The most successful tech companies don’t just have incredible products, leaders and missions: They also have unified teams that truly look forward to coming to work each day.
Where there's great culture, there's also a trickle-down effect: employees from all levels are able to drive tangible impact regardless of seniority; mentorship abounds; and teammates stick around a whole lot longer than the industry standard. At the following 10 Colorado tech companies, all of which are hiring, these perks are just par for the course.
Everyone deserves a fair chance at finding their dream job. As a background check company, Checkr is on a mission to help employers give that fair shot to applicants by encouraging them to hire individuals other businesses may overlook. Recruiter Maggie Carabello shared the impact this mission has on employees.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
We’re a background check company that is a proponent and advocate for fair chance hiring both internally and with our clients. Many Americans have a criminal record that can prohibit them from gaining employment. We actively partner with different organizations that have a pipeline of qualified candidates with criminal records, which results in us finding the top talent we may not have come across through traditional methods of hiring. These employees have a longer tenure with us and we’ve watched them flourish into management roles or new positions within our organizations.
We come together to improve the process for both employers and applicants and we’re excited by the impact we’re making for all.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
We all believe in our mission. Checkr employees are aligned in that we must ‘create a fairer future by improving understanding of the past,’ whether that be through partnering with organizations who work with Fair Chance Talent to teaching our clients how to remove bias from the background check process. We come together to improve the process for both employers and applicants and we’re excited by the impact we’re making for all.
RingCentral’s VP of Sales Kevin Williams said the company takes its people and its customers very seriously. Team members at the cloud-based, international communication platform can expect honest feedback, in addition to free breakfast and lunch.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
Across the whole sales organization, there’s a real drive to win. I think this comes from two things: the passion we have for what we do and the infectious belief we have in the company, our people and everyone’s success.
Our dual-track focus on success — for our customers and our employees — is the real foundation of RingCentral’s growth.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
We make our customers’ success our top priority and we all take a customer-centric approach. But none of our success happens without our employees. We invest in our team with training, great perks like free breakfast and lunch at many of our offices and a refreshing level of transparency. Our dual-track focus on success — for our customers and our employees — is the real foundation of RingCentral’s growth.
The Trade Desk is a demand-side advertising solutions platform, and Director of Engineering Matt Cochran said part of its mission is making the internet a better place for everyone in the digital world.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
I think one surprising thing is how passionate we all are about keeping the internet free and open for everyone. This is a big deal to us because we want to make sure that people who create the news and content we read online have the chance to do that professionally and without restrictions from a few big companies. We’re finding better ways to make sure they can do that.
We’re all committed to and passionate about what we do...”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
We’re a group of people who have a few key traits — we’re all committed to and passionate about what we do, and we’re all incredibly generous and helpful to each other. This is certainly the best team I’ve ever been on, and I continually hear the same thing from others.
You’re probably familiar with Major League Baseball. And if you’re a true fan of the sport, you’ve likely interacted with the output of the organization’s tech teams. They develop everything from MLB’s native applications on streaming devices, to ticketing and e-commerce services, to internal tools used by individuals teams — all in-house. Director of Mobile Test Engineering Marlon Morris and Vice President of Client Engineering Johnny Wey shed some light on what life is like for the team members not swinging bats.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
Morris: That we get to develop, build, and play with the coolest products on the latest tools. MLB is in the business of developing and showcasing the pinnacle of human performance with its athletes, and leadership here approaches our employees with a similar mentality. Our product output is only as good as our employees’ abilities to execute, so the consistent question we always ask ourselves is “how do we continually put them in positions to succeed?”
Our product output is only as good as our employees’ abilities to execute.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Wey: An ability to collaborate. There’s a commitment here to build something great, together. All of us have come from different places, industries, team sizes and structures. Joining MLB really felt like ascending to the major leagues of my career. Beyond the data and tools perspective, my colleagues are professional, courteous, and curious, and we share in a responsibility to work together to elevate the game of baseball and the impact it has on our fans and their communities. It’s really inspiring and exciting to play my role in building the next chapter of Major League Baseball.
Pax8’s culture is one that Lynn Leadley said its team members are proud of. The vice president of Pax8 University said people like hanging out in the office of the cloud services distributor so much, they often choose to come in versus working remotely; having a rock-climbing wall can’t hurt those odds.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
We have such a tight-knit culture and the office is a fun, fast-paced place to be, so typically everyone comes into the office every day. We are constantly striving to improve as we grow so there tend to be a lot of ad hoc working meetings. There’s no bureaucracy and the executives are open and accessible, so we can implement ideas and changes rapidly. The office has a cool vibe with a ping pong table, scooters everywhere, beer and kombucha on tap, free snacks, a rock-climbing wall and an open-office concept.
