What do warehouse logistics robots, respiratory health and software designed for English language learners all have in common? Well, at least on the surface, not much.
The one throughline all of these topics share is that they are what companies in and around the Boston area are focused on going into 2023. While these companies are providing solutions in unrelated fields, they are all bringing technological innovations that make it easier for their clients to achieve more.
The coming year is, by most predictions, going to be marked by uncertainty and economic challenges, but the tech industry finds itself in a more secure position than other industries. In September, Forrester published a report that predicted global tech spending will eclipse $4.8 trillion in 2022. For tech leaders who actively differentiate themselves from competitors, 2023 may still be challenging, but it will still offer room for continued growth.
Six local organizations are preparing to tackle the new year’s challenges by growing their teams, and below, Built In Boston chatted with their leaders to learn more about the company cultures and professional growth opportunities that drive their teams forward.
Healthtech company eClinical Solutions’ goal is to accelerate clinical research and help bring new treatments to patients faster. The company’s elluminate cloud-based platform modernizes and automates the clinical data workflow.
Describe your company culture in one word.
Collaborative. Two of our company’s core values are “be open” and “be connected,” and those values create an environment that supports this culture. Our company offers both software and services, which gives us a unique advantage that benefits both sides of our business.
Our data services team members are key stakeholders and users of our software platform, the elluminate Clinical Data Cloud. Our services team uses our elluminate technology to work more efficiently and accelerate timelines for external client deliverables, which means our software is designed with ongoing input from subject matter experts who know the use cases inside and out. Product and R&D have access to real-time user feedback, and our professional services team brings new suggestions and ideas to the product and R&D teams.
Collaboration has been extremely important in creating a better elluminate platform for all our clients. Every feature added to elluminate is curated by product based on feedback from multiple internal and external focus groups. It is then built by different technology teams and SMEs to bring a seamless user experience for all.
Every step saving time in the drug discovery process gives you a sense of purpose.”
What’s the coolest project you’ve worked on recently, and how did it help you grow professionally?
One of the coolest projects I’ve been part of lately has been working on the artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities that we’ve embedded in our platform, elluminate. Working on building the ML pipelines and integrating the cutting-edge models built by the data science team has been extremely rewarding and fulfilling. Collaboration across multiple disciplines within the entire organization with a single mission has been an excellent experience.
We’re leveraging the latest cloud technologies out there to help build a farm of microservices providing machine learning capabilities, enhancing the product to improve speed and efficiencies in data review, outlier and anomaly detection. Our life sciences clients face an increasingly challenging data environment along with pressure to speed timelines. eClinical Solutions’ elluminate platform is providing a critical foundation that enables our clients to accelerate the clinical data lifecycle. Every step saving time in the drug discovery process gives you a sense of purpose.
Simply Business connects small business owners with cost-effective insurance plans that match their needs so that they can focus on clients and future growth.
Describe your company culture in one word.
Connected. The last two and a half years were not easy, and in March 2020, the world as we knew it no longer existed. Each day was met with a new level of uncertainty. However, the one constant was work and the team at Simply Business. Some would think this would create more isolation and loneliness, especially as it relates to the workplace, but I have never felt more connected to my colleagues on the marketing team. The leaders on the team made a conscious effort to hold weekly meetings, with the primary focus being to simply talk to one another about how we’re feeling and what they could do to support us both individually and as a team.
Through those interactions, I was able to connect with my colleagues on a deeper level. It made a helpless situation feel hopeful, and while I’ve always felt that we were a strong and well-connected team, there was a new layer of vulnerability that we all experienced together. As we’ve come out of the pandemic, we’ve undoubtedly changed as a team, but there’s a new level of understanding and support that makes us the dynamic powerhouse team we are today.
There’s a new level of understanding and support that makes us the dynamic powerhouse team we are today.”
How long have you been with the company, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
Having worked at Simply Business for four years, I’ve experienced a tremendous amount of change and growth within the business as well as myself. It’s important to note that when I started at Simply Business, I was intimidated by the industry as a whole. Having come from a consumer products background, it’s safe to say that I didn’t quite have experience in explaining the difference between professional and general liability. However, I saw it as an opportunity to broaden my marketing knowledge in a new, complex and crowded space. I felt that if I could master the skill of marketing insurance, any other industry or product would be a breeze.
Fast forward four years later, I can confidently say that I am not only able to explain the difference between professional and general liability, but I am also able to effectively communicate my ideas, make recommendations based on my knowledge of the industry and be seen as a strategic thought partner among other teams. Simply Business has afforded me the opportunity to experience different areas of marketing and has empowered me over the years to present and test new ways to market to our small business customers.
Edtech company Ellevation Education created the only web-based software designed for English language learners, helping educators better serve their students.
