If 2023 tech trends had a theme, it might be artificial intelligence. Most users experienced generative AI initially with prompts like “how would you define art?” or “when should I sell my house?” It wasn’t long before nearly every industry quickly tried to figure out if AI would be part of its future. In honor of one calendar year of publicly accessible AI, we asked ChatGPT how it would describe 2023.
“I don't have real-time updates, but based on trends up until my last update, 2023 was likely a year of continued technological advancements, growing environmental concerns, evolving social dynamics and potentially significant changes in various industries,” ChatGPT told Built In Colorado. “Innovations in AI, automation, renewable energy and healthcare might have continued to shape the year, while global challenges like climate change, socioeconomic disparities and political tensions could have persisted.
“Of course, each year brings its own unique events and surprises,” it added.
As ChatGPT shared, 2023 certainly brought its fair share of surprises and technological advancements. What stands out among the year’s events, though, was how committed tech companies have to be to changing and evolving — especially when big transformations like generative AI become expected.
Here is an inside look at how 15 Colorado tech companies are preparing for upcoming changes or celebrating growth.
What They Do: Honeybee Robotics develops advanced robotic and electromechanical systems that operate in challenging environments in space and on Earth. Since 1983, Honeybee Robotics has completed more than 350 advanced projects for NASA, the US Department of Defense, academia and industry.
All-star Alignment: Mechanical Engineer Joseph Plunkett told Built In, a connection to the company’s work attracted him to his role. “The company aligned with my interests in aerospace,” he said, which continues to motivate him when diving into a new project.
An (Inter)stellar Reputation: “I knew about the rock abrasion tool on the Mars rover before I knew about Honeybee — I was so excited to find out Honeybee was involved,” Mechanical Engineer Joseph Plunkett told Built In. Plunkett is working on the rocket engine for a lunar lander. He is part of a team that is new to this specific task; learning is a critical part of the company’s reputation. “As a new graduate, this is a super-engaging way to learn,” he said. “This program has taught me how we can stretch our heritage designs and knowledge to tackle new problems.”
What They Do: Duda is a responsive website builder for digital marketing agencies, hosting companies and online directories.
Building a Transparent Culture: Duda has made its mark in Louisville and Palo Alto as a place to work that is engaging and vibrant. Things like in-house DJs and monthly workshops that take place in collaboration with customers all shape Duda’s open culture. “We have a unique environment in that engagement and culture are not forced concepts or something that can be taught,” Duda’s Chief Customer Officer Oded Ouaknine told Built In. “You just feel it when you’re here.”
What They Do: Guild's lifelong learning platform allows companies to offer classes, programs and degrees to help employees succeed.
A-List Clients: Guild is used by companies like Walmart, Hilton and Disney. One of the leading needs amongst large companies like these is a way to get employees up to par with market-relevant AI competencies.
“As we started to gather information around what people are doing and what gaps exist, one of the things that became pretty obvious to us is that for the frontline worker in particular, there aren’t a lot of offerings that cater to enabling that population,” Bijal Shah, Guild’s chief experience officer told Fortune.
HOW GUILD EDUCATION IS TEACHING AI
The lessons range from AI basics to workplace-specific applications. “Fortune” noted that the programs will target four key areas:
- AI fundamentals. AI literacy and ethical understandings
- AI in practice. How AI might be used in that company and how its pertinent to an employee’s role
- AI expertise. How to program and build AI tools
- AI for leaders. A look into best practices for “designing and implementing an AI-driven strategy.”
Career Advice from Leadership at Vivian: “If you spend some time thinking about what you value and what your strengths are as a unique individual, you’ll be more immune to imposter syndrome,” Clara Kuo, principal UX researcher, told Built In. “My internal value compass keeps me centered, so I can show up at work in an authentic way. What’s more, I now have a network of like-minded people outside of my company that work as a sounding board for different ideas and to get unstuck for different challenges.”
What They Do: Strive Health is a kidney care company for healthcare payers and providers seeking to improve the lives of their kidney patients.
Growing Fast: Business Wire reported earlier this year that Strive Health secured $166 million in Series C funding. Strive Health plans to grow into new markets, including working hand-in-hand with Oak Street Health, a Medicare primary care provider, to deliver specialized services for patients with chronic kidney disease, according to Strive Health’s website.
What They Do: Monigle is an independent brand experience agency. Monigle offerings include strategy, design, innovation, research, branded environments and the company’s brand asset management platform.
Creating a Culture of Curiosity: Built In spoke with Carolyn Bugg, executive director of strategy, about how Monigle is crafting a workplace culture of curiosity. “As strategists, we are fueled by curiosity. This innate drive to acquire knowledge, to be challenged intellectually and to learn something — anything — new is innately inspiring to us as individuals and as a team,” said Bugg. “To create a culture of curiosity, we have worked hard to establish a psychologically safe team environment where asking questions, challenging hypotheses and digging beyond obvious answers is not just nice to have, it is a must-have.”
