In the thriving tech ecosystem of Austin, innovation takes center stage, and the city’s tech companies are at the heart of a story of progress and transformation. They are not just places of work; they are dynamic hubs where remarkable ideas come to life.
Each of these companies has its unique narratives, and together they form a tapestry of innovation that define Austin’s tech scene. They are the driving force behind the city’s growth, continuously pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.
From the maritime-focused technology of FATHOM5 to the data-driven platform of MVF and the product innovation of Gembah, these companies are the embodiment of Austin’s entrepreneurial spirit. They represent a wide spectrum of industries, from cybersecurity to shipping logistics, each contributing to Austin’s status as a tech powerhouse.
Read more about the innovative cultures, benefits and values that drive these 9 Austin companies leading the way.
Featured Companies
What FATHOM5 does: FATHOM5 is an industrial technology company that serves commercial and government clients, with a focus on the maritime sector.
Notable Perks and Benefits
- Continuing education stipend
- Unlimited vacation policy
- Company equity
- Flexible work schedule
Holistic growth: “In my experience, the best way to learn about your teammates’ individual goals is to sit down and talk with them,” Director of Software Engineering Eric Marden said in a 2022 interview with Built In Austin. “It is important that we keep track of our teammates’ goals, both inside and outside of the company, and do our best to provide the necessary support and resources for our teammates to accomplish their goals.”
What Instapage does: Instapage supports marketers by improving their digital ad campaigns’ performances, increasing their conversion rates and returns on advertising spends.
Workplace flex: The company supports its employees with flexible local workplaces, booked through the Gable portal. “Flexibility allows employees in our hubs to connect and see each other, while enjoying the perks of remote work,” said VP of People, Samantha Guajardo, in a 2022 interview with Built In Austin. Other perks include health and wellness policies such as team workouts, paid sick days and holidays—plus a sabbatical program.
Visionary CEO: Instapage recently announced Imran Syed as their new CEO, who is focused on elevating the company’s performance and upholding its category leadership. Harnessing the proficiency in operations and customer success, Syed’s early CEO objectives encompass building a diverse, skilled team with unique perspectives and empowering Instapage’s customers to achieve ongoing success. Syed is also dedicated to fostering substantial growth opportunities for the company’s current and future employees.
What Unit410 does: Unit410 employs security, infrastructure and cryptocurrency engineering to enable stakeholders to use crypto in secure and novel ways.
Notable Perks and Benefits
- Generous parental leave
- Home office stipend for remote employees
- Highest coverage health care plans with fertility benefits
- Continuing education and online course subscriptions
Clean code: The company also values coders who have the skills of discernment. “Good judgment is one of the criteria for just about any engineer we hire,” shared Ryan Hendricks, site reliability engineer in a 2022 interview with Built In Austin. “The ability to determine whether code under review influences critical aspects of our business or is more along the lines of toil is important. This allows us to prioritize clean code in our critical systems over clean code in every system.”
What Saatva does: Saatva disrupts the mattress industry with direct-to-consumer, handcrafted, eco-friendly products through a culture of collaboration and authenticity.
Benefits that go beyond: Perks offered by Saatva include company-sponsored outings, virtual coaching services, customized development tracks, generous PTO, pet insurance (in addition to a full complement of medical and wellness policies for the humans), and an open door policy.
Authentic connections: Since 2020, Saatva has embraced a fully remote operational model, which has been highly praised for its ability to provide a satisfying work-life balance. To maintain genuine connections, the company introduced an employee-centric newsletter, launched employee resource groups and implemented quarterly in-person meetings. “We found that sparks fly when we get together in person,” Internal Communications Manager Caroline Johns shared in a 2023 Built In Austin interview. “This allows us to optimize opportunities for collaboration and bonding, which we then carry with us into our day-to-day remote work.”
What Sonar does: Sonar provides open-source and commercial solutions that support 29 programming languages, enabling development teams to write clean code and organically remediate existing code.
Notable Perks and Benefits
- Continuing education during work hours
- 401(k) and 401(k) matching
- Mental health benefits and meditation space
- Hybrid work model and flexible schedule
Clean code leader: Sonar has introduced "deeper SAST," enabling automatic detection and resolution of security issues in user source code interacting with third-party libraries. Unlike traditional methods, this innovation comprehensively assesses library code, aligning with Sonar's mission of Clean Code. It's available in SonarQube and SonarCloud, supporting multiple programming languages and various open-source libraries, contributing to proactive security in software development.
What ServiceNow does: ServiceNow is a technology company that delivers digital workflows to unlock productivity to 85% of the Fortune 500® through their cloud-based platform and solutions.
Inclusive policies: From work environments that help their employees do their best work to benefits and a culture that encourages employees to stay healthy, happy, engaged, and growing, ServiceNow keeps their people at the center of everything they do through their People Pact. Their perks include flexible work schedules, a mean gender pay gap below 10%; eight employee belonging groups, generous PTO, paid volunteer time, and well-being days; comprehensive insurance, wellness, retirement, and family planning benefits; frED (their personalized online learning platform), tuition reimbursement, and more.
What MVF does: MVF evaluates sponsorship performance with data and SaaS platforms.
Notable Perks and Benefits
- Competitive health insurance premiums
- Unlimited, flex vacation policy
- 401(k) and company equity
- Professional development and educational opportunities
Women leadership: Elizabeth Deeming has officially taken the helm as the CEO of MVF, marking a significant turning point for the company's future. Deeming expressed her enthusiasm for this new phase, as she aims to capitalize on MVF's established prominence in the media and marketing services sector. In her role, she is poised to interact with MVF's extensive client base and the 500-strong workforce spread across the company's offices in London and Austin, demonstrating her commitment to the growth and development of the organization.
What Gembah does: Gembah is a product innovation company, working with entrepreneurs and others to research, design and manufacture products.
Remote, not isolated: Based in Austin’s East Side, this company provides an optional fully-remote, flexible-work schedule structure. But that doesn’t mean people work in isolation. “Gembah is an extremely social company,” Director of Systems Ryan De Fries shared with Built In. “There’s not a single person I wouldn’t want to be friends with outside of work. The company really does feel like a family.”
Beyond the basis: Employees enjoy performance bonuses and company equity perks, health benefits (including a flexible spending account), onsite office parking and a home-office stipend for remote employees, among much more.
What Mothership does: Mothership is a shipping logistics company that revolutionizes freight delivery, enabling same-day deliveries, real-time tracking, digital documentation and more.
Notable Perks and Benefits
- Flexible work schedule
- Company sponsored outings
- Customized development tracks
- 401(k) and company equity
Transformative growth: As a freight partner to online ordering companies that includes GoPuff, DoorDash and Happy Returns, the company underwent significant expansion in 2022 thanks to an infusion of capital. That was followed by promoting Kristin Alvarez to VP Operations, to help achieve its goal of “becoming the world’s most reliable and efficient last-mile shipping platform.”
