There are many compelling facts about the following New York tech companies that job seekers might be interested in learning. AI-based search engine AlphaSense uses a Finnish word, with no English correlation, to describe its staff’s work ethic. Most employees at fashion e-commerce company Rent the Runway are tech professionals. Fitness center discovery platform Gympass holds meetings at the gym.
And then there are the less tangible, yet equally important facts: Riskified’s team embraces its diversity. The team at OnDeck are quick to lend a hand to colleagues.
With 2020 underway, many professionals are looking for a fresh start. That’s why we peeked behind the curtain at eight local companies, all of which are hiring. Here’s the inside scoop:
AlphaSense provides its AI-based market intelligence search engine to clients worldwide. Chris Ackerson, director of product search and AI, said “grit” is one of the key attributes embodied in his teammates.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
AlphaSense is an international company. We’re lucky to work with colleagues from all over Asia, Europe, North America and South America from offices in New York, Finland and India. From our founding almost 10 years ago through our Series B raise last year, we have always sought the best talent from around the world. It’s a key reason we’ve been successful in developing our technology along with building a large and stable global customer base.
As we ramp up hiring in 2020, it’s ‘sisu’ that we’ll look for in candidates.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
One of our core values is “sisu.” Sisu is a Finnish word that has no direct translation to English but generally means determination, tenacity and grit. For our team, sisu means that we think big, set aggressive goals and pursue them with dogged persistence. We believe that this mindset is required when you’re establishing a new market with new technology and the old market is dominated by 800-pound gorillas. As we ramp up hiring in 2020, it’s sisu that we’ll look for in candidates: a willingness and desire to fight against the odds to do something impactful.
Rent the Runway COO Anushka Salinas said people are surprised about the amount of tech involved in what the company does, and the number of employees needed to support that.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
Technology and operations make up 70 percent of our employee base. When people think of Rent the Runway, they often think of us as a consumer or retail company. In fact, we are a technology-driven reverse logistics company. Our business model demands proprietary algorithms and technology, which has helped drive our business from the very beginning. We use this technology to power our operation, where we can receive, clean, steam, repair, quality assure and ship out a garment all in the same day.
Technology and operations make up 70 percent of our employee base.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Intellectual curiosity is a common trait for all successful employees here. We are embarking on a mission of putting your closet in the cloud, and there is no playbook for that. As a result, success at Rent the Runway means digging into data, constantly challenging the status quo and being humble enough to know that there is no right answer.
Junior Data Scientist Katherine Kennovin said it surprises many to learn that they’ve already interacted with the services EPAM Systems provides.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
Most people have interacted with a product or solution that EPAM has helped develop or create, without even knowing that the company was behind it.
I have found “EPAM” is not a name that people recognize. When I talk to most friends and family about my company, they have never heard of it before. However, it would be difficult to say that EPAM hasn’t affected at least one aspect of their daily lives. I have been astounded to learn the breadth of industries that EPAM has impacted; not only tech and finance but also industries like education, life sciences and global health.
I have been astounded to learn the breadth of industries that EPAM has impacted.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Everyone is supportive. All of my current team members are in a different country, yet I still feel connected to them. I can depend on them for any challenges that I encounter. Since my very first day, everyone on my team has gone above and beyond to be helpful, encouraging and accessible. Regardless of their title, each person is extremely welcoming of questions and makes me feel like I am a valued part of the team.
Companies can use Gympass’s discovery platform to help their staff find gyms across the U.S., Europe and Latin America. CEO of the U.S. Market Marco Crespo said teams at Gympass practice what they preach and embody a fitness-minded lifestyle, even when they discuss business.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
A lot of people are surprised when they use Gympass for the first time and realize that our memberships actually do provide unlimited access to fitness facilities at subsidized rates. It may also surprise some that Gympass offers the largest network of gyms and studios available with 50,000 partners globally and over 10,000 across the U.S.
We encourage employees to find an activity they love.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Our mission is to defeat inactivity and I’m proud to say that our team is united behind that; we hire people that truly believe in it. Even more importantly, we encourage an active lifestyle through happy hour workouts, physical activity challenges and even holding meetings at the gym. We encourage employees to find an activity they love, and in doing this we see our employees truly living our mission.
Sometimes, differences have the power to unite. Simon O’Keefe, director of business development at Riskified, said this is true for his team at the e-commerce solutions provider. O’Keefe said employees gain insight from one another’s diverse personal and professional backgrounds.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
Spending time together as a company is encouraged here. On my first day, someone told me that when lunch is delivered, I should stop what I’m doing and head to the kitchen to eat with everyone. She said, “There shouldn’t be a reason why you don’t have time to sit and learn about your colleagues.” Riskified is full of smart and kind people. By spending time with each other in that type of format, we learn from one another and share thoughts on work or our personal lives.
Our mixed experiences help us when we generate ideas.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Our varied and unique backgrounds are what we have in common on the business development team. We’re made up of people from all parts of the world who speak different languages. We also have diverse professional backgrounds, coming from technology, media, banks, consultancies, hedge funds and startups. Thinking creatively is a big part of our job so our mixed experiences help us when we generate ideas and work collaboratively.
Agile Project Manager Shaina Rodriguez said she’s excited about using OnDeck’s sabbatical perk after spending a few more years at the small-business loan provider. When she takes her temporary leave, she said she will be returning to a team of supportive and humble individuals.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
OnDeck recently instituted a sabbatical policy for employees with five years of tenure. After spending the last 14 years of my career at another organization and never taking more than a week or two off at a time, I look forward to taking advantage of the extended time off in the next few years. Along with encouraging “flex hours” and a fair work-from-home policy, the sabbatical is another great perk that OnDeck offers to help employees maintain a healthy work-life balance.
OnDeck recently instituted a sabbatical policy for employees.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
The people I work with are genuinely nice. My colleagues go above and beyond to look out for each other and help out both in the office and outside of work. We are a collaborative, team-oriented organization. Our accomplishments are shared and celebrated by the entire team and we never play the “blame game” when it comes to identifying our weaknesses.
OnSiteIQ Account Executive Ethan Courville said he enjoys working alongside his teammates, who share a sense of determination to refine the company’s machine learning-based construction platform.
What’s one thing that would surprise people about your company?
OnSiteIQ acts transparently when it comes to addressing problems or concerns of the team. We've been empowered to raise concerns in open forum conversations and then are able to spearhead efforts to solve those problems. No matter your title, if you have a better idea or a new way of approaching a problem, you can feel confident that the team will support you to make us all better.
Our team has more grit than any group of people I’ve ever met.”
What’s one trait all the members of your team share?
Our team has more grit than any group of people I’ve ever met. When difficult challenges present themselves, our leadership and the entire team band together all-hands-on-deck style to tackle challenges head-on. Our team loves solving difficult problems and it's this collective grit that excites me to come into the office and build something every day.
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