Ones to Watch: Built In’s 24 Featured Companies of the Month

Despite the challenges faced in 2023, the technology industry and broader job market show renewed strength and optimism. 

Innovative companies are not only surviving but are also thriving by adapting to new challenges with agility and foresight. This month, Built In highlights a diverse group of 24 tech companies leading toward a brighter future. 

From multinational giants transforming traditional industries to cutting-edge startups revolutionizing their spaces, these organizations showcase the resilience and creativity that define the tech sector. 

Each company has a unique mission and culture supported by teams committed to technological progress and impact. 

Built In delved into the stories, achievements and exciting opportunities these companies provide.

 

 

 

What Mondelēz International does: Mondelēz International is a multinational company specializing in confectionery, food and beverages, known for brands like Oreo and Cadbury.

 

 

Sustainability progress: Mondelēz International has made significant strides toward its 2050 goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions, focusing on sustainable ingredient sourcing, operational efficiencies and innovative logistics solutions. “The road to Net Zero requires global collaboration across industries, sectors and landscapes to unlock innovative and collaborative solutions allowing us all to go further, faster,” said Senior VP and Chief Global Impact and Sustainability Officer Christine Montenegro McGrath.

 

 

What John Deere does: John Deere focuses on innovation in agriculture and construction, aiming to optimize land use and contribute to global food production.

 

 

Innovative work: At John Deere, employees like Principal Software Engineer Adam Brunner are finding deep meaning and opportunities for growth. “When I discovered Deere, I realized that within one company, I could pursue manufacturing, agriculture, finance, or construction. The possibilities to work with hardware, telematics, cloud computing, web applications, big data and more were endless,” said Brunner in a 2023 interview with Built In. 

 

 

 

What The Kraft Heinz Company does: The Kraft Heinz Company is transforming into a digitally-powered enterprise, leveraging AI and modern technology in the food industry.

 

 

Women in leadership: Director of Marketing and Strategy for Mac and Cheese Ashleigh Gibson leads a significant business segment while championing diversity and innovation. “Five years from now, I plan on being in an executive leadership position where I’m solving problems and creating meaningful impact for different stakeholders—consumers, customers, shareholders, employees and society,” said Gibson in a statement.

 

 

What 2K does: 2K, a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc., develops and publishes interactive entertainment for various gaming platforms.

 

 

Career launch: 2K’s innovative graduate programs are opening doors for aspiring professionals in the gaming industry, equipping them with essential tools for a successful career in game development and publishing. “In just three short months, we’ve gained meaningful technical skills that we’ll hone throughout our careers and tons of industry insight that would have otherwise taken years to build up,” said engineering program participant Diogo Silva on his rapid skill acquisition during an interview with Built In. 

 

 

 

What McDonald’s does: McDonald’s is a global fast-food chain with over 38,000 locations in more than 100 countries, serving approximately 68 million customers daily.

 

 

Tech evolution: McDonald’s announced a strategic partnership with Google Cloud to enhance global restaurant operations and customer experiences through generative AI solutions and advanced cloud technology. “We’re excited to see how McDonald’s will use our generative AI, cloud and edge computing tools to improve their iconic dining experience for their employees and their customers all over the world,” said CEO of Google and Alphabet Sundar Pichai in a statement. 

 

 

What GRAIL does: GRAIL is a healthcare company dedicated to early cancer detection using advanced sequencing and data science technologies.

 

 

Impactful AI: GRAIL’s innovative use of AI in identifying genomic patterns and differentiating between DNA from healthy and cancerous cells offers hope for more proactive cancer detection. “As a scientist, I’m excited to have tools to detect cancer earlier, as that sheds light on the origins and the progression of the disease,” noted Senior VP of Data Science and Chief Scientific Officer Amoolya Singh in a Built In interview. 

 

 

 

What Dynatrace does: Dynatrace provides a unified platform for observability, application security and advanced AIOps, offering solutions for cloud operations and digital transformation.

 

 

Reset and recharge: Dynatrace champions a unique approach to employee well-being with its “MyTime” unlimited PTO program and quarterly wellness days. In a 2023 interview with Built In, Chief People Officer Sue Quackenbush explained, “Dynatrace believes that when you empower your people to bring their best selves to work, they’re more productive, creative, engaged and connected to our culture.”

