Austin’s flourishing tech scene is brimming with companies tackling exciting challenges and working to improve a vast range of experiences, from buying a house to writing the code that undergirds global banks and healthcare systems.
To develop this technology — not to mention design, market and sell it, maintain financials and provide ongoing customer support — companies need an equally vibrant talent base. They’re likely to find it in Austin, given the tens of thousands of new residents that have moved to the city and its surrounding suburbs in recent years, joining a strong pool of existing tech talent.
These dynamics earned the city its second-place spot on the Wall Street Journal’s list of the United States’ hottest job markets for 2023. The study, conducted in partnership with Moody’s Analytics, took into account factors such as wages, the size of the labor force and changes in employment levels, all of which have swelled here since the start of the pandemic.
Built In Austin talked to five leaders at some of the metro area’s fastest-growing organizations about what they love about their jobs and what prospective hires should expect if they join the team.
All of them made note of the impactful projects they’ve been involved in, even early in their tenures — building brands, expanding into new categories, scaling businesses and designing innovative systems.
They were also enthusiastic about the potential for new employees to bring in fresh ideas and perspectives, an encouraging sign for candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply.
Read on to learn more about the teams and the opportunities that lay ahead.
Sonar empowers developers and organizations to write clean code and build high-quality, secure and reliable software.
Think back to first joining the team. What drew you to the company? How have your expectations been met since coming aboard?
When I first learned about Sonar, what stood out was a fundamental problem of “bad code” that the company was trying to address. Bad code affects almost all organizations across all verticals — especially in this day and age where software is the heartbeat of businesses.
When I joined the company two years ago, I didn’t want my job to just be a job. I wanted to work at an emerging company and on a product that truly helped bring change. Being part of a company that is evangelizing a monumental shift in the way organizations think about software development was very appealing to me. As an engineer turned product marketer, I could truly relate to the company’s mission. And I knew I could help make an impact if I joined forces.
Together with my team, our efforts to educate development teams to use best practices for their software delivery and, in turn, increase productivity have been quite successful. Through my time here, the team’s contributions have been instrumental in growing our product outreach from 5 million to 7 million developers and 300,000 to more than 400,000 organizations. This speedy growth and validation from happy users on the direct benefits they’ve seen have been very rewarding.
I wanted to work at an emerging company and on a product that truly helped bring change.”
What's been your biggest success story since joining the team?
A year ago we went through a complete rebranding and repositioning of our company. Being part of a project of that scale right from conception to production is every product marketer's dream. We had to plan out our new positioning, messaging, branding, category, communication… everything! It involved so many stakeholders, short timelines and limited resources; it was a daunting task, I must admit, but a really wonderful outcome and one that I personally take great pride in and have learned a lot from. Now that we have a unique position in the clean code space as the leader and disruptor, I see a great opportunity — and challenge — to evangelize and penetrate the market.
Nothing is possible without a strong, close-knit team. Building and leading a great team of product marketers, making mistakes and learning from them, has been a fulfilling experience for me.
Your company is currently hiring for a handful of roles. How can new hires make an immediate impact at the company?
As we rapidly scale, there is growth in every single function of the company, including product, engineering, marketing, sales, UX and finance. New hires will have plenty of opportunities to contribute, make an impact and grow with the company.
For the marketing team in particular, we are looking for rockstars — developer advocates, product marketers, customer marketing and more — to fuel our next phase of growth. In our mission to educate the market and expand our customer base, new joiners will bring their fresh perspectives and ideas to the table. Our collaborative culture and collective intelligence means new viewpoints are valued as much as past experiences and we work together to make a difference.
Iodine Software develops AI solutions to help healthcare professionals with clinical documentation.
Think back to first joining the team. What drew you to the company? How have your expectations been met since coming aboard?
I was really excited about the innovative products being developed, the company’s growth trajectory and the team culture at Iodine.
Since joining the company, I’ve experienced all of these in action; we’re about to launch a brand-new product offering, continuing to hire talented engineers to a growing engineering organization and doubling down on our amazing team culture. I couldn’t be happier with my decision to join Iodine.
What’s been your biggest success story since joining the team?
I joined Iodine as SVP of engineering with a charter to scale our teams and processes to meet the demands of a fast-growth SaaS company.
Since joining the team, we have implemented a scaled agile framework for allowing our product engineering teams to deliver innovative software releases to our customers in a predictable and sustainable manner. I’ve been really happy with how our teams have adopted agile processes and are constantly inspecting and adapting our development processes to deliver innovative products for our customers.
New engineers joining the team will have an opportunity to make a huge impact.”
Your company is currently hiring for a handful of roles. How can new hires make an immediate impact at the company?
We are currently hiring for several roles in engineering. As we embark on a cloud transformation journey, new engineers joining the team will have an opportunity to make a huge impact in migrating our state-of-the-art machine learning engine to public cloud and power the development of new healthcare AI products that reduce the administrative burden on caregivers.
Outdoorsy is an outdoor travel marketplace offering peer-to-peer RV rentals across the US and Canada.
Think back to first joining the team. What drew you to the company? How have your expectations been met since coming aboard?
