If the tech sector has taken a recent hit, Colorado — which has long been known for flouting trends — seems to be well-positioned to weather the storm.
Data from Pitchbook shows Denver startups raised nearly $582 million in the first quarter of this year, and after a record-breaking $6.9 billion raised in 2021, the state as a whole continues to defy the tempered expectations of a bearish market.
It’s not just the outdoor Rocky Mountain lifestyle that is attracting talent to the region. Affordable living, cultural activities, tax incentives, startup accelerators and mentorship programs are driving sustained growth among startups and legacy firms in the Mile High city and its surrounding areas tucked into the Front Range foothills. Here are 11 companies worth keeping your eye on — many of them looking for the right people to fill open roles.
What they’re up to: With offices in Denver, San Francisco and Orlando, Florida, Checkr aims to bring greater transparency, efficiency and equity to background checks. Founded in 2014 and valued at $2.2 billion, the company’s core platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to give candidates access to their records and help employers reduce time and bias from the review process. Uber, Instacart, Angi, Warby Parker, Doordash abd Netflix have all used the service to modernize their hiring practices..
Notable perks and benefits: One of Checkr’s most attractive benefits is its meal plan. Employees get free lunch and dinner five days a week, and have access to unlimited drinks, snacks, coffee and tea. Also sweetening the deal are unlimited PTO, commuter benefits, gym reimbursement, work-from-home Wednesdays and an annual learning and development allowance.
Employee buzz: “Checkr has helped me grow in my career with challenging Objectives and Key results each quarter. Because my individual OKRs are aligned with companywide stretch goals, achieving them means that I am an integral part of moving the company forward and getting new experiences under my belt.” — Temi Vasco, Accounting
What they’re up to: Based in Louisville, Colorado, GHX is a healthcare business and data automation company designed to enable better patient care. Thousands of healthcare providers, manufacturers and distributors in North America and Europe use the company’s cloud-based supply chain software to cut costs, automate business processes and improve operational efficiency. The company’s 1,300 employees work locally and across the country.
Notable perks and benefits: GHX offers 401(k) and 401(k) matching retirement benefits, along with company equity, performance bonuses, and charitable contribution matching. An Objectives and Key Results operational model drives business decisions in an open, flexible, results-oriented environment. Pet owners will appreciate a rare insurance benefit that reimburses up to 70 percent of veterinary services and provides round-the-clock access to services via Vet Line.
Employee buzz: “I started at GHX in 2001 as an admin assistant. Since then, I have worked as an HR generalist, human resources business partner, scrum master, project manager, PMO manager and tech business operations manager, before taking my current role as an M&A program manager. GHX has always been very supportive of me, providing so many opportunities to stretch myself.” — Jennifer Hagaman, M&A Program Manager
What they’re up to: From smart thermostats to electric water heaters to EVs, the energy grid is undergoing a radical shift toward reliance on decarbonized renewable energy stores. Soon your EV battery may be part of a virtual power plant (if it’s not already). Uplight, a fully remote company with 400 employees, provides end-to-end energy modeling, demand management and rate optimization software to help utilities, businesses and homeowners manage the evolving energy ecosystem. More than 80 utility companies use Uplight’s AI-powered technology to power their customer energy experience.
Notable perks and benefits: Uplight has a strong commitment to promote diversity and inclusion. Evidence of that focus is found in a diversity manifesto, mandatory unconscious bias training, hiring procedures that promote diversity, employee resource groups and a dedicated diversity and inclusion team. Women make up 41 percent of Uplight — 5 percent more than the average tech company — and the company offers eight weeks of paid leave for non-birthing parents and 16 weeks of paid leave for birthing parents.
Employee buzz: “It’s incredibly important to have a seat at the table. As a woman, Asian, veteran and working mother, I am comfortable showing up authentically with all parts of me at Uplight.” — Betty Light, Software Engineering Manager
What they’re up to: Procare Solutions offers administrative software and services to childcare centers, youth groups, and after-school programs, so teachers can focus their attention where it matters — on children. The company’s widely used care management tool for attendance, payment processing, family records and parent engagement reaches 37,000 child care businesses across the country.
Notable perks and benefits: With 90 employees at its Denver headquarters, Procare Solutions offers a robust health insurance and wellness package, an onsite gym, commuter benefits, a 401(k) matching program, and customized professional development tracks.
Employee buzz: “The Denver office has a professional yet laid back vibe. I think we really have a ‘get business done while having fun’ mentality. It truly feels like a team effort regardless of which department you work in.” — Chantel Jenkins, Human Resources Coordinator
What they’re up to: AutoStore is on a mission to make warehouse storage simpler and more efficient. Using robots and cube storage automation, the company is shaving time from order fulfillment and unlocking floor space storage. With notable investors such as SoftBank and prior acquisitions by Thomas H. Lee Partners, L.P. and EQT Private Equity, the globally expanding company operates more than 1,150 systems in 49 countries.
Notable perks and benefits: In addition to a generous parental leave plan, the company offers remote, hybrid and in-office work schedules, along with a documented equal pay policy, with its mean gender pay gap below 10 percent.
Employee buzz: “AutoStore truly believes in career development and making it personal. Ask the former R&D professional who joined the Academy team or the former HR rep who joined the UX team. We are a company of bots, bins, and brilliant people.” — Heather O’Leary-Agosta, Training and Development Coordinator
What they’re up to: Waste is a problem AMP does not take lightly. Applying AI and automation to increase recycling rates and return reclaimed raw materials to the supply chain, the company’s AMP Cortex high-speed robotics system and AMP Neuron AI platform are streamlining how material streams are identified, sorted and redeployed for use. AMP’s Series C round, totaling more than $99 million, was led by Congruent Ventures and Wellington Management and includes financing from Microsoft’s Climate Innovation Fund.