 

 

What Optiver does: Optiver started as a single trader and has grown into a leading global electronic market maker in trading and technology.

 

 

Scalable design: Scalability is crucial for Optiver’s ability to harness vast amounts of data and make informed business decisions, demonstrating the significance of scalability in their core market-making mission. “While each dataset may have its unique quirks, the mindset remains the same: everything we build needs to run like clockwork at a global scale and without any hiccups,” explained Global Data Engineering Lead Matt Nassr in a recent interview with Built In. 

 

 

 

What Cisco Meraki does: Cisco Meraki offers technology solutions that are easy to use, aiming to help people focus on their core missions.

 

 

Prioritizing sustainability: Cisco Meraki’s mission stresses the need for a holistic approach to sustainability that covers social and environmental aspects. “Building a sustainable future involves seeing and understanding the interconnectedness of society and the environment,” noted Human Rights Program Manager Fischer Heimburger while discussing its investments in fostering a regenerative future with Built In.

 

 

What Child Mind Institute does: Child Mind Institute is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving children’s mental health and learning disorders.

 

 

Compassionate mission: The Child Mind Institute’s 2023 Child Advocacy Award Dinner raised a record-breaking $8 million, a significant step in supporting children with mental health and learning disorders. During the event, founding President and Medical Director Harold S. Koplewicz stated, “What we can do is make sure no child suffers alone — and that suffering is met with the best we can offer in cutting-edge care, open science, workforce development and compassionate support across barriers of geography, race and class.” 

 

 

 

What Contentful does: Contentful provides a composable content platform with AI integration, helping organizations manage digital content for customer experiences.

 

 

Inspiring teams: Contentful’s approach to building resilient, motivated teams is rooted in finding meaning and purpose in work. “As a leader, one of the most valuable ways I spend my time is by helping others find a sense of purpose,” said VP of Engineering Jeremy Goldsmith in a Built In interview, noting that “research on motivation says people perform at their best when they have purpose, autonomy and mastery.”

 

 

What GHX does: GHX offers cloud-based supply chain technology, analytics and services, facilitating efficient operations in the healthcare industry.

 

 

Building community: Embracing a remote-first culture, GHX prioritizes fostering a sense of unity and collaboration among its team members. “As a remote-first culture, GHX’s diversity, equity, and inclusion and culture team is constantly working to make sure all GHXers have the opportunity to connect with their colleagues because we believe we’re better together,” said Director of Total Rewards Kayla Snow in a 2023 Built In interview. 

 

 

 

What FPFX Tech does: FPFX Tech develops specialized software for trading firms and brokerages, providing automation and scaling solutions in financial technology.

 

 

Strategic collaboration: FPFX Tech and Match-Trade Technologies recently announced a significant partnership to enhance proprietary trading technology. “Our goal is delivering SaaS solutions that enable trading firms and brokerages to scale their businesses by reaching and engaging with more traders through built-to-specification automation,” said CEO Justin D. Hertzberg in a statement.

 

 

What Funding Circle does: Funding Circle offers a technology platform for small businesses to access fast and affordable financing.

 

 

Industry recognition: Funding Circle won the FinTech of the Year award at the 2023 U.S. FinTech Awards. The award recognizes the company’s significant impact and innovation in financial technology. Funding Circle also achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first Fintech company to receive a license from the U.S. Small Business Administration to participate in the $36 billion-a-year 7(a) government-guaranteed small business loan program.

 

 

 

What GrayMatter Robotics does: GrayMatter Robotics develops AI-powered robots to assist manufacturing operations, focusing on high-mix applications.

 

 

A culture of empowerment: GrayMatter Robotics emphasizes a culture that empowers its team to achieve the company’s unique mission. CEO and Co-founder Ariyan Kabir spoke to Built In about their approach to creating a people-first culture, stating, “People are at the core of what we do, from our customers to our team members. Our mission is to empower people and improve the quality of their lives.” 

 

 

What Saatva does: Saatva is a direct-to-consumer mattress company that emphasizes quality, eco-friendly materials and craftsmanship.

