When Catie Grasse was asked to describe the interview process at creator advertising platform Agentio, three descriptors came to mind: “super passionate, intelligent and driven.”
The software engineer shared that, as she chatted with her future teammates, it became clear that all of them were highly skilled and united by a shared passion for driving the company’s mission, which is to empower brands to scale trust, performance and revenue.
“I was so impressed with how people lit up when talking about what they had been working on; you could feel their genuine excitement about both the challenges and the impact,” Grasse said.
Kyle Rose had a similar experience when he interviewed at travel agency Fora, where he currently works as a senior software engineer. He said that team members’ genuine sense of excitement stood out to him the most throughout the process and made him realize he was the right fit for the team.
“Eight months into my time here has proven that instinct correct,” Rose said.
First impressions such as these reveal the essence of a company’s culture, reflecting opportunities for connection and growth. At rental screening and decisioning platform Findigs, Inc., Tech Lead Jeff Knaide has encountered what he calls “an intentional approach to creating space for connection,” bolstered by opportunities such as happy hours and the company’s annual onsite. And when employees aren’t bonding over common interests, he said, they’re helping each other succeed.
“With such a collaborative team, there are plenty of people who want to make themselves available to bounce ideas off of, review proposed solutions, and provide feedback or advice in general,” Knaide said.
Below, Grasse, Rose and Knaide, along with employees from Grocery TV, Trumid and Tildei, share what solidified their decision to join their employer and the opportunities these companies offer for peer-to-peer connection and professional growth.
Fora is a modern travel agency redefining the role of travel advisors. It offers a comprehensive platform designed to empower individuals passionate about travel to build successful businesses.
What stuck out to you the most about Fora’s culture during the hiring process, and what was it specifically that convinced you to join?
The most prevalent thing that stood out to me was the genuine sense of excitement about what the team was building. The positive energy I got from everyone I interviewed with, from management and leadership to other engineers, made it easy to see myself working there. Eight months into my time here has proven that instinct correct. It’s been great! Fora is very family-friendly and growing fast, and I’m excited to come in to work each day.
“The positive energy I got from everyone I interviewed with, from management and leadership to other engineers, made it easy to see myself working there.”
How does the company culture encourage peers to connect with each other either virtually, in person or both?
Our company culture at Fora really lends itself to building connections with my coworkers. Our pod team structure encourages cross-functional communication naturally with designers, engineers and product managers working closely together to build the right things at the right time for our users. Our hybrid setup — currently three days in the office for engineers — has allowed me to get a lot of the benefits of in-office relationship-building and additional awareness of problems that people are solving that I was missing out on while being fully remote. I’ve been able to get people unblocked just by overhearing a conversation, which never happened during my years of fully remote work.
Beyond our day-to-day work, we also have company offsites, happy hours and other activities that really allow us to connect and hang out as well. We recently had a team cooking class at a pasta-making studio in Greenwich Village, and I’m looking forward to putting the cooking class skills to use this winter.
What opportunities are available for employees to level up their careers?
Fora has a very strong demo culture, with weekly product and tech meetings where anyone can showcase their work to leadership and the rest of the org and take questions. We also have a robust hackathon culture, with hackathons occurring a few times per year. You get to work with people from other teams or areas of the business you don’t normally interact with, tackle problems outside your usual domain, and pitch ideas to the company. Several hackathon projects have made it into production since I joined, which makes you feel like there’s no limit to what you can come up with to solve real problems for the company and our users.
I attended a conference earlier this year as a representative and brought back hands-on knowledge about feature flagging and AI agent implementation that I’ve directly applied to my work. The company’s willingness to invest in conference attendance shows they value continuous learning and bringing new ideas back to the team. At a fast-growing company like Fora, there are lots of interesting problems to solve, from engineering to organizational ones. The travel industry specifically is changing quickly with AI, and it’s exciting to be bringing new capabilities to our users.
Agentio’s AI-native platform is designed to help brands buy, measure and scale creator-led campaigns across platforms.
What stuck out to you the most about Agentio’s culture during the hiring process, and what was it specifically that convinced you to join?
What really stuck out to me was the super passionate, intelligent and driven team that cares deeply about the product they’re building. During the interview process, it was clear that everyone I met wasn’t just incredibly skilled but genuinely invested in the company’s mission. I was so impressed with how people lit up when talking about what they had been working on; you could feel their genuine excitement about both the challenges and the impact.
“I was so impressed with how people lit up when talking about what they had been working on; you could feel their genuine excitement about both the challenges and the impact.”
How does the company culture encourage peers to connect with each other either virtually, in person or both?
