is a sleep fitness company that designs products with the goal of increasing human potential and maximizing performance. Think yoga meets napping.
One thing that would surprise people about Eight Sleep: They are not a mattress company. Eight Sleep is mission-driven to improve sleep by leveraging thermoregulation, data and technology to restore individuals to their peak energy. Every morning the team discusses their own sleep experiences with the Pod, a bed that analyzes and adapts to users’ sleep preferences, as well as their app. They use what they learn to assess further product improvements and enhance consumers’ sleep fitness.
One trait all team members share: “Our company values were inspired by our teammates and what drives each of us,” said Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Massimo Bassi. One of those values is having an athlete’s mentality. “We believe prioritizing wellness and self-care lets us be at our best personally and professionally.”
The Eight Sleep team organizes weekly group fitness classes, has conversations about health and food trends and makes sure work-life balance is a priority.
What they do: Tempus is a technology company building the world’s largest library of molecular and clinical data, as well as an operating system to make that data useful and accessible.
One thing that would surprise people about Tempus: Their team has a lot of diversity in both their backgrounds and technical skill sets. They come from a broad range of industries. They are intellectually curious, learning from each other and fostering a culture of continuous knowledge sharing. They have and are continuing to hire top software engineers, data scientists, computational biologists and biotech talent.
One trait all team members share: Tenacity. “We are relentless in our pursuit of precision medicine to save people's lives,” said Head of Engineering Chris Tava. “We are keenly aware that we are solving some of the biggest problems in the healthcare industry, so we bring humility along with our hard work.”
What they do: Signpost is an online advertising service that connects local businesses with new customers. The automated solution collects customer feedback, increases reviews as well as repeat business and helps companies grow revenue.
One thing that would surprise people about Signpost: According to Director of Sales Romeo Duran, they have the best training program in New York City. “When someone works for Signpost, they not only learn how to sell our software, they learn how to sell better,” he said. “I find myself having conversations with people who are currently at much bigger companies in roles they couldn’t imagine themselves being in without the training they got from Signpost.”
One trait all team members share: They bring the energy to Signpost. Spend a few minutes on the sales floor and you’ll feel it. The team celebrates wins hard while working diligently.
