Just because the final quarter of 2021 is rapidly approaching doesn’t mean that companies are showing any signs of slowing down – especially in Seattle’s bustling tech scene. In fact, many businesses are launching ambitious new goals heading into the new year.
With major success comes rapid growth, so Built In dug a little deeper into five companies standing out this month to showcase who they are, what has people talking and all the ways they’re managing to keep their internal teams supported despite the busy schedules.
Take sales engagement platform Outreach, for instance. After achieving a $4.4 billion valuation this summer, the company is still making sure to expand its perks for new parents through their extensive benefits program.
And at Shelf Engine, the machine learning company dedicated to helping grocery stores eliminate food waste, a show-stopping list of celebrities just funded their most recent wave of investments to make an even bigger impact in 2022.
Take a further look to learn more about what big objectives are on the horizon for these five organizations – you might just find that your future paths align.
Who they are: Pokémon’s mission is to become an entertainment leader and bring the fun of Pokémon to people around the world. The Pokémon Company International manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment and website.
Gotta hire ‘em all: In the past week alone, the company posted 18 newly available roles their teams are looking to fill including senior client engineer, business intelligence analyst, social marketing associate, and senior people partner.
Noteworthy perks: While you might not be able to fulfill your childhood dream of becoming a Pokémon master, the company does offer plenty of other worthwhile benefits like generous PTO, diversity employee resource groups, company sponsored family events, full health coverage including wellness and mental health, fitness subsidies and continued education through online courses.
Who they are: Shelf Engine seeks to eliminate food waste and guarantee sales for grocers and other food service businesses by adding algorithms to the ordering process. The company’s technology automatically orders from vendors on a store’s behalf. Shelf Engine will buy back any food that the store doesn’t sell – which a vendor will then donate.
In the news: On Tuesday, the Seattle-based startup announced that it received an investment from a list of celebrities passionate about the company’s cause. This includes actress Portia de Rossi, TV host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres, pro snowboarder Shaun White and singer Shawn Mendes. The celebrities were joined by VC firm PLUS Capital, who also participated in the funding round.
Rapidly expanding roles: The company, which employs about 145 people now, is looking to reach a headcount of between 350 and 400 by the end of 2021. A lot of these new jobs will be for roles in product, data science and engineering. This projected growth is so big that the company is currently in the process of finding a new Seattle headquarters to return to.
Who they are: Esper’s cloud-based platform allows customers to keep track of the connected Android devices they operate and helps them provide remote support. It also has scalable APIs and SDKs so its customers can develop their software, test it out and then deploy it across all of their devices.
Employee buzz: “I decided to join Esper based on two key factors: the culture and the type of problems I’d be working on,” Principal Engineer Devashish Meena previously told Built In. “With Esper, I was sure I’d be working with domain experts and industry leaders who believe in investing in the growth of their employees as the company moves forward. They enable the team to fearlessly explore new ideas, take complete ownership and learn from mistakes.”
In the news: In May, the company closed on a Series B round worth $30 million led by Scale Venture Partners to invest in its product portfolio and expand its platform to accommodate larger workloads. As it continues to grow, Esper is also hiring for roles on its team across engineering, sales, product and more.
What they do: Outreach is a sales engagement platform that uses advanced machine learning and AI to automate and prioritize customer touch points. The organization’s goal is to make every customer-facing representative more successful and productive.
What they’re up to: Last year, Outreach raised $50 million and brought their valuation to $1.3 billion. This past June, however, the company announced that it raised $200 million in fresh financing by way of Premji Invest and Steadfast Capital Ventures. The latest raise places the Seattle-based unicorn’s valuation at $4.4 billion.
Noteworthy perks: Did your family happen to grow over the last year? For new parents, Outreach offers a parental leave program that includes not just extended time off but options for a paid night nurse, food delivery, gradual return to work, and the Gottman Institute’s Bringing Home Baby course. They also offers a variety of programs to help employees grow their long-term careers, including cross-functional job training, promotion from within, and a 401(k) to help save for the future.
What they do: Zipwhip’s proprietary SaaS solution enables businesses to send text messages using their landline, VoIP or toll-free number, as well as helps them more efficiently scale their customer communication and marketing efforts.
Employee buzz: “As soon as my interviews were done, I accepted the offer from Zipwhip,” Principal Engineering Manager Ami Varsanyi previously told Built In. “There was no contest. Why? Culture. Our management empowers people to make decisions and trusts that we are capable adults. We encourage people to discuss their mistakes so that they, and others, may learn from them. Zipwhip has given us the support and flexibility to move in whichever way an employee needs to in order to maintain their mental and physical wellness. I feel very appreciated.”
Benefits worth noticing: On top of their remote employee work program, the company also boasts perks such as a documented equal pay policy, health insurance with wellness benefits, tuition reimbursement for continued education, relocation assistance, 401(k) matching and performance bonuses.
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