LA’s Featured Companies of the Month: January 2023 Edition

Over the past year, Los Angeles solidified its role as a leader in the tech industry.

According to the 2022 Tech Workforce Report published by CompTIA, LA is the third largest metro market for U.S. tech employment with more than 359,000 workers. 

Amid the bustling industry locally, these six companies stood out because of their exceptional products. From allowing consumers to pay bills with the snap of a photograph to ensuring pet owners receive next-day delivery for their pups’ medications, these organizations’ unique services are carving out distinctive roles for passionate LA technologists. 

In addition to its sheer size, the city’s tech scene is notable for its diversity. The CompTIA report ranked LA in the top quartile of its diversity index for the second consecutive year. Women made up 25 percent of the city’s tech workforce, while 17 percent of tech workers were Hispanic or Latino and 4 percent were Black. 

It’s perhaps no surprise then that these six organizations, Built In LA’s featured companies of the month, are prioritizing equity and inclusion along with their core values and mission-oriented work. 

 

 

 

What Papaya Payments does: Papaya Payments is the creator of an app that allows people to pay their bills just by taking photos of them. Co-Founders Patrick Kann and Jason Meltzer started Papaya in 2016 to reduce Americans’ financial stress. In the earliest days of the fintech company, Kann and Meltzer spread the word about their service by placing “pay with Papaya” stickers on parking tickets in Los Angeles. Today, Papaya’s app is used to settle hundreds of thousands of bills for utilities, medical care and more. 

 

Professional and personal support: Humna Gardezi, a recruiter at Papaya Payments, says that the company works hard to create a culture of appreciation and belonging for employees. “Benefits like unlimited PTO, flexible work hours and generous parental leave — which allow employees to have a better work-life balance — support a people-first culture,” Gardezi told Built In LA in February 2022. “At Papaya, we also have a program called Papaya Talks, where employees have the opportunity to showcase their passion and talents to the whole company. Topics have included beekeeping and 3D printing.”

 

In the news: In May 2022, Papaya Payments partnered with software development company Applied Innovation to provide a suite of accounts receivable management solutions.

“We are thrilled to extend Papaya’s bill payment solutions to Applied Innovation and its business customers, and to expand the number of Americans that can now pay their bills with our simple and frictionless experience,” Kann said in a statement. 

 

 

 

What Lever does: Lever provides talent acquisition leaders with a complete applicant tracking system and candidate relationship management software on a single platform. More than 5,000 customers, including Netflix, Spotify and Eventbrite, use the HR tech platform to hire candidates, build their brand and prioritize diversity and inclusion. 

 

Dedicated to DEI: Built In LA connected with Senior Engineering Manager Alex Choi in June 2021 to learn what steps he was taking to build a company culture that prioritizes diversity, equity and inclusion. 

“DEI initiatives are part of hiring, promotion and compensation discussions, as well as team interactions and cohesiveness,” Choi said. “I made sure that when we did bring in someone from a different background, they were not isolated. I connected them with existing employee resources groups as well as people on other teams to help them feel connected at an organizational level.”

 

In the news: Lever won one of Lighthouse Research and Advisory’s 2022 HR Tech Awards for best comprehensive solution in the talent acquisition space. 

 

 

 

 

What Tebra does: Tebra provides independent healthcare practices with digital tools and support. The Corona del Mar-based healthtech company is the result of a 2021 merger between PatientPop, a healthcare marketing and medical practice management software, and Kareo, a medical software developer. 

 

Putting patients first: Daire Manning, vice president of go-to-market operations and enablement, said Tebra stands out for its “customer obsession.” Like many other employees at the healthtech company, Manning feels a personal connection to Tebra’s mission to improve the healthcare delivery experience for patients and providers. 

“As someone with a chronic illness who spends a lot of time interacting with healthcare providers, I’m very passionate about our mission,” Manning told Built In LA in November 2022. “I love how customer-centric our culture is and how focused we are on solving for a better provider and patient experience.”

 

In the news: In July 2022, Tebra announced that it had raised $72 million, which it planned to invest in completing the combination of Kareo and PatientPop’s softwares, scaling its sales and marketing teams, and expanding its platform’s network and capabilities. 

“What we’re most excited about is this opportunity to extend our value from not just delivering great software to run a practice but also really be a matchmaker between consumers and our growing network of independent providers,” Dan Rodrigues, Tebra’s co-founder and CEO, told Built In at the time. “We think if we can do that, we can bring a much more consumer-friendly experience to patients leveraging all the building blocks that we built up to this point today.”

 

 

 

What Spring Labs does: Fintech company Spring Labs allows businesses to securely store and share data to verify identities and fight fraud. Using patented cryptography and tokenization solutions, the Marina Del Rey-based company ensures that it protects consumer privacy.

 

 

In the news: In November 2022, Spring Labs launched TrueZero, a service that replaces sensitive information with non-sensitive data called tokens. This allows companies to exchange data with other financial institutions without sharing any personally identifiable information. 

 

 

 

What Mixlab does: Mixlab partners with veterinarians to deliver custom prescriptions and over-the-counter medications for pets nationwide. Founded in 2017, the Los Angeles company is on a mission to create positive and convenient care experiences for pets, their owners and veterinarians. In December 2022, AI Time Journal named Mixlab as one of the top 10 pet technology companies to watch in 2023. 

 

Growth-minded teams:  As Mixlab expanded across teams — in business, pharmacy, sales, operations and more — CEO and Co-Founder Frederic Dijols emphasized the importance of hiring the right leaders to ensure the startup scaled successfully. When the company hires new roles, Dijols pays attention to candidates’ values and how it aligns with organizational principles.

“We look for mission-driven people who want to make a difference in the world and help pets get the care they deserve,” Dijols told Built In LA in May 2022. “We stand by our core values of ‘do what’s right,’ ‘make it happen’ and ‘mix with love.’”

 

In the news: In May 2022, Mixlab appointed George Koveos as chief operating officer to oversee the pet pharmaceutical company’s national expansion. With 15 years of experience in healthcare operations, Koveos previously served as COO of healthcare platform Ro and held leadership roles at SoulCycle and Ralph Lauren.

 

 

 

What Omaze does: Omaze helps raise money for nonprofits through pay-to-play contests for luxury sports cars, celebrity meet and greets, international vacations and more. Co-Founders Matt Pohlson and Ryan Cummins dreamt up the idea for the social impact company after their experience being quickly outbid at an auction for a dinner with Magic Johnson and courtside Lakers seats. Since its founding in 2012, the Marina del Rey-based company has raised more than $170 million for more than 600 charities. 

 

Championing creativity: Built In LA connected with Brad Spychalski, vice president of creative and brand, in April 2022 to discuss what intangible skills Omaze values in candidates. Spychalski said there are a number of organizational core virtues that he prioritizes, including a “we before me” mentality, meaning that team members put the greater good ahead of their self interest. 

“Outside of these core ideals, I look for creatives comfortable sitting at the intersection of media and creativity who are obsessed with what’s driving the cultural zeitgeist and bring a solutions-first mindset to any new project they tackle,” Spychalski said. 

In the news: In April 2022, Omaze named Scott Coleman as its new president. Prior to his role at the social impact fundraising platform, Coleman has worked for more than 20 years in tech leadership, including as head of growth and international product at Pinterest and head of partnerships at Google.