As a consumer, choosing between companies that seemingly offer the same service can often come down to a single variable: company values. If every purchase is considered a vote, spending resources on organizations that share personal goals and values — from environmental impact to labor practices — feels like a step in the right direction. In a 2020 study of more than 8,000 consumers across eight global markets, Zeno Group found that consumers are four times more likely to purchase from a brand that demonstrates a strong purpose.
When it comes to employment — more specifically, identifying ideal positions from the wide pool of listings — that same sentiment often prevails. Purpose-driven companies have been shown to achieve higher market share gains and faster growth than their competitors, attracting top talent that balances technical skills with empathy and excitement, according to Deloitte data.
We met with four local leaders to learn why they chose to join their current team and what keeps them inspired to help their organization grow. In an illustration of just how impactful a clear mission can be, each was inspired by not just the company’s mission, but also the marked enthusiasm and energy of the teams they would be joining.
Our bodies are constantly delivering information — whether sedentary indoors or active outside, important variables like heart rate and location can become life-saving. Helping active older adults stay safe, mobile and connected is what keeps members of the Silvertree team inspired, like Head of Hardware Joe Bamberg.
As a tenured employee, what has been the biggest reason you’ve stayed at Silvertree so long?
It’s simple — the mission and the people. Startups are a grind, so you need to really believe in what you are doing and love who you are doing it with. At Silvertree, we are on a mission to empower the world’s aging population. That means giving older adults and their families the agency to choose how they want to age during Life’s Third Act (to borrow a phrase from Jane Fonda). We are tackling real problems for real people in a very personal, relatable way. Most of us have older adults in our lives, which makes the mission all the more powerful. I can see the impact that my work is having on the people I care about the most. I’ve never been able to say that about a job before.
Supporting this mission is a team that I am proud to be a part of. We are a group of hungry, passionate do-ers that are committed to making a difference — and having fun while doing it. One of our guiding culture principles is “People first, always.” That means we practice compassion and empathy in everything that we do. We meet people where they are — not where we want them to be. This is a powerful mindset that drives our actions, daily.
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where Silvertree is headed?
Silvertree is building a wrist-worn wearable that is built for safety and deeply rooted in human connection to help active older adults maintain their independence as they age. As head of hardware I am responsible for the development, production and distribution of our product — soup to nuts. For an early-stage hardware company, that is as good as it gets!
We have a massive opportunity ahead of us to bring a product to market that is intentional in its design and purposeful in its execution for a segment of the population that has largely been ignored by technology. It is empowering to be steering the technical ship for such a worthwhile cause, and one that brings excitement to my role every single day.
Intelligent healthcare has inspired countless startups, with ample opportunities across patient-provider communication, access to prescription medication, and more efficient clinical trial design to name just a few. The opportunity to help others paired with a supportive company culture is what keeps the Definitive Healthcare team motivated — this energy, enthusiasm and satisfaction is what led Jillian Cahill to accept a position with the company.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at Definitive Healthcare, and why?
The deciding factor for me in joining the Definitive Healthcare team was the opportunity to join a company with such high levels of employee happiness while also coming in at a time when the company was building out and investing in its product development and engineering teams. During the interview phase, I was struck by how positively everyone talked about the company and how they felt the company cared about their employees! One great example is the DefinitiveCares program—which allows employees to earn extra time off by volunteering in the community. I was also enticed by the opportunity to learn and use new technologies and help build something great for the healthcare industry.
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where Definitive Healthcare is headed?
I am extremely excited about a new product I have been working on that Definitive Healthcare will be releasing for the first time in the coming months! I am very fortunate to be working on a team with incredible engineers who I’ve learned so much from already. Being on a small team working on a new product is both rewarding and fun and I can’t wait to see the positive impact it makes for our clients and the company’s success!
To stay afloat these days, every business must have digital service capabilities. When it comes to signing important documents and contracts, the stakes are higher than simply ordering food for delivery, or browsing a clothing catalog. Stavvy is guided by a clear vision to fill that gap — that clarity is what attracted Allie Crane to the organization, and what keeps her motivated to help the company grow.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at Stavvy, and why?
What really drew me to Stavvy was the attitude and vision of the founders, Josh and Kosta. It was obvious to me that they were both ambitious leaders with incredible focus and a clear vision of what they wanted for Stavvy as both a company and a product — their vision was intent on solving problems that would have a profound impact on people. Their focus on company culture also stood out to me as aligning with the type of people I wanted in my corner, in an environment that would foster and value all levels of personal and professional growth. The combination of all these things made the choice a no-brainer for me.
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where Stavvy is headed?
Similar to what drew me to Stavvy in the first place, I’m most excited about the opportunity the company has to make a real impact on people. There’s so much potential in the space to help modernize processes and make the technology accessible and integrated. As far as the work I’ll do to help the company get there, it’s all an immense learning experience, interfacing with new frameworks, libraries and other technical implementations to creatively solve complex problems. It’s the type of innovation you don’t get to experience everywhere, and I’m thrilled to be navigating it with our leadership and the incredible team we’re assembling.
Using a combination of robotics and VR, Vicarious Surgical is transporting surgeons inside their patients, enhancing their ability to deliver high-quality care in the operating room. The prospect of developing groundbreaking technology within surgical intervention is what led Bryan Wagenknecht to join the Vicarious Surgical team.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at Vicarious Surgical, and why?
At first look, the prospect of joining a company that was leveraging recent breakthroughs in miniaturization, sensing and virtual reality to reshape the future of surgical intervention was intriguing to me. After interviewing with members of the systems engineering group, it was clear to me that by joining Vicarious Surgical I would be helping to usher this newly invented surgical robot into the world as a viable product that is ready to help patients. I would be helping to ensure its form and function are addressing the needs of surgeons and hospitals. I would be helping to identify potential safety hazards and working to ensure the design mitigates those risks to enable safe use in the operating room. And I would get to work directly with engineers from across the organization to make all of that happen. Throw in a manager and coworkers who are friendly, intelligent, eager to hear new ideas and perspectives, and enthusiastic about launching a game-changing surgical robot product, and I had all my boxes checked.
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where Vicarious Surgical is headed?
I’m pleased to report that all of those anticipated aspects have come to fruition, and then some! I feel that I’ve been making meaningful contributions from week one, I’ve gotten to interact with great people from all corners of the company, and the working culture has been exciting, engaging and flexible. Looking ahead, I’m very excited to be a part of a fast-growing team and aboard a ship that is sailing into uncharted waters. I’m helping to develop a robotic system that will bring unprecedented capabilities to surgical teams. And I’m helping to establish the processes that will enable us to work efficiently and effectively as Vicarious Surgical progresses toward regulatory approval and product launch.
