Take Note: 13 Austin Companies to Watch in Spring

 

Spring has sprung in Austin. Whether you’re enjoying outdoor family time at Zilker Park, visiting Congress Park Bridge to see the hordes of bats or taking an excursion to Fredericksburg to behold wildflowers in bloom, this season is also a great time to keep up with the ins and outs of local tech companies and their innovative teams. 

This year is off to a lively start for the Austin tech scene. In February alone, Austin startups took in over $265 million in funding, empowering them to continue innovating, creating and growing. And in the coming months, these 13 local companies and their teams are working to achieve ambitious goals. 

The companies are driven by unified teams and innovative missions and boast people-first cultures and benefits that support team members. Read on to learn why you should keep these companies on your radar this spring. 

 

 

 

What SecureLink does: Imprivata’s SecureLink is a critical access management platform that provides security, privacy, data governance and compliance solutions across several industries. 

 

Joining forces: In April 2022, Imprivata acquired SecureLink in an effort to make a more significant impact on the digital identity space. Customer Experience and Operations Executive Doug Caira shared why the two companies were a perfect match. “It was a beautiful alignment between two great businesses with high revenue growth, great retention and customer satisfaction, and similar cultural values that linked us together very quickly.”

 

Flexible schedules: Team members have a range of work arrangements to choose from that suit their preferences. They can work 100 percent remotely, 50 percent remotely or entirely in person. 

 

 

 

What ePayPolicy does: Fintech company ePayPolicy is a payment processor that independent insurance professionals can leverage to accept electronic payments. 

 

Hybrid environment: In December 2022, CEO Mark Engels explained why ePayPolicy’s hybrid work arrangements — featuring three days in the office and two remote — capture the best of both remote and in-person work. “It provides our employees with the flexibility to determine which days they need to work from home in a given week while also providing the company the benefit of in-person collaboration and team building.”

 

 

 

 

 

What Billd does: Billd offers commercial subcontractors 120-day payment terms on construction materials. 

 

 

Passion for the product: Work is immeasurably better when you actually believe in what you’re creating and selling. Just ask Senior Regional Account Executive Justin Corwin. “The best part about our service is that it legitimately helps our customers do their day-to-day jobs and grow their business in ways that have never been done before,” he noted in an interview with Built In Austin. 

 

 

 

What Fourth does: Fourth provides hospitality and retail companies with workforce and inventory management technology. 

 

Get the lowdown: Built In Austin provided an inside look at what it’s like to work at Fourth — formerly known as HotSchedules — and employees shared what makes the company stand out from the crowd. 

 

People-first culture: Fourth’s team is committed to fostering inclusion and belonging in the workplace. “We want all employees to feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work, and our DEI team and Women’s Initiative Networking Group support employees across the globe,” Chief HR Officer Melissa Garza said in a 2022 interview with Built In Austin.

 

 

 

 

 

What Adia does: Adia is an on-demand staffing platform that matches businesses and job seekers with temporary and long-term positions across industries. 

 

 

Career growth: Professional development opportunities are plentiful in Adia’s collaborative culture. “Working in such a collaborative environment allows people insight into other functions and roles aside from their own, and Adia really supports employees’ desires to learn new skills and take on challenges in new positions,” explained People Operations Lead Elizabeth Wong while chatting with Built In Austin in 2022. 

 

 

 

What Instapage does: Instapage is a platform that enables marketers to build, deploy, optimize and boost conversions via landing pages. 

 

 

Connected remote work: Remote work is more prevalent than ever, but sometimes team members still yearn for face-to-face interactions. “We trust our team to be productive and collaborative, regardless of where they work,” VP of People Samantha Word said in a 2022 Built In Austin interview. “We also saw that people still crave human interaction. After the isolation of the pandemic, our team members were excited to connect and rebuild relationships.” Consequently, Instapage's fully remote team members have access to local coworking spaces. 

 

 

 

 

What RapidDeploy does: RapidDeploy is an open and integrated emergency response platform that leverages available third-party data. 

 

Funding boost: After raising $34 million in January, RapidDeploy plans to expand the reach of its geolocation and data platform, which is used in over 1,500 emergency call centers. “With this investment, we’ll be able to further our mission of saving lives by reducing response times,” CEO and Co-Founder Steve Raucher said in a statement. 

 

Strong company culture: Company culture can suffer in a remote-first work environment, but RapidDeploy’s leaders have worked to ensure that doesn’t happen. “We prioritize continuous and open communication through regular team channels and platforms that allow for input at any time throughout a work day in order to work through the limits of being virtual,” said People Operations Specialist Martine Friedland in a 2022 interview with Built In Austin. 

 

 

 

What Skimmer does: Skimmer creates software for pool service and repair professionals to modernize their businesses. 

 

 

Mission-driven culture: Skimmer’s team is determined to help the small- and medium-sized businesses that comprise the pool and spa service sector. “We’re focused on transforming a tight-knit industry, and our reputation as a trusted teammate to the pool pro is a critical part of our go-to-market strategy,” explained Director of Operations Flavia de la Fuente in a 2022 interview with Built In Austin.  

 

 

 

 

 

What Aceable does: Edtech company Aceable created a mobile app that provides affordable, convenient educational content. 

 

 

Innovative culture: People and Culture Operations Supervisor Lauren Collins spoke to Built In Austin about how innovation is part of the foundation of Aceable’s culture: “One of our core values is #Seek2Understand: ‘We attempt to understand before trying to be understood; we listen and synthesize the ideas of all Aces regardless of title.’”

 

 

 

What Homeward does: Homeward is a real estate platform that helps homebuyers buy with cash. 

 

Exciting growth: With rapid growth comes new opportunities for professional development and career advancement. “We’ve brought in some excellent industry leaders with tons of experience, but we also believe a lot in creating opportunities for new people leaders to step up and take on more,” said SVP of Operations Claire Morris in an interview with Built In Austin. 

 

Noteworthy employer: Out of 2,500 startups, Homeward ranked No. 121 in Forbes’ 2022 list of the best employers, based on a criteria of employee satisfaction, growth and employer reputation. 

 

 

 

 

What M-Files does: M-Files is a metadata-driven document management platform that helps professionals and businesses find the correct information, automate processes and enforce information control in order to gain a competitive advantage. M-Files' innovations have been recognized across the analyst community, with the company being honored as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for Content Services Platforms and named a Strong Performer in The Forrester Wave: Content Platforms, Q1 2023 report.

 

 

Recent acquisition: In February, M-Files announced that it had acquired Finland-based no-code document automation company Ment. “The acquisition of Ment amplifies our ability to help organizations increase productivity and improve their bottom line by minimizing time-consuming, manual work processes,” said M-Files’ Founder and CEO Antti Nivala in a statement. 

 

 

 

What Rex does: Rex incubates, launches and operates startups in a variety of real estate sectors.

 

 

Effective collaboration: In 2022, Machine Learning Lead Georges Colbert chatted with Built In Austin about how he encourages effective communication and team synergy: “We prioritize fast iteration, effective communication and consistent collaboration as we recognize their impacts on our growth and success. Successful collaboration is driven by both sides being consistently informed about each other’s decisions.” 

 

 

 

 

What UpEquity does: UpEquity, one of Built In’s Best Places to Work in 2023, is a mortgage platform that provides homebuyers with cash offers. 

 

 

Empowering creativity: At UpEquity, team members are given the tools and resources to grow and learn. “We’ve built a culture that encourages innovation and celebrates it. We know that mistakes will happen; however, we learn and build from them,” said Chief Operating Officer Louis Wilson.