By now, you already know what type of year 2023 was for the tech industry. The good news is that 2024 is right around the corner — and with it brings a sense of renewed optimism for many companies: Standout tech organizations are heading into 2024 with a good bit of momentum.
Space company Astra is one example, with the rocket maker hiring across the board. Petal is another, with the fintech firm in prime position to enhance its credit card offerings and underwriting technology thanks to a $35 million funding round secured this past May. Cybersecurity company Coro was named to a prestigious tech list because of its strong revenue growth.
There are those whose momentum isn’t visible to the outsider’s eye because it’s being cultivated internally by investing in employees. At 3D printing production company Carbon, that takes the form of supporting employee resource groups, while insurtech firm Haven Technologies focuses on giving new hires the ability to hit the ground running and make an immediate impact.
These four tech companies are entering the new year with a bang. Continue reading to learn more about the momentum they’re carrying into 2024.
What Astra does: Astra offers launch services and space products — including engines — to small satellite builders and operators.
The Perks
- A 401(k) match and available company equity and performance bonuses
- An office with parking and free daily meals
- Generous PTO
Supply chain expert wanted: Astra currently has an opening for a global supply manager, a role that will be responsible for leading the direct materials sourcing strategy for critical components. This highly specialized position requires more than five years of supply chain experience, ideally in the space or aerospace industries, and experience developing “should-cost” estimates and analyzing supplier quotes.
What Carbon does: Companies use Carbon’s idea-to-production platform to design, prototype and produce projects via 3D printing.
The Perks
- A 401(k) program and available company equity
- Generous paid time off and time off to volunteer
- Pet insurance
Supporting prideful employees: This past summer, Built In spoke with Augustine Alvarez, a special project’s supervisor and one of the co-founders of Carbon’s PR-IDE employee resource group, about how the company supports LGBTQIA+ employees throughout the year.
“We like to bring awareness in various ways, including highlighting National Coming Out Day, Transgender Awareness week, Worlds AIDS day, LGBTQIA+ history month and many others,” said Alvarez. “Carbon has also partnered with DEI consultants to supply educational talks and resource tools to bring awareness of the LGBTQIA+ community to the broader company.”
What Coro does: Coro offers enterprise companies a modular cybersecurity platform that can provide protection for mobile devices, web gateways, cloud applications and more.
The Perks
- Generous vacation time and paid time off to volunteer
- A home-office stipend for remote employees and commuter benefits for those who come in
- A 401(k) match and available performance bonuses
On the move: Coro was named to the 2023 Deloitte Fast 500, which ranks the fastest-growing technology and life sciences companies in the country based on three-year revenue growth. Coro was one of 52 New York City companies that made the list and landed at number 38 with revenue growth of 4,861 percent between 2019 and 2022.
What Petal does: Petal offers credit cards to those who cannot access them from traditional providers by evaluating a person’s banking history, as opposed to just their credit score.
The Perks
- Generous parental leave and a return-to-work program post-parental leave
- A 401(k) program and available company equity and performance bonuses
- A sabbatical program
Fresh funding alert: In May, Petal announced a $35 million funding round led by Valar Ventures. The round was to be split between Petal and Prism Data, a cash flow underwriting and data analytics company spun off from Petal. Jason Rosen, CEO and co-founder of both Petal and Prism, said in a press release that the funding would be used to help expand the reach of both companies.
"Not every new experiment works,” said Rosen. “But for breakthrough technologies that have proven effective, like the cash flow underwriting we’ve developed at Petal and Prism Data, the time has come to expand to the mainstream.”
What Haven Technologies does: Haven Technologies provides a white-label platform enabling insurers to offer life, annuity and disability insurance.
The Perks
- Eighteen weeks of fully paid parental leave for birth mothers and eight weeks of fully paid leave for non-birth mothers, fathers and adoptive parents
- Three days off per year to volunteer
- Nineteen vacation days per year, with increases coming at five-year intervals
Get going: At some companies, new joiners spend weeks watching from the sidelines before being given any real responsibilities. That’s not the case at Haven Technologies. Natasha Dujmovic, head of enterprise risk and audit, told Built In that she was given the chance to get to work almost immediately after joining the company.
“During my first week at Haven Tech, I was immediately entrusted with high-impact projects,” said Dujmovic. “I was given the opportunity to tackle difficult problems and engineer solutions. Career growth is learning based: If you have a passion for learning, your managers and team will support your goals.”