 

 

Fostering unity: As a remote workplace, Saatva prioritizes creating authentic connections among its team members. Its strategy includes an employee-centric newsletter, employee resource groups and quarterly in-person team meetings. Internal Communications Manager Caroline Johns discussed their approach with Built In: “Through these experiences, we found that sparks fly when we get together in person.” 

 

 

 

What Teachable does: Teachable enables creators to monetize their expertise by offering a platform for creating and selling online courses.

 

 

Work-life balance: Director of Brand, Creative, and Content Marketing Bethany Cantor takes a proactive approach to ensure her remote team maintains a healthy work-life balance by logging off at a reasonable hour, not sending work requests late at night or on weekends and optimizing the work day. “With less time spent in meetings about the small stuff, we’re finding we can hold more in-depth workshops to solve big strategic problems,” Cantor told Built In. 

 

 

What Canoe does: Canoe introduces AI-driven technology for efficient data management in alternative investments, transforming document processing into actionable intelligence.

 

 

Individual ownership: Canoe’s culture fosters a sense of ownership and proactive employee engagement. In a recent interview with Built In, Senior Product Manager Emily Sperling describes the essence of the company’s work environment, stating, “Canoe’s culture emphasizes creative problem-solving, transparent communication and a flat hierarchy — conditions ideal for our entrepreneurial team to take ownership of their work.” 

 

 

 

What Fyllo does: Fyllo offers marketing solutions with advanced data sets and contextual targeting platforms that help brands achieve higher performance.

 

 

Adtech innovation: Senior VP of Product Pierre-Marc Diennet recently spoke to Built In about Fyllo’s unique, hardware-driven approach to digital advertising technology. “Our answer was to leverage our knowledge about cookies and project that onto the content of web pages … providing our advertisers with a targeting product that predicts user behavior on web pages,” said Diennet. 

 

 

What Hiro Systems does: Hiro Systems provides developers with tools and services for building applications and smart contracts on Bitcoin.

 

 

Scalable Solutions: Hiro Systems strongly emphasizes scalability in its technology. Staff DevOps Engineer Charlie Cantoni spoke to Built In about the matter, noting, “A service or system should be able to respond to decreased demand by scaling inward or downward.” This approach is crucial as it ensures services maintain optimal performance and cost-efficiency, adapting swiftly to changing demands. 

 

 

 

What Inato does: Inato aims to increase the accessibility of clinical research by connecting community-based research centers with global trials.

 

 

Growth trajectory: Inato is driven by the need to scale its marketplace and serve a broader range of pharmaceutical companies and research sites. "This growth will support our mission to create a world where all patients can access the right clinical trials in their community," said CEO and Co-founder Kourosh Davarpanah in a 2023 interview with Built In. 

 

 

What Jabra Hearing does: Jabra Hearing is on a mission to address untreated hearing loss in the United States through telemedicine and affordable, personalized care solutions.

 

 

Inclusive decision-making: The company ensures that the team’s collective intelligence and experience are leveraged to enhance product development and customer experience. Director of Customer Experience Lauren Stevenson spoke to Built In about the importance of team involvement, stating, “I take the view that decisions are rarely rigid and evolving will only make us stronger.” 

 

 

 

What Redesign Health does: Redesign Health is an innovation company in healthcare that builds and supports companies that aim to transform healthcare delivery and accessibility.

 

 

Uplifting women: Redesign Health fosters an inclusive and supportive environment for women. In a 2023 interview with Built In, VP of Strategic Partnerships Alicia Bloom highlighted this commitment to inclusion: “At Redesign Health, we have a number of affinity groups, one of which is for women. It’s a joy to participate in something that intentionally brings together women across all teams, in different roles and at various stages of their careers.” 

 

 

What Wonderlic does: Wonderlic provides scientifically validated hiring assessments to help businesses identify top candidates and predict job performance.

 

 

The right fit: Wonderlic offers customized talent assessment solutions to organizations. Principal Psychometrician Michael Grossenbacher emphasized the importance of this approach in a recent Q&A with the company. “One of the biggest issues that occurs around assessments is when companies use one for a specific use case, like it and then leverage it inappropriately for another use. Success starts with matching the tool to its purpose.”