Describe your company culture in one word.
Inclusive! Ellevation focuses on inclusive recruitment strategies by hiring diverse talent and making sure they provide safe spaces which foster a healthy work environment. In fact, over 70 percent of our revenue team identifies as female, and we’re excited about our upcoming hiring season and the opportunity to continue increasing our non-majority numbers in the organization.
Ellevation makes sure to support us with a plethora of opportunities to help us succeed and help ELs reach their highest aspirations.”
How long have you been with the company, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
I’ve been with Ellevation for close to two years and have grown tremendously within the company. Within two years, I was able to transition from being a partner development associate to a partner development manager on the sales team. Ellevation makes sure to support us with a plethora of opportunities to help us succeed and help ELs reach their highest aspirations.
Healthtech company NuvoAir aims to place patients back in the driving seat in their healthcare journey. With a focus on respiratory health, the company provides virtual-first care to patients suffering from complex lung conditions.
Describe your company culture in one word.
Collaborative. NuvoAir’s company culture is one of the most collaborative environments I have ever experienced. The individuals who work here are here to support and grow our mission. In order to do this, we must work as a team. We have stand-up meetings to provide updates and to receive feedback on a consistent basis. We take ideas and execute them to the fullest! We want people to be their authentic selves, and when you bring collaboration into the mix, it can spark something new inside one another and make something amazing!
When I first started at NuvoAir, I had the chance to meet with various people across departments to understand who they are, what they do, and what keeps them here. I am very honored to continue to have conversations with the team and collaborate with them on new ideas and our hiring roadmaps.
NuvoAir has started something special. Every decision we make starts and ends with patients. Our company values ensure we’re aligned on the common goal of improving the lives of patients with severe, acute diseases. Collaboration is what brings it to life!
How long have you been with the company, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
I have been with NuvoAir since September, which is a little over two months. I am still continuing to learn, and will continue to learn, the ins and outs of NuvoAir and the digital health tech space over the next several months as it evolves. I have had the pleasure of sitting in on meetings to understand our hiring road maps and plans. This has allowed me to understand what has made NuvoAir so successful thus far, which truly stems from the people. We are not hiring to hire; we are hiring to grow our team and the organization appropriately. We want to find culture adds, those who are passionate about what we do here at NuvoAir, and those who can support our company values.
Being able to sit in on those meetings has allowed me to grow professionally. It has allowed me to understand more of the strategy behind why, where and when we hire individuals. We want to set our people up for success while still focusing on everything else going on within the company.
Getting this level of access — which is really only available at startups that invest in people — reinforces how important our people are to NuvoAir, which helps me better grow our teams!
By uniting hardware and software with human abilities, robotics company AutoStore helps increase warehouse capacity and order fulfillment efficiency. The company is based in Derry, New Hampshire, but offers employees a flexible hybrid work model.
Describe your company culture in one word.
Transparent. The Global AutoStore team is an amazing group to work with. The internal team is always willing to go above and beyond to assist each other and support our partners/customers. The company hierarchy, while existent, is open and willing to transfer knowledge from the CEO to the “little guy.”
The Global AutoStore team is an amazing group to work with.”
How long have you been with the company, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
I started with AutoStore in January 2022 and have received several opportunities for professional growth. AutoStore Academy is a great resource for personal learning. On-site visits have been an integral part of learning how to install, commission, operate and support our grids. This learned knowledge has resulted in more responsibility and allowed me to explore unique special projects.
Marketing tech startup Mention Me empowers brands to unlock the limitless potential of their fan bases. Mention Me’s Referral Engineering platform helps customers connect friends and family with brands and promos, in the process growing a loyal customer base.
Describe your company culture in one word.
Supportive. I feel that as a business, we go above and beyond to look out for each other — and that’s across all functions, not just within your own team.
We recently closed one of our biggest-ever deals, and I got so much support from people all across the business throughout the process. Ed, our head of engineering, gave up a lot of his time to help with the deal in ways that were outside his day job. And I think he wasn’t just doing that to help me as a colleague, but also because he saw the wider benefit for the business and wanted to play his part.
I’ve been given so many opportunities to progress and learn new skills.”
How long have you been with the company, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
I’ve been with the company for six years, and in that time I’ve been fortunate enough to get four promotions. I started as a sales development representative and then got promoted to account executive. I was temporarily looking after the U.S. market just before COVID-19, became a senior account executive after that, and now I’m the U.S. sales director.
My role has evolved a lot: I started off working in lead generation, then moved into a closing role, and now I’m in more of a hybrid role where I’m also a manager. Every role has provided its own new challenges and pushed me out of my comfort zone. I’ve been given so many opportunities to progress, get more experience and learn new skills.
