Despite a flurry of high-profile industry layoffs, these six tech companies have weathered the storm and are continuing to thrive.
Thanks in part to their standout missions — which include alleviating Americans’ financial stress and democratizing artificial intelligence — these companies have built sturdy foundations for success. With their values at the forefront, the featured workplaces nurture people-first cultures that allow for employees to develop their skill sets and access meaningful professional growth opportunities.
While many of the companies are based in the Los Angeles area, most also operate as remote-first or hybrid workplaces, allowing employment to span beyond the City of Angels. Regardless of whether they work in-person or across time zones, every company has made intentional efforts to encourage cross-functional collaboration and ensure the best products and services for their customers.
For these reasons and more, Built In LA is featuring these six workplaces as our companies of the month.
What Veritone does: Veritone runs an AI operating system that augments the human workforce by transforming use-case concepts into applications and solutions. Founded in 2014 by brothers Chad and Ryan Steelberg, the company is on a mission to democratize AI and build a safer, more vibrant, transparent and empowered society.
Fast-paced engineering environment: “For engineering teams to move fast, collaboration and communication needs to be a high priority within the team itself, as well as other teams, to manage cross dependencies,” Yasmin Abdullah, a software engineer, told Built In LA in May 2022. “That means the company has overcome bureaucracy barriers and put the power in the hands of the engineers to build and ship the product to the customers faster. As an engineer, this process has immensely stretched my communication and technical skills.”
In the news: In August 2022, the company launched Veritone Voice Network, an AI-powered custom voice solution that transcribes and translates podcast episodes into multiple languages. The technology enables podcast hosts to access international and multilingual markets while maintaining their voice identity.
What GrayMatter Robotics does: GrayMatter Robotics tackles tedious and challenging manufacturing operations with AI-powered robots. In 2022, the Gardena-based company was one of 50 organizations worldwide to earn a Robotics Business Review award for an innovative solution that advances the state of robotics.
Prioritizing people through robotics: “At GrayMatter Robotics, people are at the core of what we do, from our customers to our team members,” CEO and Co-Founder Ariyan Kabir told Built In LA in January. “Our solutions enhance manufacturing workers' quality of life, increase productivity and help manufacturers gain a competitive edge.”
In the news: In August 2022, GrayMatter Robotics announced it had raised $20 million in Series A funding. Kabir told Built In LA at the time that the company’s top priority was using the funds to expand its team with engineering leads, software leads, a marketing and communications lead and more.
What Telesign does: Telesign creates solutions that prevent identity fraud and provide secure communications. By verifying more than five billion phone numbers each month, Telesign allows companies and customers to engage with confidence.
Goal-oriented culture: “My vision is helping Telesign turn possibility into opportunity through market-differentiated programs that attract and retain growth-minded individuals that bring innovative ideas or solve complex problems for our customers or internal teams,” Chief People Officer Jamie Girouard told Built In LA in February. “Our goal is to ensure we have a culture of inclusion and trust that champions the successes and development of every Telesigner.”
Growth for all: “I was surprised by how transparent, open-minded and collaborative the entire team and organization is, and how well we all work together,” Customer Success Associate Alex Aguilar told Built In LA in January. “Another surprise is how much the company invests in us personally — they want us to keep growing with the mindset of embracing all these core values we share.”
What Papaya Payments does: Papaya Payments operates an app that allows people to pay their bills for utilities, medical care and more by taking photos of them. Through Papaya Collect, businesses also partner with the fintech platform to receive faster, more frequent payments from their customers.
Mission-focused teams: “We want to create a culture at Papaya that embodies our mission, which is to alleviate the stress of bill payment for everyday American families,” Humna Gardezi, a recruiter, told Built In LA in February 2022. “In our hiring practices, we seek out world-class talent that is also aligned to our mission and appreciates its importance.”
Cross-functional collaboration: “Papayans work across teams more regularly than any company I have previously worked for,” Leahna Purcell, a business analyst, told Built In LA in January 2022. “In our all-hands meetings, people from all departments and seniority levels routinely bring up questions and thoughts that spark innovation.
What DRINKS does: DRINKS powers an alcohol e-commerce platform trusted by large retailers and marketplaces including Sam’s Club, Instacart and Boxed. The company developed wine-specific, real-time tax and compliance solutions that integrate directly with Shopify checkout, and it also leverages AI to optimize customers’ product selections. In 2022, DRINKS acquired Electriq, which serves as its digital growth and marketing agency.
Cheers to virtual connectedness: “We are a remote-first company with many team members nowhere near L.A. Teams work well remotely, coordinating on Slack and other platforms with regular video check-ins,” Brandon Amoroso, president of Electriq, told Built In LA in August 2022. “It’s still important for us to bring everyone together for an annual retreat, so team members can spend quality time together.”
In the news: In February, DRINKS announced a partnership with Speakeasy Co., an e-commerce and fulfillment solution provider for alcohol brands. DRINKS Co-Founder and CEO Zac Brandenberg said the collaboration marked the first instance of a non-wine partner using the company’s solution.
“DRINKS’s partnership with Speakeasy is a big step forward for the future of alcohol e-commerce and data transparency for brands,” Brandenberg said in a statement.
What ScreenCloud does: ScreenCloud’s software platform helps drive engagement, productivity and sales through digital signage. The cloud-based SaaS company serves more than 8,500 customers across its hubs in Los Angeles, Bangkok, Belfast and London.
Collaboration across spaces: “We respect that people work differently and have a variety of preferences depending on their home life, their role, projects they’re working on and peaks of activity across our company cadence,” Anna Thomas, head of people and talent operations, told Built In LA in November 2022. “We believe that the physical workplace should be a place that is a joy to come to. We invest in bright airy spaces that work equally well for desk-based activities and collaboration and creative thinking.”
In the news: ScreenCloud announced this month that Google recognized its platform as a Chrome enterprise-recommended solution and optimized it to work with ChromeOS. As part of this recognition, Google engineers evaluated ScreenCloud’s platform and ensured that it met all requirements for functionality, end-user experience and security.