There’s no bureaucracy and the executives are open and accessible...”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
My team is responsible for learning and development, so we have a passion for helping others and supporting career advancement for all employees. We provide new hire training to help get new employees ramped up as quickly as possible. We also provide continual learning opportunities through our new learning management system, as well as instructor-led courses on leadership, product training, office tools and more.
KPA’s President and CEO Chris Fanning said technology and regulation are increasingly intertwined, and that can be a challenging field to navigate. But he sees the staff at the cloud-based risk management solutions company as knowledge experts, and he appreciates their drive to use their expertise to aid customers through the tech-driven, regulatory domain each day.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
Our agility. We help our customers manage risk and compliance, which are more dynamic environments than most people realize. Technology has a large impact on workplaces, and federal, state and county regulatory environments are always changing; both dynamics require significant awareness and quick action. These factors require our software development and service organizations to be agile in order for the company to continue to provide expert advice and services to customers.
Safety, environmental and regulatory compliance is what we help our customers improve each and every day.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Passion. KPAers come to work every day ready to apply their expertise and business knowledge to help our customers create the best possible work environments for their employees. Safety, environmental and regulatory compliance is what we help our customers improve each and every day.
TrainingPeaks, a subsidiary brand of Peaksware, creates software that empowers athletes, performers and coaches to better their craft and train more efficiently. JB Leach, director of UX, said internally, team members support one another in a similar way by sharing knowledge and maintaining a culture of humility.
What’s the one thing that would surprise people about your company?
Humbleness. We have a lot of people out doing amazing things both inside and outside of work. You never hear any boasting or bragging, but always hear people sharing or deferring credit to another team member. It’s amazing to work with such a talented and inclusive group of people.
Our team is constantly learning and sharing new ideas, concepts and perspectives on the work we do every day.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Everyone is intellectually curious. Our team is constantly learning and sharing new ideas, concepts and perspectives on the work we do every day. It makes for a fun and engaging workday and is the reason we’re good at innovating.
Even though HouseCanary is a residential real estate forecasting service, CTO Jim Adams said not everyone at the company is a master in that field, and they don’t need to be. The leader said the surprising fact that team members come from non-real estate walks of life benefits the company because these staff bring in a diversity of thought that helps move HouseCanary forward.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
While we are a real estate company, many on our team are not real estate experts and do not necessarily have a background in real estate. We have found that diverse viewpoints and experiences outside of the typical industry insider make for better products and faster innovation.
Everyone has the ability to significantly influence the direction of our company.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Ownership. We try to push ownership for our products, culture and customers as far down as possible. Everyone has the ability to significantly influence the direction of our company. Leadership’s job is to ensure their people’s success. A big part of that is ensuring our whole team are owners of our future.
VP of Marketing Jennifer Flanagan said Adtaxi encourages and empowers its team members to innovate — even if it means coming up short sometimes. Being willing to speak up, take chances, get uncomfortable and learn more are all things Flanagan said staff at the marketing platform rally around to see success.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
We empower our employees to take risks and color outside the lines. Employees at all levels of the business are encouraged to tackle the biggest challenges facing our industry or our business with creative solutions. Some of the brightest ideas that have changed our business have come from within. It’s this agility and willingness to experiment — and sometimes fail — that keeps Adtaxi ahead of the curve.
We empower our employees to take risks and color outside the lines.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
We have six core values, but one of the most foundational to the company is education. We are perpetual students, constantly striving to develop skills both personally and professionally. Not only is this necessary to remain effective in a rapidly evolving digital landscape, but it’s also what keeps our teams engaged in the business and excited about our next move.
Duda is a web design platform for agencies that has been used to generate over 14 million websites to date. What powers such a wide-reaching platform? According to Chief Customer Officer Oded Ouaknine, culture. He said a sense of humility extends through the office and is exemplified through accessible and empowering c-suite staff, and team members sharing meals with one another.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
Although we are growing quickly, every person at Duda is approachable, regardless of their title. For example, our CTO hosts workshops and still writes code. Our CFO brings her dog to the office every day. And our CEO will listen to ideas from a new hire on their very first day. Our culture supports conversation at every level of the business.
We’re an inclusive group that eats lunch together and celebrates each other’s accomplishments across departments.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Community. Within Duda, we share a common goal of creating a welcoming workplace for our team. We’re an inclusive group that eats lunch together and celebrates each other’s accomplishments across departments. This sense of community allows us to share ideas and promotes innovative conversations, whether in a conference room or over drinks at happy hour.
