The days of harsh fluorescent lights, cramped cubicles, squeaky chairs and bland break rooms are over.
Well, at least in startupland. Modern companies are creating spaces showcasing a style and creative flair that’s as status quo-challenging as the products and services they provide.
From freewheeling speakeasies to futuristic designs, these local tech offices take things to the next level — and are anything but drab. Here’s a sneak peek:
Swell Investing wants to help make the world a better place. The company’s impact investing platform allows users to invest in publicly traded companies that center around worthy causes — like healthy living, greentech and disease eradication.
Move-in date: March 2018
Location: Santa Monica
Office square footage: 5,300
Number of local employees: 37
What’s the coolest or most unique feature?
“The office can switch very quickly to ‘event-mode’ and host all kinds of events ranging from fireside chats to movie screenings and hack-nights,” said Christian Boullon, operations manager.
Relativity Space is even more obsessed with the future than the rest of us. The aerospace company is an autonomous rocket factory producing parts that are brought to life through the magic of 3D printing. Looking ahead, the company wants to reduce the barriers of space by printing rockets quickly—eventually sending this technology to Mars
Move-in date: July 2016
Location: Inglewood/Westchester north of LAX
Office square footage: 20,000
Number of local employees: 31
What inspired the design of your office?
“We wanted a space that looked like the future, and blended creativity and science. We have several fine-art pieces in the office, along with futuristic LED lighting and large desks for each engineer. Our goal is to 3D print and automate rockets with robotics, and take a totally new approach to building the future of humanity in space. Our office is inspired by this mission,” said CEO Tim Ellis.
Appetize’s cloud-based point-of-sale software allows the entertainment, restaurant and sports industries to manage customer transactions more efficiently. The company creates software for point-of-sale terminals, self-service kiosks, mobile ordering and more that’s designed to make transactions at even the most packed baseball game or retail outlet run a little more smoothly.
Move-in date: December 2017
Location: Playa Vista
Office square footage: 17,000
Number of local employees: 105
What’s the coolest or most unique feature?
“The most unique feature is our speakeasy. The only way to access it is through one of our conference rooms where the door is completely flat against the wall, covered by Appetize in oversized letters. Inside, it’s a fully stocked bar and has live-action concert photos taken by Max Roper, our CEO and co-founder,” said Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Anderson.
Fast-growing companies have a million things to worry about. Thankfully, there’s TaskUs. The company serves as a scaling partner for newly funded companies, consulting them in arenas like expansion strategies and digital, and also providing customer experience and back office support.
Move-in date: December 2017
Location: Santa Monica
Office square footage: 5,135
Number of local employees: 33
What inspired the design of your office?
“We have some of the coolest offices designs in the industry, and we take inspiration from the surrounding area, from our teammates themselves and from our innovative clients who have their own awesome office spaces. For example, one of our offices in the Philippines is steampunk themed which was inspired by our teammate’s wide interest in gaming. For our headquarters in Santa Monica, we took inspiration from the airport itself, given the location and the huge window we have overlooking the runway,” said Joe Buggy, COO.
Hutch’s sleek office should come as no surprise. After all, they’re pros at interior design. The company’s app helps users make design dreams a reality with its real-time 3D visualizer. The feature allows users to see what different design ideas would look like in any given room, as well as actually make purchases directly through the app.
Move-in date: March 2017
Location: Culver City
Office square footage: 3000
Number of local employees: 20
What inspired the design of your office?
“When designing the office, we were inspired by the all the great design happening here in Southern California. Each space of the office was inspired by areas you can find throughout the city, such as Echo Park or Venice. There are so many spaces that are designed well through our city,” said VP of Brand and Design Aisling Mittman.
After a while, all of those coffees on the company credit card start to add up. But fintech company Chrome River wants to make sure that expensing them each and every month is no sweat. The company provides expense management software that automatically routes, approves, returns or assigns expense reports streamlining the process entirely.
Move-in date: Mid-2016
Location: Los Angeles
Office square footage: 15,000
Number of local employees: Almost 200
What’s the coolest or most unique feature?
“One of the coolest parts of our office is a break room just inside the entrance. It has a swing hanging from a beam, a section of a DC-9 airliner on the wall, furniture made of pieces of old airliners and a gaming system plugged into a large TV. It’s a great place for people to relax for a few minutes during the middle of a hectic day, and we also find that moving people out of a traditional conference room environment can help with creativity for brainstorms,” said HR Manager Sandra Ju.
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