What They Do: Deck Nine Games is a game design company focused on combining compelling narrative with immersive design and visuals for an impactful gaming experience.
AWARD-WINNING GAMES
- “Life Is Strange True Colors” went on to win multiple awards for storytelling and visuals, including best storytelling for 2021 and a VGA for Games for Impact.
- Deck Nine Games announced that the company developed a game for the hit sci-fi Amazon series, “The Expanse.”
- Other game titles have won multiple awards, including Game of the Year and nominations for VGA and BAFTA awards.
Dishing out the Awards: Gloo recently announced prize winners for a hackathon competition the company hosted. The result was $1 million in prizes given out, the largest being $100,000. “The Gloo platform was designed to connect leaders across the faith ecosystem, ultimately to advance human flourishing — this Hackathon was an extension of that vision in an extraordinary way,” said Steele Billings, director of the Gloo AI Initiative and the Gloo Growth investment fund, in a statement.
What They Do: Evolve is a vacation rental company on a mission to make vacation rental easy.
DEIB Focused: Hospitality is the heart and soul of Evolve, and that starts with the employees. The company’s “All Are Welcome” ideology speaks to the inclusivity the company protects and fosters for Evolvers. “The philosophy was originally designed as a tool to support teammates when they interacted with homeowners or guests, but we saw the opportunity to incorporate the mindset into the Evolver experience as we talk about who we are — and who we want to be,” Chief People Officer Alison Meadows told Built In.
What They Do: Homebot is helping homeowners maximize their wealth by working with leaders in the mortgage lending and real estate industries.
Inside the App: The Homebot Mobile App allows those in real estate to connect with clients and track their engagement. Being able to see data, like when a client starts to show signals of intent to sell, allows users to stay ahead in a competitive market. According to the Homebot website, the app lets users know when clients “perform actions like view their buyer report, adjust their cash position, favorites a listing, messages you, requests a property tour and more.”
What They Do: Sovrn is an advocate and partner to 20,000 publishers globally. Sovrn connects publishers with tools, services and analytics to grow their audience, engage readership and monetize their site.
Thinking Ahead and Asking Questions: One of the core values at Sovrn is known as “second-order thinking.” In short it means to think ahead and see the big picture as a method of problem-solving. “Maybe someone on our team has made a mistake — it’s important to help them understand it’s OK to be wrong and it’s OK to ask others for help,” Advancement Manager Shahin Henrikson told Built In. “You really have to foster an environment where people don’t feel afraid to ask others for help and for input. You can’t have all the answers in this industry!”
What They Do: Spectrum is the brand behind Charter Communications, Inc., a telecommunications and mass media company.
Intentional Internship Experience: Spectrum tries to make sure that every class of interns that comes through receives a meaningful experience with tangible results. “One of the benefits of a Spectrum Reach internship is that our interns gain practical experience by supporting various initiatives and projects in the departments they work in,” Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition Matthew Schaap told Built In. “We make sure they are integrated into our business and learn as much as they can about the advertising industry. Their contributions are so valuable, and we often have interns extend their time with us past the 10-week period. Interns have even directly transitioned into full-time roles.”
What They Do: SonderMind provides technology-driven solutions for therapists and individuals seeking therapy.
Growing with Intention
SonderMind is growing like a well-propagated and mindfully grown garden. Just in the last year SonderMind has:
- Acquired SaaS company Total Brain
- Raised $27 million in Series B funding
- Raised $150 million in Series C funding
- Acquired Mindstrong Technology
- Added new c-suite members, including a chief financial officer, a chief product officer and a chief operating officer
What They Do: Biofire is a firearm company that created Smart Gun technology.
Inside the Tech: Smart Gun technology reads a person’s fingerprints when they grasp the handle of the gun and only allows those with pre-authorization to fire. “Biofire’s approach is totally novel,” Kai Kloepfer, CEO and founder of Biofire, said in a statement. “We’ve applied high-precision engineering principles to make a meaningful impact on preventable firearm deaths among children. No one had tried that before. As a result, Biofire is now offering the most technologically advanced consumer firearm the industry’s ever seen.”
What They Do: LogRhythm is a security intelligence company that helps businesses detect, respond to and neutralize cyber threats.
Keeping Accessibility Top of Mind: LogRhythm intentionally allows for a truly flexible approach to work in order to better accommodate disabled and neurodiverse people depending on what is most comfortable for them and helps them focus on the work.
“To support this, we ensure that our events include and reach as many people as possible, whether they are attending virtually or in person,” DEI committee member Brooklyn Billmaier told Built In. “We always use captions for movie events for people with hearing or sensory processing issues and turn on transcripts when we give educational presentations. We also record those educational events so people can watch them at their convenience and speed them up or slow them down to a speed that suits them.”