We have monthly employee-led happy hours that really bring everyone together. Some favorites have been a shuffleboard tournament and a murder mystery party, which actually happened to be on my first day of work! It was such a fun and unexpected way to meet the team. We work together in person full time and genuinely love being in the office together; there’s an incredible energy you get from working side by side that makes collaboration feel effortless and fun. At our holiday party, we got to visit our new office space for the first time, and it was such a special moment celebrating that milestone together as a team.
What opportunities are available for employees to level up their careers?
For me, the biggest opportunity for growth has come from learning directly from the talented people around me through daily collaboration. The culture really encourages knowledge-sharing, whether that’s pairing on challenging problems, cross-functional projects where different teams collaborate closely, or impromptu coffee breaks to learn more about what someone’s been working on. The day-to-day exposure to different perspectives and unique experiences from such a talented team has been an incredible learning opportunity.
Findigs, Inc.’s rental screening and decisioning platform is designed to help property managers grow their communities safely and simplify the rental process.
What stuck out to you the most about Findigs, Inc.’s culture during the hiring process, and what was it specifically that convinced you to join?
It’s hard to pick just one thing! The energy I felt throughout the hiring process was highly welcoming and put me at ease during a typically stressful time. All of the team members I spoke with gave me the space to work through thought-provoking problems and honestly answered questions I had about the company, its culture and their teams.
The other key factor in my decision was just how excited everyone was to be working in the proptech industry in general and at this company in particular. I could tell that each team member I spoke with was passionate about the problem space and the opportunity to make an impact on a critical piece of so many peoples’ everyday lives. And beyond that, I could tell that everyone felt empowered to actually make good on that mission! I came into the process interested in the housing and real estate space, and seeing team members equally motivated by it stuck with me and got me excited about the opportunity to make an impact myself!
“I could tell that each team member I spoke with was passionate about the problem space and the opportunity to make an impact on a critical piece of so many peoples’ everyday lives.”
How does the company culture encourage peers to connect with each other either virtually, in person or both?
Findigs takes an intentional approach to creating space for connection in our office, from happy hours and events to an annual onsite, and it starts with gathering for lunch at noon every day. Almost everyone takes advantage of the opportunity to sit and have casual conversation with their teammates whenever they’re in the office, which fosters community-building across teams and roles, and creates the foundation for a culture of communication and collaboration. This initial connection leads to positive feedback loops, where the community welcomes more and more people to participate, and it becomes even stronger. This genuine and inviting culture develops trust that enables clear, open collaboration; it’s easy to feel comfortable working alongside colleagues who you’ve already built a great rapport with!
What opportunities are available for employees to level up their careers?
Our team puts a strong emphasis on giving employees the opportunity for ownership and impact, hands them the tools to succeed, and does an excellent job celebrating the resulting wins. With such a collaborative team, there are plenty of people who want to make themselves available to bounce ideas off of, review proposed solutions, and provide feedback or advice in general.
We have embraced a culture that enables clear communication. For example, the engineering team participates in regular architecture review conversations, where engineers from different levels present their work and ideas on different topics to a broad audience and get constructive feedback to improve both their reasoning and the team’s outcomes. At Findigs, I’ve learned a lot about what it takes to lead a project to fruition by starting with a problem statement, developing a proposal, reviewing it with the team, and finally building it out and setting it loose, which wouldn’t have been possible without an organization that empowers and supports engineers the way this one does!
Grocery TV is an in-store retail media platform. Over 120 retailers partner with Grocery TV to modernize their stores and drive incremental revenue, while upholding a high-quality shopper experience.
What stuck out to you the most about Grocery TV’s culture during the hiring process, and what was it specifically that convinced you to join?
What stood out to me most was how engaged and intentional everyone was throughout the process. You could tell they truly cared about who they brought into the role and were focused on finding someone who was the right culture fit for the team. Their glass-half-full, punch-above-their-weight mentality ultimately convinced me to join. It was clear they genuinely cared about what they do and are driven to do the best work of their careers so far.
“Their glass-half-full, punch-above-their-weight mentality ultimately convinced me to join.”
How does the company culture encourage peers to connect with each other either virtually, in person or both?
Everyone at the company is genuinely curious about what makes people happy and what life looks like outside of work. There’s a natural effort to bring people together in person, whether that’s for lunch or happy hours. We also have a Women @ GTV group where we discuss a range of topics and support one another. In addition, we host yearly offsites that encourage people to bond, connect, and build strong working relationships.
What opportunities are available for employees to level up their careers?
There are a lot of opportunities to level up. On my first day, my manager, Ashley, asked what my goals were at Grocery TV. She asked thoughtful questions to understand where I want to go and how Grocery TV can support me in building my career. We also have growth plans that regularly check in on purpose, progress and what support is needed to help me excel. It’s encouraged to join organizations that support career development, and if there’s a conference that makes sense to attend, there’s never any hesitation or doubt.
