At Will Reed, we believe early-stage founders are shaping our future - creating culture - and it’s our responsibility and privilege to support them as they courageously bring good things into the world.
This Top 50 list is an homage to the creators, movers and shakers who are solving meaningful problems and doing it with deep regard for people and culture.
Let’s spotlight the ones forging our future and defining the future of work.
In 2016, the average time lapse between a seed round and Series A was 18.1 months.* Fast forward to 2021, seven of the Top 50 secured their Series A during the making of this content, with an average time lapse of only eight months.
*Sebastian Quintero, “How much runway should you target between financing rounds?” Last modified October 26, 2017.
98% of the Top 50 companies are actively hiring, and their main needs are Engineering and Sales. On the Engineering front, many founders are looking outside the U.S. for this talent.
Danielle Pensack of Rightfoot educated us on The Diversity Term Sheet Rider for representation at the Cap Table, while Bo Han of Buzzer shared their Strive Initiative, whereby 1% of company equity, 1% of net profits, and 1% of customer-elected transactions will be dedicated to investing in equitable outcomes for Black, Indigenous and People of Color.
In the early days, the CEO is the face and spokesperson of the company. It’s just how it works. But let me assure you, every single one of these CEOs made a staunch point to celebrate his/her co-founders and founding team. I was deeply moved by the lack of ego and authentic team spirit.
