Caleb Kaiser
Software engineering working in R&D @ Comet.ml • View Caleb Kaiser's profile on Wellfound
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In terms of total compensation, FAANG-sized (Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix, Google) companies are among the best in the world. If you want job security and the highest possible salary, there's nowhere better than a Big-N tech company. <br /><br />
However, thousands of people leave FAANG companies for startups every year, for a variety of reasons. Often, they leave because they want: <br /><br />
- A role where they can have a bigger impact on the company.
- A chance to work with a new, cutting edge technology.
- To be an early employee (and equity owner) at the next tech giant. <br /><br />
To get a better understanding of why people leave FAANG companies—and what they're looking for in their next roles—we collaborated with Blind, a trusted online community where 2.8M+ verified professionals anonymously share advice, provide honest feedback, and discover relevant career information. <br /><br />
After comparing Blind data with AngelList's startup data, we noticed an interesting trend around people who leave FAANG companies for startups: They tend to join the same companies. <br /><br />
In fact, we've found that there is a small subset of startups, spanning all stages of fundraising and sectors of technology, that consistently recruit talent away from the top tech companies. <br /><br />
Below, we've listed the top 15 startups people are leaving FAANG companies for—all of which you can apply to on AngelList today. <br /><br />
To curate this list, we analyzed Blind's data on which companies FAANG employees most frequently search for, AngelList's data on which startups hire the most former FAANG employees, and more AngelList data on which startups are growing the fastest.
Bringing transparency to consumer credit501-1000 Employees
Public Stage
Publicly traded company
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
4.1
Highly rated
Affirm is highly rated on Glassdoor, with 4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1
Work / Life Balance
Employees rate Affirm 4.1/5 on Glassdoor for work / life balance
- Website
- https://affirm.com
- Employees
- 501-1000
- Locations
- San Francisco, Pittsburgh, New York
- About
Founded by PayPal cofounder Max Levchin, Affirm is one of the hottest FinTech companies in the world right now. The startup allows users to make online purchases on credit, paying back the loan in installments, all without any hidden fees or compounding interest.
Beyond high salaries—and a benefits package that includes commuter benefits, gym membership reimbursement, and an educational stipend—Affirm also offers employees an extra monthly allowance to spend through Affirm, both to better familiarize them with the product, and to help you indulge a little.
- Industries
The world’s leading exchange for digital currencies5000+ Employees
Public Stage
Publicly traded company
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
YC Funded
Startup funded by Y Combinator
- Website
- https://www.coinbase.com/
- Employees
- 5000+
- Locations
- New York City, Portland, San Francisco, London, Dublin
- About
One of the biggest names in cryptocurrency, Coinbase, the digital currency exchange, has raised nearly $550 million since its founding in 2012. With over 25 different digital currencies supported, Coinbase is effectively the center of the crypto trading universe.
Culturally, the company strives to maintain an intellectually rigorous environment, saying, "We take continuous learning to heart. We often dive into computational, financial and economic theory to better understand the engineering problems we face." If this sounds like you, read on.
- Industries
Digital Currency
Better lending, for all1001-5000 Employees
Public Stage
Publicly traded company
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
4.1
Work / Life Balance
Employees rate Blend 4.1/5 on Glassdoor for work / life balance
- Website
- https://www.blend.com
- Employees
- 1001-5000
- Locations
- New York City, San Francisco
- About
Back in June, mortgage tech startup Blend raised a $130 million Series E, reportedly bringing the company to the cusp of unicorn status. The company, which makes it easier for users to apply (and be approved) for mortgages, has a very process-focused attitude towards work, saying "We focus on improving our decision-making quality instead of fixating on immediate outcomes."
- Industries
AI-powered medical coding automation51-200 Employees
Top 10% of responders
Fathom is in the top 10% of companies in terms of response time to applications
Responds within two weeks
Based on past data, Fathom usually responds to incoming applications within two weeks
Growth Stage
Expanding market presence
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
- Website
- https://fathomhealth.co
- Employees
- 51-200
- Locations
- New York City, San Francisco, Toronto, Remote
- About
Medical coding is a labyrinthian field. For every imaginable medical situation, there is a specific code defined by the World Health Organization (if a patient is hit by a car, for example, the code is V03.10XA). Instead of training humans to encode this data, Fathom uses deep learning to read, structure, and understand electronic health records.
If you're interested in deep learning and/or the health tech space, checkout Fathom.
- Industries
Make an impact that lasts51-200 Employees
Scale Stage
Rapidly increasing operations
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
- Website
- https://www.remind.com/
- Employees
- 51-200
- Locations
- Remote
- About
Remind is a communication platform that helps every student succeed by allowing educators to reach students and parents where they are. With free and paid options that support engagement at every level in a school or district, Remind connects educators and families with resources that help them teach and learn.
