When Hanh Nguyen joined A Cloud Guru in May of 2017, she was the company’s second customer support representative. Fast forward to today, Nguyen is the head of customer experience where she leads a team of 27 customer success and support reps.
“My team and career have grown and evolved right alongside our product, and now as a leader, I see the support across the organization for similar growth,” Nguyen said.
However, professional development isn’t just limited to those beginning their careers. Audrey Tiger recently joined Spruce as VP of product and said she’s found plenty of opportunities for growth across the company.
“There are so many exciting things happening in the company, and I continue to find professional growth opportunities even in this moment of uncertainty by leaning in and remaining focused on the horizon,” Tiger said.
If career growth is your focus, then continue reading to learn more about what life is like at A Cloud Guru, Spruce and seven other Austin tech companies, all of which are hiring.
What they do: OJO Labs is bringing real estate into the 21st century with its conversational, AI-powered platform that’s designed to make it easier for homebuyers to find their perfect place at their pace and find a realtor. The company also offers an enterprise solution designed to help brokerages and agents connect with more homebuyers and sellers.
Company culture in one word: “Above all else, the leadership and employees at OJO Labs are compassionate,” Megha Jain, a senior product manager, said. “I found out I was pregnant in the middle of the interview process, and it was a bittersweet moment for me. We had wanted to get pregnant for a while but the timing was not ideal. Before accepting the job, I nervously shared this news with the head of product, and his excitement brought me to tears. I was still unsure if I would take on the challenge of starting at a new company while pregnant, but his compassion made me realize this is the right company for me.
“After my maternity leave, I felt supported as I navigated finding the right balance between work and family, and when I didn’t have childcare for a few weeks, my entire team stepped up to cover for me. Compassion and empathy are a big part of OJO Labs’ DNA, from how employees are treated to our local volunteer program, OJO Cares, down to our holistic, people-first mission to empower consumers to make better decisions. When discussing and implementing product strategy, we always put the consumer first.”
Compassion and empathy are a big part of OJO Labs’ DNA.”
Building tech that scales: “I recently had the opportunity to work on OJO Labs’ enterprise solution, which scales our product suite to give a large number of agents and brokerages the resources they need to confidently sell homes,” Jain said. “I joined OJO Labs looking to gain a deeper understanding of large-scale rollouts since my past jobs were focused on initial product launches. Over the last few months, I have had the chance to learn from deeply knowledgeable people who have built successful B2B products and have been given the autonomy to make decisions that help the product and the company scale to better support our customer base.”
What they do: “The cloud” is not some mysterious technology that only a select few can master, at least not in the opinion of A Cloud Guru. The company’s mission is to “teach the world to cloud,” and it’s set out to accomplish this by creating hands-on courses for consumers and companies that teach people the skills they need to work with AWS, Azure, Google Cloud and more.
Company culture in one word: “Dynamic,” Hanh Nguyen, head of customer experience, said. “We embrace change because it encourages us to try new things and innovate. We continuously evolve how our teams operate and work together to ensure we’re always delivering more value to our customers. We get to know our customers as real people and see the difference our training makes in both their organizations and their own lives. It’s serious business, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s a fun, energetic environment where curiosity and human connection thrive.
“In the last 12 months alone we doubled our student count from 1 million to 2 million, doubled our internal headcount from 200 to 400 and acquired a company — all while continuing to have fun and support one another. The environment is ever-changing, but it’s a fun rocket ship to be on. I am proud of our team and how we continue to seize the massive opportunity that’s in front of us.”
Professional development and having a growth mindset are ingrained in the culture at ACG.”
From rep to department head: “In three and a half years, I have gone from being the second customer support representative to leading a department of 27 gurus across customer success and support,” Nguyen said. “My team and career have grown and evolved right alongside our product, and now as a leader, I see the support across the organization for similar growth. Professional development and having a growth mindset are ingrained in the culture at ACG. There is support across leadership in all departments to take on new opportunities to help the business serve a bigger audience.
“One of our core values is ‘Learn All the Things,’ which encourages experimenting and exploring new ideas without the fear of failure. It’s about fostering a blameless culture, and while sometimes things go wrong, we focus on the facts and what we’ve learned when they do. This dedication to learning makes ACG the perfect place to grow your career.”
What they do: RigUp’s platform is designed to make it easier for energy companies, vendors and contractors to work together and manage their operations. In addition to forging connections and operations management, RigUp also offers managed services that bring the on-demand model to previously time-intensive and paperwork-heavy tasks.
Company culture in one word: “Supportive,” Candice Lewis-Steinman, principal, product marketing and demand generation, said. “I picked that word because it’s one of my favorite parts about working here. I feel supported in what I do and feel like if I need something, I can ask for it. I also feel that the company genuinely cares about me as a person. We’re all challenged and the work is hard, but it’s amazing to be part of such a supportive company that doesn’t just view me as someone who is just churning out work.
