A tech startup that launched in 2016 is planning to double its headcount in New England after raising new investment funds.
MIT spinoff Pison Technology, which has around 40 local employees, closed a $7 million round this month to bring its total funding to $11 million, according to CEO Dexter Ang.
A MassChallenge Boston alum, Pison Technology is developing a wrist sensor that enables hands-free control of electronics. The device, which is the size of an Apple Watch, captures neuromuscular signals on the surface of the skin and combines them with machine learning algorithms to interpret how people intend to move their hands, and transmits those signals to a smartphone to control digital devices.
Led by Lavrock Ventures, the Series A round saw participation from returning investor In-Q-Tel, a nonprofit investment arm of the CIA, and Bose Venture Capital.
In-Q-Tel first invested in Pison in December 2019, according to Ang. The firm's portfolio of local companies also include Cambridge analytics startup Tamr Inc. and Watertown 3D printing company Markforged.
Ang first developed the idea for the company when he was taking care of his mother, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The disease causes progressive loss of muscle control.
"My mother literally lost the ability to move her hand to click a mouse," Ang said on Monday. "As I saw this, then I saw the generalized problem set. ... It could be a computer to read a book, or it could be controlling the phone to activate like a smart assistant. Or it could be a factory worker being able to control a machine that's not within their hand's reach."
Thanks to the fundraise, Ang said the company is planning to hire 50 employees over the next two years, including engineers with expertise in machine learning and cloud computing, as well as software, mechanical and electrical engineers.
Currently, Pison Technology is one of the tech companies that have a adopted a so-called "hybrid model," with each team managing its own meeting cadence. Employees might use additional meeting spaces in Rhode Island and Natick, Ang said.
"Pison is at a very exciting time frame in terms of being able to develop our first products for customers and being able to accelerate that work, as well as invest in our core technology platform," Ang said. "As we start feeling demand for commercial partners, we want to ensure that we can develop a cohesive roadmap offering."
Nicknames local workers call themselves
Employee nickname: Gurus
Headcount: 827
What the company does: Automotive marketplace
Comments: "The term 'Gurus' emerged organically as a way we all started to refer to one another, especially in company-wide internal communication. Over the years, our employees have really embraced the term because it is a natural extension of our company name and it also celebrates the unique expertise that each of us offers," Brian Kramer, a spokesperson for CarGurus, said in a statement.
Pictured: CarGurus is headquartered at 2 Canal Park in Cambridge
Employee nickname: Dynamos
Headcount: 50 people in Mass.
What the company does: Drugs to treat serious muscle diseases
Comments: "We coined the term ‘Dynamos’ because 'dyne' is a measure of force and we pursue our goals with energy, fueled by innovation," said Josh Brumm, president and CEO of Dyne Therapeutics, in a statement.
Pictured: A group of employees at Dyne’s Rare Disease Day, February 2020
Employee nickname: Thrashers
Headcount: 700
What the company does: Acquirer of Amazon businesses
Comments: "The company's name was continuously being mispronounced 'Thrashio,' so it became a running joke in the office that no one could pronounce the name and 'Thrashio' sounded like a rock band. Co-founder Carlos [Cashman] started using 'Thrashers' in meetings and it stuck," Brandon Hendrix, senior vice president for marketing at Thrasio, said in a statement.
Employee nickname: Moose
Headcount: 1,847, including 700 in Mass.
What the company does: Security analytics software
Comments: "The term originated a while back during a conversation with a few sales leaders. The idea is that the singular and plural version of 'moose' is ‘moose.’ So we are all ‘one moose,’” said Caitlin Doherty, a spokesperson for Rapid7, in a statement.
Pictured: Rapid7 signage has been installed at their new North Station location
Employee nickname: Cognoids
Headcount: 2,055
What the company does: Electronics manufacturing
Comments: "I don't like to refer to people as employees and we're all employees, even the CEO is an employee, but I just don't like that term," said Robert Shillman, also known as 'Doctor Bob,' founder of the company. "We don't even like the term 'human resources' ... And that department, really what that department is set up to do is to service employees, so we call it Employee Services."