Trumid’s credit trading network is designed to provide an optimized trading experience, offering real-time analytics, protocol flexibility and more.
What stuck out to you the most about Trumid’s culture during the hiring process, and what was it specifically that convinced you to join?
The people team sat down with a handful of new joiners across our product, engineering and business functions. While each person’s path to Trumid was different, the themes that were identified were strikingly consistent. Reflecting upon the hiring process, what resonated most was the recognition of Trumid’s unique blend of pace, purpose and people. New joiners recall conversations that felt not transactional but collaborative, whether they were working through a design challenge or exploring technical problems together with their future colleagues and hiring managers. For these new joiners, these moments felt like previews of how people at Trumid work and think.
Joiners recalled interviewers who made them feel seen, heard and energized; words like “curious,” “present” and “thoughtful” came up often. The process was challenging, but the challenge felt purposeful. One new joiner noted, “You weren’t just trying to fill a seat; you were an important part of building the right team.” From day one, new hires felt like they were launched into opportunity, describing a culture that’s fast-moving, deeply human and committed to real growth.
“From day one, new hires felt like they were launched into opportunity, describing a culture that’s fast-moving, deeply human and committed to real growth.”
How does the company culture encourage peers to connect with each other either virtually, in person or both?
Trumid puts real intention behind helping people feel connected, early and often. Several new joiners mentioned onboarding workshops, in-person team meetups, even as remote employees, and offsites that make it easy to build bonds cross-functionally. Day-to-day, Trumid’s Slack culture also plays a meaningful role in maintaining connection. Informal Slack channels, such as #dog, #coffee and #trumid-women to name a few, create light-hearted spaces for connection across roles and teams. Alongside that, Trumid’s onboarding “meet and greet” system and openness to spontaneous Zoom calls make it easy to build their internal networks in a natural, organic way.
New joiners noted how they felt genuine warmth from their colleagues early on in their enculturation. Whether interactions happened in-person or virtually, the sense of welcome was immediate. As one person noted, “Even if someone isn’t on your direct team, they’ll jump on a call to guide you in the right direction.” At Trumid, connection isn’t an afterthought; it’s part of how we work.
What opportunities are available for employees to level up their careers?
At Trumid, career growth isn’t a distant promise — it’s something we actively support. When people show strong performance, curiosity and drive, we respond with opportunity. New hires are trusted early on with meaningful responsibilities, gaining exposure to new areas of the business and leading work that has real impact from day one.
From our discussions, new joiners shared that they weren’t just observing; they were contributing immediately. They described fast learning, ownership and direct visibility into the systems and strategy that power the business. As one analyst put it, “I learned more in my first week at Trumid than in 11 months at my previous job.” Several noted being entrusted with complex, system-level work within days. Engineers jumped into protocol development their first week, while designers led stakeholder demos almost immediately, pushing real work forward, not work created for show.
What makes the pace energizing rather than overwhelming is the balance of autonomy and support. For those who are curious, driven and eager to take ownership, Trumid offers not only opportunities to grow, but a culture that expects and enables it.
Tildei’s platform is designed to enable marketing teams to build AI agents that automate workflows across their entire marketing stack.
What stuck out to you the most about Tildei’s culture during the hiring process, and what was it specifically that convinced you to join?
What stood out to me the most during the hiring process was the genuine excitement around Tildei’s vision and how clearly the team believed in what they’re building. Every conversation felt energized and thoughtful. It was clear that people weren’t just doing their jobs, but were truly passionate about solving meaningful problems and building something impactful together. That level of ownership and belief in the product was what ultimately convinced me to join.
“It was clear that people weren’t just doing their jobs, but were truly passionate about solving meaningful problems and building something impactful together.”
How does the company culture encourage peers to connect with each other either virtually, in person or both?
Even though I am a remote employee, Tildei still makes a real effort to prioritize connection. We have a weekly team call where everyone shares their wins from the week, which creates a great sense of momentum and keeps everyone aligned and celebrating progress together. I also recently flew to New York City for our company holiday party, which was a great example of how the team values in-person time. Making space for occasional in-person moments, whether through offsites or team gatherings, helps strengthen relationships and makes collaboration feel more natural. At the same time, the culture encourages open communication day to day, so staying connected virtually feels easy and intentional.
What opportunities are available for employees to level up their careers?
Tildei creates opportunities to learn by doing. At our company holiday party, we spent the morning in the office participating in a hackathon, which was an incredibly valuable learning experience for me as someone just getting started. Beyond structured moments like that, there’s a strong culture of mentorship and knowledge-sharing. Connecting with teammates across different roles, learning how they approach their work and getting advice early on has been incredibly helpful in setting me up for success from day one.