I had the privilege of joining Outdoorsy in December 2021 as their first actuarial hire responsible for their Roamly insurance product development. Transitioning from a traditional insurance company to a start-up, I was extremely excited to be a part of Outdoorsy and to help them build their insurtech brand. Specifically, I was attracted to Roamly for the opportunity to scale something new, be a part of an agile and talented team and assume a leadership role as an early employee in a burgeoning organization.
It would be an understatement to say there’s never been a dull moment.”
Since joining a year and a half ago, my enthusiasm for Roamly has grown and the experience has exceeded my expectations. I love my teammates; they are some of the most talented and hardest-working individuals I’ve had the pleasure of working with. I am deeply inspired by our company vision and it’s such an exhilarating experience to launch new products that align with the company’s long-term goals. It’s also truly phenomenal what we’ve been able to accomplish in such a short span of time — it would be an understatement to say there’s never been a dull moment.
What’s been your biggest success story since joining the team?
My biggest accomplishment so far is my involvement in expanding our proprietary personal RV insurance product and in designing the tech stack that enables us to swiftly launch new insurance products. When I joined Roamly, we were writing business in two states, and within six months we were able to expand our business to close to 30 states.
This achievement stands out in the insurance industry where it typically takes months to roll out a product in just one state. We were able to accomplish this incredible feat because of our proprietary policy management system, which was collaboratively designed and built by our engineering, product and actuarial teams. We are now going national with our product.
Your company is currently hiring for a handful of roles. How can new hires make an immediate impact at the company?
We are hiring additional team members to support companywide strategic initiatives such as Roamly and the Outdoorsy Destination Network, which is acquiring campgrounds around the US. As a company of entrepreneurs, Outdoorsy values new team members who can contribute ideas, question the status quo and find ways to improve our customer experiences. Through innovative thinking, new employees can find ways to accelerate Outdoorsy’s momentum as the leading marketplace for outdoor travel.
Routefusion’s API streamlines cross-border payments for companies around the globe.
What were your goals and expectations for the company when you founded it? How does that vision compare to where you are today?
There were a few factors that inspired me to start this company with my co-founder. First was the compelling vision and shared passion we had for the industry and the excitement of an opportunity to create something meaningful and innovative. Also, the synergy with my co-founder played a crucial role in my decision. Each of us brings a unique set of skills, experiences and perspectives to the table. The collective determination to build a successful venture and our trust in each other’s abilities created a strong foundation for our collaboration.
Since we founded the company, I am thrilled to say that my expectations have not only been met but have been surpassed in many ways. Witnessing the growth and progress we have made as a team is immensely fulfilling. We have successfully translated our vision into reality and have made significant strides towards our goals. Our product now provides tangible value and we constantly receive positive feedback that validates our efforts and reaffirms our belief in the company’s potential.
Our team-building secret sauce is autonomy, which plays a crucial role in fostering a culture of ownership, innovation and collaboration.”
What’s been your biggest success story since joining the team?
One of my most significant success stories as a co-founder has been the creation of a highly empowered and agile team that excels in problem-solving. Our team-building secret sauce is autonomy, which plays a crucial role in fostering a culture of ownership, innovation and collaboration. Our team members feel valued, trusted and motivated to go above and beyond in their roles. Each person is highly motivated and takes initiative to address issues and identify opportunities for improvement without constant direction or micromanagement. This level of independence allows us to move swiftly in solving problems, making decisions and adapting to changing circumstances.
Overall, the success of creating an autonomous and supportive team has had a significant impact on our overall achievements as a company. It has allowed us to adapt swiftly, solve complex issues efficiently and foster a culture of innovation and collaboration. I am immensely proud of the team we have built and the positive outcomes we have achieved together.
Your company is currently hiring for a handful of roles. How can new hires make an immediate impact at the company?
As new hires join the company, they bring diverse experiences and fresh perspectives. We encourage them to share their ideas and insights to inject new energy into our culture and stimulate innovative thinking. These unique viewpoints spark creativity, challenge existing assumptions and contribute to the growth and improvement of our team.
Closinglock provides a secure, simple-to-use platform for real estate closing transactions.
Think back to first joining the team. What drew you to the company? How have your expectations been met since coming aboard?
I was excited about the team and the problems they were solving in the real estate industry. Closings are highly complex transactions rife with fraud, and the tools we have built and are continuing to develop protect buyers as they make the most important purchase of their lives. Since joining, we’ve added new products that weren't initially part of our roadmap but were a necessity in the industry. It’s fulfilling working for a company that creates impactful solutions and prioritizes the customer’s needs above all else.
If you’re a self-starter who thrives in an environment of autonomy and creativity, you can make a huge impact.”
What’s been your biggest success story since joining the team?
Maybe not the biggest, but one of my most important successes has been building out our event marketing arm. This industry is built on relationships, and connecting with industry professionals is integral to our success and continued development. We rely on those relationships to help direct our internal development, which is a huge win.
Your company is currently hiring for a handful of roles. How can new hires make an immediate impact at the company?
When working at a startup, there are a lot of holes to fill. If you’re a self-starter who thrives in an environment of autonomy and creativity, you can make a huge impact.