Notable perks and benefits: AMP offers several active social clubs to help employees feel engaged and connected outside the office, from fly fishing groups to board game gatherings, to hiking clubs that trek up Colorado’s 14,000-plus foot peaks. Well-behaved pets are welcome in the office, and the company offers six weeks of paid maternity/paternity leave.
Employee buzz: “In less than a year, I’ve assimilated into the full cycle of software development and have had the opportunity to work across teams to ship robots and software to customers directly. I feel more confident in my ability to bring ideas to life and more connected to the engineering community thanks to AMP’s highly collaborative, hands-on team.” — Sana Sarfraz, Senior Vision Software Engineer
What they’re up to: A staggering 63 percent of data breaches are linked to third-party vendors. CyberGRX’ risk-assessment platform aims to give enterprises and third-party vendors a view of these risks — and help them sidestep them — with intelligent software that provides threat analysis, security breach notifications and scenario modeling.
Notable perks and benefits: CyberGRX’ culture is highly collaborative with paired programming, an open-door policy and hiring and training practices that promote diversity and inclusion. A competitive health insurance and wellness package includes a 100 percent company-paid low-deductible PPO, mental health coverage, a flexible spending account with annual pre-tax contributions of up to $2,650, dental and vision insurance, free counseling services and gym discounts.
Employee buzz: “My career has grown exponentially at CyberGRX. I interact daily with colleagues who are leaders in the industry. Not only have I been supported in my passions, but encouraged to take risks I may not have pursued.” — Caitlin Gruenberg, Director, Risk Solutions Engineer
What they’re up to: Crusoe is tackling two urgent 21st century problems at once: natural gas flaring and emissions and the high cost of cloud computing. While working to help the oil industry operate more efficiently and reduce its environmental impact, the Denver and Roosevelt, Utah-based company is using cloud-based infrastructure to capture “stranded” energy and harness that power to run advanced computing systems.
Notable perks and benefits: Crusoe prides itself on its culture and employee benefits. Professional development opportunities include a mentorship program, tuition reimbursement, online course subscriptions and opportunities to attend job trainings and conferences. Remote work options, flexible schedules, an open-door policy, free daily meals, company-sponsored happy hours and a fitness stipend top a long list of perks.
Employee buzz: In addition to a generous health insurance and wellness package, employees tout a hybrid work policy that allows them to work from home twice each week.
What they’re up to: Creativity is the driving force behind Deck Nine Games, an intrepid team of developers, designers and storytellers who create immersive, award-winning AAA games. The company’s 2021 release Life is Strange: True Colors, which chronicles the journey of a 21-year-old bisexual Asian American woman who spent eight years in foster care, earned a Peabody Award and a Spike Video Game Award for Games for Impact. Deck Nine Games is now at work on a game for the sci-fi Amazon series, The Expanse.
Notable perks and benefits: Deck Nine Games offers a high-quality benefits package that, for all employees and dependents, covers 100 percent of the cost of all dental, vision and basic group life insurance premiums and 90 percent of the cost of medical insurance premiums. A remote work program lets employees work anywhere they choose, with a flexible schedule that includes core hours from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Did we mention Waffle Wednesdays?
Employee buzz: “I love the work-life balance here, thanks to the pressure-free culture around working late. This allows me to maintain a fulfilling personal life and pursue my hobbies, such as making music and spending time with my family.” — Alistair Ebinger, Cinematic Director
What they’re up to: Headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, Sunday is a data-driven startup that aims to empower consumers to take better care of their lawns with customized plans based on soil needs and climate conditions. The nearly 100-person company sends tailored, ecologically sensitive fertilizer shipments to more than 100,000 subscribers across America. With backing from top-tier investors including BondCap, Sequoia, Forerunner and Tusk — and following a Series C funding round — the company is eager to hire the right people to grow.
Notable perks and benefits: As a company certified by 1% for the Planet, Sunday donates 1 percent of annual revenue for environmental causes. Among other benefits, the company offers job training, generous parental leave, a comprehensive health insurance package and “Focus Fridays,” where remote employees across the United States spend afternoons focusing on personal development and company culture.
Employee buzz: “Sunday has helped me realize my career goals by empowering me to own my role, offering individual skill-building opportunities, and creating a collaborative work culture.” — Alex Posen, Manager, Customer Operations & Logistics
What they’re up to: With more and more employees working remotely, JumpCloud offers a useful service: simple, secure access to an organization’s technology resources. The company’s Open Directory Platform gives IT, security operations and DevOps a cloud-based portal to manage employee identities from any device or any location. More than 150,000 organizations — including Cars.com, GoFundMe and Peloton — use Jump Cloud’s service, which was recently chosen by Google Workspace as a recommended 2023 Google Workspace app.
Notable perks and benefits: JumpCloud is serious about its remote-first environment: even if you live next to the office, you don’t need to come in. Flexible PTO, a comprehensive benefits package, paid professional development opportunities, a documented equal pay policy and a growing DEI program help set JumpCloud apart from other employers.
Employee buzz: “Growth! JumpCloud is actively growing in Denver/Boulder and across the United States. Attracting and engaging a diverse group of talent as we continue to expand is my main focus.” — Katy Flatau, Director, People Attraction