- Industries
K-12 Education
Communication Technology
Help customers proactively prevent fraud, streamline operations, and drive revenue growth201-500 Employees
Scale Stage
Rapidly increasing operations
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
YC Funded
Startup funded by Y Combinator
Valuation $1B+
This company has a valuation of $1B or more
- Website
- https://sift.com
- Employees
- 201-500
- Locations
- Seattle, San Francisco
- About
According to the Sift website, "Fraudsters innovate and scale as fast as businesses. That’s why thousands of websites and apps, from digital disrupters to Fortune 500 companies, partner with Sift."
The company, which develops software to prevent digital fraud, is growing quickly, with over 25 jobs currently posted to AngelList.
- Industries
Automations for business and home. Save time and get more done51-200 Employees
Growth Stage
Expanding market presence
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
4.6
Highly rated
IFTTT is highly rated on Glassdoor, with 4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6
Work / Life Balance
Employees rate IFTTT 4.6/5 on Glassdoor for work / life balance
4.3
Strong Leadership
Employees rate IFTTT 4.3/5 on Glassdoor for faith in leadership
- Website
- https://ifttt.com
- Employees
- 51-200
- Locations
- San Francisco
- About
IFTTT, whose name stands for "IF This Then That," allows users to create conditional chains between different applications, all without writing any code. Want your Hue lights to turn on automatically when your delivery driver brings food to your door? Or maybe you just want to receive weather updates every day before you leave for work? IFTTT makes it simple and easy for all users to automate their lives.
- Industries
Business Productivity
Enterprise Data as a Service51-200 Employees
Growth Stage
Expanding market presence
- Website
- https://cleardemand.com/
- Employees
- 51-200
- Locations
- Phoenix, Seattle, Remote
- About
Founded by former Amazonians, Bungee enables enterprises to access local data, worldwide, through a network of global end-points. Their technology expands networking avenues and simultaneously mimics real users to allow customers gain access to global data on-demand to drive critical business decisions.
- Industries
Our Mission: Make global trade easy for everyone1001-5000 Employees
Scale Stage
Rapidly increasing operations
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
YC Funded
Startup funded by Y Combinator
Valuation $1B+
This company has a valuation of $1B or more
- Website
- https://www.flexport.com/
- Employees
- 1001-5000
- Locations
- Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Shanghai, New York, Shenzhen, Playa Vista
- About
Founded in 2013, Flexport is a full-service air and ocean freight forwarder, providing a robust platform and end-to-end service for modern logistics teams. Real-time tracking, structured data, shipment-specific communication, and a dedicated team of experts make running your supply chain through Flexport simple, reliable, and accurate.
- Industries
Trade Platform
Nextdoor is the private social network for your neighborhood501-1000 Employees
Public Stage
Publicly traded company
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
4.1
Highly rated
Nextdoor is highly rated on Glassdoor, with 4.1 out of 5 stars
- Website
- http://nextdoor.com
- Employees
- 501-1000
- Locations
- San Francisco
- About
Nextdoor is the world's largest social network for the neighborhood, enabling truly local conversations that empower neighbors to build stronger and safer communities. Building connections in the real world is a universal human need. That truth, and the reality that neighborhoods are one of the most important and useful communities in our lives have been guiding principles for Nextdoor. Today, neighbors rely on Nextdoor in more than 242,000 neighborhoods around the world in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Australia, with many more to come.
- Industries
Communities
Private Social Networking
Manufacture the impossible11-50 Employees
- Website
- http://www.origin.io/
- Employees
- 11-50
- Locations
- San Francisco
- About
Origin is developing a new approach to additive manufacturing, designed for companies that want to stretch the boundaries of production with 3D printing, cloud computing, and an open materials network. The company says they are looking for "Top performers to join a growing team made up of talent from places like Google, Apple, and Autodesk."
- Industries
Embedded Hardware and Software
Bolt democratizes commerce by making online buying easy, trusted & consistent for millions501-1000 Employees
Scale Stage
Rapidly increasing operations
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
Valuation $1B+
This company has a valuation of $1B or more
4.6
Highly rated
Bolt is highly rated on Glassdoor, with 4.6 out of 5 stars
4.4
Work / Life Balance
Employees rate Bolt 4.4/5 on Glassdoor for work / life balance
4.3
Strong Leadership
Employees rate Bolt 4.3/5 on Glassdoor for faith in leadership
- Website
- http://bolt.com/
- Employees
- 501-1000
- Locations
- New York City, San Francisco, Toronto, Salt Lake City
- About
Bolt is focused on building technology that "perfects the checkout experience"—and the company is growing fast, with over 50 jobs currently posted to AngelList. The startup's cultural tenets include "Be 20% Wrong," "All or Nothing," "Chase 10X, Not 10%," "Writing Over Talking," "Extreme Ownership," and "Win as a Team." If any of this sounds like you, consider checking Bolt out.