Employee nickname: U Krew, with individuals referred to as U Krewers
Headcount: Just over 13,000
What the company does: Workforce management and HR software
Comments: UKG was born after Lowell-based Kronos Inc. completed its merger with Florida-based Ultimate Software in April 2020. Employees at the two companies were known as Kronites and UltiPeeps. Post merger, the name U Krew was selected by an employee vote, according to Aron Ain, CEO of UKG
Pictured: Aron Ain, CEO of UKG
Employee nickname: Lola Pack, but employees in the service team refer to themselves as Wombats
Headcount: 68 people, including 46 in the Boston area
What the company does: Expense management software, business travel management software
Comments: The reason why employees in the service team call themselves the 'wombats' is that "a group of wombats together is called a 'wisdom.' So, when they're meeting all together, they have all this wisdom about our customers and about travel and expense and things like that, so they picked that," said Mike Volpe, CEO of Lola.com
Pictured: Paul English, CTO (left) and Mike Volpe, CEO of Lola.com
Employee nickname: FlyMates
Headcount: More than 450
What the company does: International payment software
Comments: "We've been using the term FlyMate for a while because we've always felt that 'employee' is too impersonal and transactional," said Sarah King, a spokesperson for Flywire, in an email. "We invoke our branding a lot in terms of people and culture; we call FlyMates' babies 'FlyBabies,' and we call our orientation 'Flying Start.'"
Pictured: Flywire is based near Boston Common
Employee nickname: OMies
Headcount: 108
What the company does: AI software for health care data analysis
Comments: "I don't think there's anyone I can specifically attribute our nickname OMies," said Renee Hurley, a spokesperson for OM1, in an email. "It sort of came about organically. As a company culture, we've always been focused on working hard - healthcare is a serious business - but also celebrating together, having fun, and recognizing that we are all in this together. And, of course it's a play on the word 'homies.'"
Pictured: A group of OM1 employees
Employee nickname: Mountaineers
Headcount: 24,000, including 800-1,000 in Mass.
What the company does: Storage and information management services
Comments: "Our 'Mountaineer' nickname has existed for at least 30 years. It started with our former CEO, Richard Reese," Fabienne Alexis, a spokesperson for Iron Mountain, wrote in an email. "Our current CEO, Bill Meaney, continues in the tradition of focusing first on the people."
Pictured: Iron Mountain has 15 data centers across three continents, including one in New Jersey
Employee nickname: Humanzees
Headcount: 37, including 24 in Mass.
What the company does: Workplace analytics software
Comments: "An employee named Jeremy thought of the name when the team realized they couldn’t be just 'humans.' When Jeremy shared an image of Oliver the Chimp, the team thought it would funny to call themselves the 'humanzees' and the name stuck," according to a spokesperson.
Pictured: The office of Humanyze is in the Government Center area
Employee nickname: Argonauts
Headcount: 25
What the company does: Treatments for neurodegenerative diseases
Comments: "Atalanta is named after a mythological Greek heroine who was a fierce huntress and, in some accounts, the only woman to sail with the Argonauts in their quest for the Golden Fleece. The name is a reference both to our founding women leaders and also a nod to our science — the protein Argonaute 2 plays an essential role in RNA interference, which is what Atalanta is using in its drugs. So the nickname 'Argonauts' sprung out of this backstory. Like the Argonauts, we see ourselves as explorers charting new frontiers," Alicia Secor, CEO of Atalanta, said in a statement.
Pictured: Argonauts having a virtual meeting
Employee nickname: Zertonians
Headcount: 600
What the company does: Data recovery
Comments: "Zerto calls its employees Zertonians—they're members of a large Zerto community that stretches from its partners to customers to employees. 'Zertonian' helps reflect the team-oriented nature of working at Zerto," according to a spokesperson.
Pictured: A group of Zertonians at a July 4th party years ago
Employee nickname: Chaosians
Headcount: 36, including 30 in Mass.
What the company does: Data platform for log analytics
Comments: David Bunting, director of demand generation at ChaosSearch, wrote in an email: "Imagine an episode of StarTrek where they encounter an odd planet somewhere in deep space. The planet's inhabitants are known as Chaosians, and they are exclusively dedicated to solving big data analytics issues on behalf of the universe. We’re just like that! (except instead of a planet, we have a small office near North Station)."
Pictured: A group of Chaosians
Employee nickname: Dream Team
Headcount: 300, including 65 in Mass.
What the company does: Employment services
Comments: "Globalization Partners was always Nicole Sahin’s dream. She wanted to build a company that breaks down barriers to global business – and for everyone, everywhere," a spokesperson wrote. "As more and more people joined the company (from the very beginning and present day), her dream became theirs too. The phrase Dream Team came out of that idea."
Pictured: The Dream Team at a team summit