“I’ve seen this in how I get support. I work closely with my boss and leadership to prioritize my projects to ensure that my team and I are working on the most impactful things rather than on every single thing that comes across our desks. There is a lot to do and a lot we could pick up, but instead of trying to do it all, leadership helps me understand what the top priorities are because they care about my work-life balance.”
It’s amazing to be part of such a supportive company that doesn’t just view me as someone who is just churning out work.”
Telling the RigUp story: “This year I’ve had the opportunity to partner with our founders on our strategic manifesto,” Lewis-Steinman said. “The strategic manifesto is the story of where we’ve come from, who we are and where we want to go. It’s a document that’s being adapted into both a deck to share with the team and stories to share with our partners and investors. It’s been so fun to partner with our leadership team and collaborate with everyone to help articulate our story. It’s helped me think about strategy from the short term to the long term and develop a perspective on how we get from where we are to where we want to go.”
What they do: There will come a time when every startup, small business owner and entrepreneur reaches the limits of what they can do with free software. AppSumo knows this, which is why it launched a marketplace featuring discount deals on software created by up-and-coming startups, some of which, like Evernote, MailChimp and Dropbox, have gone on to become forces in the tech industry.
Company culture in one word: “Challenge,” Eric Fernandez, lead developer, said. “First, the work itself is challenging, which means you won’t get bored. Personal growth and development are musts for the AppSumo team, and we’re always solving new problems with new technologies in novel ways.
“Second, we have a culture of challenging opinions and the status quo. We challenge what we do and how we do it and use feedback to keep learning. For example, prior to every all-hands, the leadership team solicits feedback and responds to it during the meeting. So if someone’s wondering why we went a certain direction or where leadership stands on an issue, like whether “Hamilton” is the best musical of all time, it’s out there in the open for us to discuss and change.”
We’re always solving new problems with new technologies in novel ways.”
Learning languages and leadership: “I’m coming up on my ninth year at AppSumo,” Fernandez said. “That sort of longevity is a rarity in the tech industry, but it’s been such a fun and interesting journey — and also one filled with many, many tacos.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to see — and have a hand in — AppSumo’s growth from a few people working out of an apartment to the amazing company it is today. I went from nearly no web development experience to helping lead a group of absolutely brilliant engineers. This involved technical growth, like learning different languages and frameworks, debugging at-scale servers and researching new ideas. But it also meant developing non-technical skills, like mentoring engineers, communicating effectively and helping to devise effective processes for a growing team.”
What they do: Spruce enables residents in apartment and condo communities to book housekeeping, pet care, laundry and other services, all on one app. The company’s platform also provides a single place for property managers to see who is coming on-site before they show up asking about the guest sign-in sheet.
Company culture in one word: “People,” VP of Product Audrey Tiger said. “During COVID-19, our ‘People First’ value has shown me what it means to be a part of the Spruce Crew. We could not have continued our growth during such uncertain times without putting people at the center of what we do. However, ‘People First’ extends beyond the Spruce team. It also includes the customers we serve, our property partners and our network of amazing service providers. We help our customers’ lives run a little smoother and make their days feel a little brighter so they can have less stress.
“During the past six months, our team has come together to both innovate and support one another, which demonstrates how Spruce’s company culture is a bedrock component of what is, and will, make us so successful for years to come.”
I continue to find professional growth opportunities even in this moment of uncertainty by leaning in and remaining focused on the horizon.”
Professional development opportunities abound: “I’ve been with the company for just over six months and am amazed by how much we’ve accomplished in that time,” Tiger said. “Spruce is a true startup on the verge of massive growth, and there are professional development opportunities in every corner of the company. Leadership sets company-level objectives and gives teams the autonomy to create solutions and own their outcomes.
“Our growth marketing team is leveraging Iterable in an innovative way to get us on the right trajectory to outperform our targets. We have a data team using Snowflake and Looker to build new dashboards so we can double down on data-driven decision-making. We also recently launched our revamped iOS app, and we relaunched our Android app in Q4 of last year. There are so many exciting things happening, and I continue to find professional growth opportunities even in this moment of uncertainty by leaning in and remaining focused on the horizon.”
What they do: LeanDNA believes there’s a better way for factories to manage their inventory than spreadsheets. The company has developed AI-powered analytics and inventory management software that’s designed to help factories improve their on-time delivery rates and optimize their inventories.
Company culture in one word: “Energized,” Brian Graham, customer success manager, said. “LeanDNA is growing like crazy right now, and everyone shares the same get-it-done energy. When we were in the office, you could feel the excitement and motivation for every new challenge.
