Gone are the days of suits and ties and rigid hierarchies. Startups have become known as places where talented, passionate and hardworking people can have fun while they do good work; where change happens fast; where creativity is not only welcomed but encouraged; and where the voices of even the most junior employees are heard. And yeah, there might be the occasional beer and ping pong game, too.
The appeal of this type of workplace is undeniable, and there are many tech professionals looking to join the fun. See why these former corporate workers chose the startup life — and haven’t looked back since.
In the four short years ProtectWise has been around, it’s grown to a team of almost 100. Thomas Gallagher, senior director of demand generation, talked to us about the benefits of working for a fast-growing startup — beyond the beer and foosball tables.
What first attracted you to working at a startup?
The first thing that attracted me to working at a startup was a chance to take all my experience and skills and apply them to ProtectWise in my own way. That, and seeing my efforts really have an impact on the company and its success.
What is the best thing about your current job?
The cliche is to talk about wearing many different "hats," but it's actually being creative in my strategic execution that gets me excited about tackling each day.
The best thing about my current job though is being in such good company. Everyone I work with at ProtectWise feels connected to the vision and understands their role in the shared success of the company. They commit themselves to building something great and don't hold back.
What surprised you the most coming from the corporate world to a startup?
My biggest surprise moving from the corporate world to a startup has been the accelerated learnings I feel I've gained. Being a seasoned marketer with 20-plus years of experience, I felt my knowledge and expertise were solid. The startup organization and its pace have opened up new problem solving and learnings, and I feel I'm challenged more. I've realized that learning was probably the best perk I didn't expect.
Describe your favorite "startup moment" so far?
Having the entire company able to fit in the office kitchen and celebrating an amazing sales quarter over barbecue and beer!
NextHealth Technologies launched its healthtech platform in 2013. With nearly $10 million in funding, the company has invested heavily in its technology and expanded to a team of more than 40. Marketing manager Jesse Barker-Booth shared what attracted him to NextHealth.
What first attracted you to working at a startup?
The ability to develop a diverse set of skills while wearing different hats. Being in a startup environment offers more opportunity to find creative solutions and own many different responsibilities. In a large corporation, I’d say there’s less freedom to take on new projects like I do at NextHealth Technologies.
What is the best thing about your current job?
It’s a gratifying experience to see how my efforts impact the company on a daily basis — and then see those results develop over the long run. We also cultivate a fun work environment here, with frequent Nerf battles and happy hours.
What surprised you the most coming from the corporate world to a startup?
Compared to the corporate world, there wasn’t much time for traditional onboarding. I had immediate demands, which created motivation and purpose. There’s been a quick turnaround but it’s definitely worth it.
Describe your favorite "startup moment" so far?
The first week on the job I was asked to give an impromptu explanation on the complexities of what our company does — in front of the entire company. I ended up drawing a tree and connected aspects of our company to the anatomy of the tree. It was pretty awful, to be honest, but worth a chuckle.
Evolve has raised over $19 million since launching in 2010 — $11 million of which was closed in June. Despite the rapid growth (and pending addition of 100 new team members), the company has maintained a distinct startup vibe. Caitlin Wren joined Evolve after starting her career in Finance — and nearly five years later she’s still on board.
What first attracted you to working at a startup?
More than anything, I wanted to be able to learn and grow at an accelerated pace. I wanted to find a concept and a team that I felt passionate about and that would let me try things before I really knew I was ready.
What is the best thing about your current job?
My team. Hands down. I was extremely fortunate to find Evolve so early in my career and have had incredible opportunities to advance. Having the ability to pay that back to my own team has been an absolute highlight. I love uncovering what makes each person tick and helping them to realize their potential, even if it means losing them to another team in the company!
What surprised you the most coming from the corporate world to a startup?
There are two major things that come to mind — one being how quickly things change. When I think back to my previous positions, I don’t think I can actually pinpoint a time when something about my job and day-to-day tasks actually changed. It was all pretty formulaic. Now it’s odd if we go more than a week without having to adjust to something — whether it be something we’ve implemented on our end or something that another team has done.
The second thing I found most surprising was the immediate attachment you have to the people building the ship with you. In a startup environment, you absolutely have to rely on everyone in that room from day one, and it’s a pretty intense way to start a working relationship.
Describe your favorite "startup moment" so far?
A few years ago, we invited one of our homeowners to an all-company meeting and he told us his Evolve story. He described his life circumstances and how we fit in, and basically told us that we made all of his dreams come true and were the solution to his future retirement. I distinctly remember glancing at the people sitting next to me and realizing that I was not the only person with tears in their eyes. That moment was a living reminder of the impact that all of our work was having on our customers, and I’ve carried it with me ever since.
Signpost’s cloud-based marketing software has earned a lot of attention — and funding too. ($35.5 million to be exact.) This startup is hyper-focused on creating an environment where people can work hard but also have plenty of opportunity to have fun. Account manager Tara Herrmann explained why she was so drawn to Signpost’s startup culture.
What first attracted you to working at a startup?
I began looking at startups simply for the culture, to be honest. I had worked in a stressful corporate office, where employees weren’t valued, and I was ready to actually enjoy my job. That was my number one criteria when I was job hunting. It was an added bonus that I can impact how a company is shaped.
What is the best thing about your current job?
My favorite thing about working at Signpost, hands down, is the people that I work with on a daily basis — both coworkers and our customers. We are encouraged to have fun while we are at work (nerf guns are a personal favorite), and we all have a similar social mentality to keep the day lively. Our customer base is mainly small business owners, too, so it’s really rewarding to hear that Signpost is helping them grow their businesses. And I get to be a part of it.
What surprised you the most coming from the corporate world to a startup?
Everyone says change happens often at a startup, but I don’t think you realize how often until you work at one. I love that we’re essentially piloting the best way to do our jobs each time we do something new — which is all the time. My role has a lot of autonomy. Feedback on how to be successful and do our jobs in the most efficient way possible is always taken into account when changes are implemented, whether it’s by our direct managers or our CMO visiting from New York.
Describe your favorite "startup moment" so far?
My favorite startup moment to date was having a mid-day yoga session — compliments of Signpost — by a local RiNo instructor. It was held in our lounge area, which we call the Stables (named after the barn doors, duh). It can’t get any more startup than that, right?
...Or any breakfast burrito Tuesday. It’s a close call.
EMS may not exactly count as a startup; it was founded in 1986. But having remained privately held and small enough to stay agile, it continues to innovate like a startup. Melissa Tondi, director of quality engineering, joined EMS Software after honing her chops in the corporate world.
What first attracted you to working at EMS?
I worked for a couple of very large corporations where I had the opportunity to create solutions that went global. But with that said, there were a lot of approvals needed across several chains of command to implement something. What attracted me to the startup space was that startups afford teams the opportunity to “fail early and often,” with immediate feedback loops so that we can more quickly learn and adapt.
What is the best thing about your current job?
I get to interact and collaborate with teams that I hadn’t had the opportunity to previously. Because startups tend to be much smaller, not only do you run into people on the floor that you might not have worked with closely, but you are also encouraged to get to know the business as a whole. This fosters a sense of ownership and team that is rarely seen outside of the startup world.
Describe your favorite "startup moment" so far?
I was pulled into a customer call because someone down the hall had heard (via a brown bag lunch) that I had some expertise with a technology that the customer was trying to implement (unrelated to what our startup was developing). We were small and nimble, and I was more than willing to help out. Because of that call, we actually won more business from the customer. That was, by far, my favorite startup moment – thus far!
Photos via featured companies. Responses have been edited for clarity and length.
