Summer is finally here. Whether you’re working on a tan, biking the Burke-Gilman Trail from Ballard to Woodinville, or still recovering from celebrating the solstice at the Fremont Fair, it might also be a good time to catch up on the movers and shakers in your local tech scene — and Built In Seattle has curated five noteworthy companies to get you started.
The city recently ranked ninth in Startup Genome’s annual global startup ecosystem ranking, besting Paris, Seoul and Washington, D.C., and raking in the lion’s share of the $8.5 billion invested in 549 venture capital deals in Washington state in 2021. With this growth in mind, many of the city’s tech employers are unveiling upgrades to the breadth, depth and inclusivity of their culture and perks.
The Seattle-based companies featured here are unique in many ways, but all five have one thing in common: They are exciting, people-first organizations worth keeping on your radar.
What they do: Developing next-generation technological solutions using AI, autonomy and sensor fusion, Anduril Industries is a defense technology company supporting the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Australian Defense Force, the U.K. Ministry of Defence and other partners around the world. The company’s work involves addressing complex national security challenges.
The perks:
- Healthcare with 100 percent coverage of premiums for its team members and their dependents
- Dental, vision and mental health benefits
- A bonus for employees taking a vacation more than one week long
- Paid family leave, generous parental leave and adoption assistance
A focus on growth: “It’s mind-boggling that I went from knowing nothing about data engineering to owning core infrastructure that stores almost everything that flows through Lattice,” said Software Engineer Ozias Gonet in a Built In Seattle feature earlier this year.
Gonet noted the company’s focus on team members’ growth is exceptional: “This speaks volumes about the pace at which we move, the talented mentors who have deeply cared about my technical and professional growth, and the amount of autonomy I’ve had since day one to do work that actually matters.”
What they do: Bsquare’s connected-device solutions allow its customers to design, manufacture, deploy and operate products that are securely configured, can recover from a failure or a breach and are easily updated and reliably upgraded. The company operates IoT networks ranging in size from 50,000 to more than 1 million devices for a variety of customers.
The perks:
- Up to four weeks of paid parental leave for new parents
- Flexible remote work policy
- Healthcare benefits — including dental and vision coverage, life and even pet insurance
- Pre-tax commuter benefit including company contributions
- 401(k) plan
Camaraderie in and out of the office: Bsquare offers its team members a number of opportunities to participate in community events in person and remotely.
“Now that we’re going to be able to come together in-person more often, I’m looking forward to more regular lunches and happy hours,” said Tess Phillips, executive assistant at Bsquare. “I feel very lucky to work on a team that routinely indulges whatever new game or activity that’s suggested.”
What they do: An all-in-one e-commerce platform trusted by over 3,000 brands and retailers, Stackline offers market intelligence, advertising automation, workflow management and operational analytics in a single platform. Stackline allows companies to scale their e-commerce business globally.
The perks:
- Competitive base salaries, performance incentives and stock options
- 401(k) matching
- Summer Fridays
- A training and development stipend
- Team outings including concerts, skiing, and enjoying South Lake Union’s many great lunch spots
Opportunities to excel: “As Stackline continues to grow in headcount, we are also focused on nurturing non-managing leaders into management roles across the organization,” said Senior Account Manager Natalie Cotter in a Built In Seattle feature this March. “Through development seminars and management trainings we empower our employees to grow as leaders in the organization. Each year we add more to our training and development program to increase its scale and impact. We are excited for what’s to come in 2022!”
What they do: Founded in 2019 by Chris Lynch, Nicole Camarillo, and Oliver Lewis, Rebellion Defense builds mission-focused AI products for the defense and security of the United States, the United Kingdom, and their allies. The VC-backed firm is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in Seattle and London.
The perks:
- Paid premiums (100 percent) for healthcare, dental and vision insurance, including team members and dependents
- Team-based strategic planning, team-owned deliverables and group brainstorming sessions
- Hiring practices that promote diversity, dedicated DEI staff and unconscious bias training
- Online course subscriptions, job training and conferences and a continuing education stipend
An “army of nerds”: In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Rebellion offers its team members the opportunity to join a tight-knit community.
“Our social events aim to engage, explore and tell each other’s stories. We engage our vast network of incredible minds to explore new perspectives through our recurring Alliance Perspectives speaker series,” said Rebel Experience Manager Joe Wagner. “We strive to engage through interactive experiences such as escape rooms, trivia games, game nights and randomly paired virtual coffee chats!”
What they do: An online lender offering a payday loan alternative, Possible Finance provides users the opportunity to reduce debt and build credit history while giving them access to much-needed cash. The company was founded in 2017 with the mission of helping communities break the debt cycle and unlock economic mobility for generations.
The perks:
- Medical, dental and vision coverage
- Childcare and healthcare FSAs
- Life and disability insurance
- Employee Assistance Program for mental health
- 401(k) plan
Banking on community: The people-first company recently transitioned to remote work, addressing the challenges of bringing its collaborative culture to a newly distributed team by using Slack, Google Hangouts and other tools.
“When Possible had a physical office, we had so much fun every day getting to work together,” said Operations Manager Leeza Paredes in an interview last November. “Once we went fully distributed, we had to take collaboration to a new level.”