“Now that we’re remote, that feeling still persists and we’re all working hard to maintain it. Every new project is all-hands-on-deck, especially now as we’re frequently onboarding new clients. We’re all really passionate about the product and the company, and we work together and move quickly in the same direction to make both successful.”
LeanDNA is growing like crazy right now, and everyone shares the same get-it-done energy.”
Honing skills: “I’ve been with LeanDNA for two years, and in that time I’ve sharpened my skills in supply chain management — which has always been a passion of mine — and learned how to operate in a growing, mid-size SaaS startup,” Graham said. “From the supply chain standpoint, I’ve learned how to analyze supply chain situations quickly and make strategic changes to optimize inventory, a skill that helps me better serve our customers.
“The rapid growth we’re experiencing throws a lot of new projects and challenges my way, and I’ve been able to grow my software and technology expertise, project management skills and business development know-how as well.”
What they do: Many fintech companies have set their sights on making it easier for merchants to accept payments — but what about lawyers, psychologists and CPAs? AffiniPay’s solutions are designed to cater to the unique needs of these and other professional service providers.
Company culture in one word: “Inclusive,” Ryan Charette, senior software engineer, said. “AffiniPay goes above and beyond to try to include everyone and make them feel welcome. From the moment I stepped into the office for my interview, the person who greeted me, the recruiting team and my interviewers exuded warmth and friendliness, and it hasn’t stopped there. Every week during our all-hands meeting, the CEO makes it a point to call out and recognize the successes of everyone on the team.”
I have been trusted with a great amount of responsibility to tackle the hard technical problems we’ve faced as a growing company.”
Investing in employees: “I am approaching the end of my second year with AffiniPay and have seen incredible professional growth in both my technical abilities and leadership,” Charette said. “I have been trusted with a great amount of responsibility to tackle the hard technical problems we’ve faced as a growing company. AffiniPay has also invested in me by enabling me to participate in a program to develop critical leadership skills.”
What they do: ThousandEyes helps enterprise companies better deal with network issues that slow down the performance of their apps, websites and services. The platform monitors the performance of cloud servers, internet providers and browsers, and alerts companies when there’s an issue that could affect the end user’s experience.
Company culture in one word: “Authentic,” Jason Wyatt, regional sales manager, said. “From top to bottom, ThousandEyes employees are extremely authentic in their interaction with both their co-workers and our customers. This enables us to build trust and strong partnerships with those we work with.”
ThousandEyes has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and push my sales career forward.”
Cultivating careers: “I have been with the company for about three years total with time spent as a sales engineer, SE manager, and now as an account manager,” Wyatt said. “ThousandEyes has allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and push forward in my sales career. We recently were acquired by Cisco — this will allow me to keep growing my professional skill set. The next chapter of ThousandEyes will be exciting, challenge us in new ways, and allow us to deliver unparalleled visibility of our customer’s network.”
What they do: SpyCloud’s cybersecurity solutions are designed to make it harder for hackers to profit from stolen passwords by alerting companies when their credentials have been compromised. SpyCloud also offers a risk-management solution that tells businesses when their vendors have suffered a security breach as well as a dataset designed to help professional fraud investigators unmask criminals.
Company culture in one word: “Passionate,” Carlye Rangeo, inside sales representative, said. “Whether it’s competing in companywide Mario Party tournaments, debating classic movies in our chat channels, competing in the Startup Games or adding a new customer logo to our portfolio, one thing’s for sure — the SpyCloud team is full of passionate people.
“To keep our culture strong during quarantine, we launched employee-hosted lunch and learns, which gives team members the opportunity to share topics they’re passionate about, like Buddhist meditation, the history of gin and data analyzing good wine. Everyone takes their presentation to heart and backs it up with thorough research and innate knowledge about their topic. This level of dedication to whatever task is at hand is very much a part of our overall culture. We’ve accumulated a group of passionate tech nerds who love to succeed and have built an awesome company around that.”
I had the unique opportunity to kickstart my career alongside the start of SpyCloud.”
Growing a career and company: “I had the unique opportunity to kickstart my career alongside the start of SpyCloud,” Rangeo said. “I joined the company three years ago as the eighth employee, and my initial role was a mixed bag: executive assistant, marketing coordinator, sales development representative, customer success manager and sales administrator. Before meetings we,’d often joke about what to introduce me as.
“What makes SpyCloud so great is that employees have a chance to leave their mark on the company. Each of these roles required a specific skill set and pushed me into unique and sometimes uncomfortable spaces professionally, but that set me up for success in my current role. Working in sales means learning to communicate products and ideas to customers, manage partner relationships, collaborate with internal departments to get initiatives passed through and balance multiple customer accounts at once. I developed all of these skills in my first few years and continue to grow in my career.”
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