- Industries
Acquired by Surf Air - Feb 202011-50 Employees
- Website
- http://www.flyblackbird.com
- Employees
- 11-50
- Locations
- San Francisco
- About
BlackBird is a flight-sharing marketplace that uses technology to create a seamless experience that feels like a combination of Airbnb and Lyft, getting travelers to their destination through the magic of private flight. Rather than restricting air travel to the crowded, commercial airports, BlackBird offers customers an option for quick, affordable air travel to popular destinations near any airport - whether the big commercial ones, or the regional ones.
- Industries
Building the future of multiplayer501-1000 Employees
Scale Stage
Rapidly increasing operations
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
Valuation $1B+
This company has a valuation of $1B or more
- Website
- http://www.improbable.io
- Employees
- 501-1000
- Locations
- London
- About
Improbable is the company behind SpatialOS, a cloud platform that provides hosting, online services, tools and a multiserver networking stack for developing and operating your multiplayer game, using any engine.
- Industries
Send money online for what matters most501-1000 Employees
Public Stage
Publicly traded company
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
4.1
Highly rated
Remitly is highly rated on Glassdoor, with 4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1
Work / Life Balance
Employees rate Remitly 4.1/5 on Glassdoor for work / life balance
- Website
- http://www.remitly.com
- Employees
- 501-1000
- Locations
- Seattle, London, Pasig
- About
Remitly is a fintech company focused on providing financial services to immigrants. In their own words, Remitly is "here to help the millions of immigrants around the world who make the huge sacrifice of leaving their families behind to live and work in another country. These unsung heroes deliver on their promises to take care of those they love and provide them with upward mobility, improving their quality of life. We work hard to help their hard-earned money stretch farther so more make it to their loved ones safely."
- Industries
A trusted community where verified professionals connect to discuss what matters most51-200 Employees
Growth Stage
Expanding market presence
Top Investors
This company has received a significant amount of investment from top investors
- Website
- http://www.teamblind.com/signup
- Employees
- 51-200
- Locations
- San Francisco
- About
All of the above companies were surfaced with the support of Blind, a place where 2.8M+ professionals worldwide share advice, provide honest feedback, improve company culture and discover relevant career information.
If you're a professional in the tech world, join Blind today.
- Industries
Anonymous
Security in the Skies: 5 High Altitude Balloon and Satellite Startups Hiring Now
Nearly nine decades after the Hindenburg disaster, some speculate we’re entering the Second Age of the Balloon. “As all these objects fall, a new space race is rising,” Vox (https://www.vox.com/world/2023/2/7/23588464/suspect-spy-china-balloon-sputnik-moment-space-race) proclaimed. Tens of thousands of balloons float into near-space every year, and the numbers rise every year. The National Weather Service alone launches around 60k high-flying balloons each year. The Pentagon spent nearly $4B over the past two years on its own high altitude balloons, according to Politico (https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/05/u-s-militarys-newest-weapon-against-china-and-russia-hot-air-00043860). Why the interest in such old-school tech? “They’re cheap, easy to transport, can be fielded in large numbers and are payload agnostic,” industry expert George Howell wrote. Tucson, Arizona-based World View (https://spacenews.com/world-view-emphasizes-remote-sensing-as-it-prepares-to-go-public/), a stratospheric ballooning company, last month announced plans to go public via SPAC merger. The company develops a “stratollite” that provides high-res imagery for extended periods. (The company also offer space tourism.) Colorado-based Urban Sky (/company/urban-sky) is creating what it claims as the first ever reusable stratospheric balloon. Called “micro-balloons,” they’re the size of a VW bus and can hover in near space to collect data over urban areas. Company founder Jared Leidich (https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/04_fm2017-alan-eustaces-jump-1-180961678/) has some chops in this arena, having designed the space suit used in the world record space dive in 2014 via a balloon at nearly 136k feet. Near Space Labs (/company/nearspacelabs) invites people to “step inside a new way of thinking about all things geospatial imaging (https://nearspacelabs.com/blog/).” The company's high-altitude balloons that carry a small, autonomous robot called Swifty to capture the world around them at 60k to 85k feet in the air. The company says it’s done zero carbon emissions and recently launched (https://www.zdnet.com/article/near-space-labs-provide-free-high-resolution-imagery-to-universities-nonprofits/) a program to make its high-resolution Earth imagery available to universities and nonprofits for free. Sounds fascinating, right? Luckily, with a new wave of space technology, comes a brand new, cutting-edge wave of jobs. Check out 5 top startups aiming skywards and hiring now.