11 Featured Tech Companies with Inspired Missions and Empowered Teams

Technology has become ubiquitous in daily life, empowering trailblazers to leverage its power and bring about significant changes. 

Although the tech industry and the individuals who power it have recently faced their fair share of challenges and uncertainty, many places have remained resilient. These companies and their teams have harnessed technological advancement to create a lasting impact.

From global social networks to pioneering financial entities, they are setting new standards in diverse realms, transforming workforces, energy consumption, social connections, and leisure and retail experiences. 

Beyond their technological feats, these companies promote employee growth and well-being, mirroring the integral role of a motivated workforce. 

Delve into the notable achievements and unique perks of 11 featured firms of the month.

 

 

 

What Snap does: Snap is a social media platform that allows more than 200 million daily users to share photos and connect.

 

 

Recent milestones: This month, Snapchat celebrated reaching 800 million monthly active users, a testament to its commitment to genuine connections and community-focused values. Snapchat emphasizes authentic interactions among friends and family, contributing to higher relationship satisfaction among its users. This milestone reflects the platform’s success in creating a space where users feel happy, connected and true to themselves.

 

 

What Northwestern Mutual does: Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to millions with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, and investments.

 

 

Teamwork: According to Chief Technology Officer Dave Gordon, innovation thrives on collaboration and inclusivity at Northwestern Mutual. “We need an employee population that feels invested so they can provide the best application services for our clients and financial advisors,” noted Gordon in a 2023 interview with Built In. This ethos, combined with a focus on meaningful impact and extensive learning opportunities, positions Northwestern Mutual as a workplace dedicated to technological advancement and policyholder satisfaction.

 

 

 

What Asana does: Asana is a work management platform that streamlines tasks and initiatives, enhancing team productivity and efficiency.

 

 

Stay curious: Enterprise Customer Success Manager Julie Dragon emphasizes the importance of curiosity in driving the company’s success. “We have an ambitious vision that requires us to innovate at great speed in order to thrive within the competitive landscape. I find that curiosity unlocks potential across so many dimensions,” said Dragon in a Built In interview. The value Asana places on curiosity enables it to navigate the competitive work management category and foster a culture of growth and inclusion.

 

 

What Uplight does: Uplight, a certified B Corporation, provides comprehensive, customer-focused technology solutions for the energy ecosystem, serving over 80 utilities.

 

 

Making an impact: In a recent interview with Built In, VP of Software Engineering Evan Hung discussed how Uplight’s collaborative culture is vital to addressing climate change. “Making an impact on complex climate issues requires intense teamwork, and this is one of the most collaborative environments I’ve ever worked in,” Hung shared, reflecting on its mission to support the transition to a clean energy ecosystem.

 

 

 

What Octane does: Octane provides a seamless, end-to-end digital buying experience for lifestyle purchases, leveraging technology and risk strategies to make acquiring powersports vehicles, RVs and outdoor equipment fast, easy and accessible.

 

 

Strategic alliance: Octane’s partnership with Yieldstreet on a $280 million loan sale transaction marks a significant stride in fintech innovation for recreational purchases. Chief Financial Officer Steve Fernald at Octane emphasized the impact of the partnership, stating, “This transaction further enhances our capital markets strategy by diversifying our committed funding sources in order to support our continued total addressable market expansion in the powersports market and beyond.”

 

 

What Pie Insurance does: Pie Insurance simplifies small business insurance using technology and expertise, reducing costs and increasing transparency. 

 

 

Engagement and alignment: Chief of Staff Lisa Donovan stressed the importance of a collaborative decision-making process to enhance team engagement and alignment. “By encouraging questions, analyzing underlying data, challenging the status quo and applying creative thinking, we can commit to change,” Donovan stated in a recent interview with Built In. The leader encourages cross-functional knowledge-sharing and empowering teams to consider diverse perspectives, which leads to better solutions and greater organizational alignment.

 

 

 

 

What Taskrabbit does: Taskrabbit is a home services marketplace that connects people with Taskers for furniture assembly, moving help and more.

 

 

Ambitious mission: Taskrabbit’s product team has lofty goals for 2024: build a next-gen booking experience, seamless partnerships with well-known brands and a modern technical foundation. “These initiatives will be hugely transformative in becoming the household name for any home service task on a global scale,” said Director of Product Kishore Narra in an interview with Built In.

 

 

What Provi does: Provi is a B2B marketplace that simplifies the ordering process for alcohol products with over 750,000 listings, allowing buyers and distributors to transact seamlessly across 49 U.S. states.

 

 

Customer-centric: According to Customer Success Manager Matt Bestic, empathy is the cornerstone of his role, guiding all other soft skills like attention to detail and clear communication. “I put myself in our customers’ shoes by being a human being first and a hospitality professional second,” said Bestic in a Built In interview, noting his team further enhances this skill through literature, discussions and personality profiling.

 

 

 

What Tapcart does: Tapcart is a low-code mobile commerce platform that enables Shopify’s fastest-growing brands to launch mobile apps quickly. With over 50 million consumers worldwide, it has driven over $6 billion in mobile commerce revenue.

 

 

Fostering growth: At Tapcart, the employee experience and customer experience are intertwined, and tangible outcomes like business growth for customers and career advancement for employees are some of the key measures of its overall success. “We recognized that there was a correlation between making customers happy and making people at Tapcart happy; happy employees equals happy customers,” Senior Talent Partner Julia Frers-Karno explained in a 2023 Built In interview. 

 

 

What Mixbook does: Mixbook is a leading photo book creation platform that offers creative freedom to design personalized photo products with its user-friendly editor and unique designs.

 

 

Open communication: At Mixbook, leaders understand the importance of structured approaches in fostering an environment where every team member can contribute comfortably, allowing for diverse and insightful feedback. “One of the subtle practices we’ve adopted that indirectly supports our introverted team members — myself included — is our commitment to setting clear meeting agendas and norms,” said COO and CFO Patty Morris in an interview with Built In.

 

 

 

 

What Slickdeals does: Slickdeals is a platform powered by a community of millions of users who help vet, vote and share deals, ensuring consumers can access products at the best prices. 

 

 

UX revamp: In an interview with Built In, Senior Product Manager of Mobile Apps David Wang discussed the company’s plans to enhance user experiences and community engagement. “We’re building a better community experience by creating a more intuitive user interface — enhancing personalization and developing more curated content,” said Wang.