Keeper Security, a fast-growing, bootstrapped cybersecurity software company, recently moved into a new office to accommodate the massive hiring spree it has been on over the last several months.
The startup, which has created a password management service for consumers and businesses, moved into a 16,000-square-foot office at 820 W. Jackson Blvd. in the West Loop.
Since Keeper Security announced in May that it was hiring 130 new employees across its offices in Chicago, California, Ireland and the Philippines, the startup has hired 71 people, said co-founder and CEO Darren Guccione. But the startup’s not done. Keeper Security plans to hire another 100 people, all of which will be based in Chicago, where it currently employs about 90 people.
“There’s new people starting here literally every week,” Guccione said.
To deal with constant onboardings, Keeper Security has all new employees go through what it calls “Keeper University,” a two-week, 10-class curriculum that trains and tests new employees, which are mainly being hired for sales and marketing roles.
“When we hire for sales, it produces revenue, so we want to hire those people as fast as possible, but we have a very regimented and controlled process that’s highly-disciplined,” Guccione said. “We’re quite careful about making sure that we bring in the right people with the right attributes.”
The startup is growing quickly and according to Guccione, it’s able to do so because it’s “highly-profitable.” Keeper Security, which is Guccione’s fourth startup, hasn’t taken any venture capital to fuel its growth. Since it launched in 2011, it’s been growing organically, Guccione said.
Keeper Security has more than 7,000 businesses in over 100 countries that use its password management software.
“We’re a tightly managed company and very disciplined about how we scale,” Guccione said. “We take larger slices of our earnings and working capital, and reinvest it in the growth of our business instead of taking it out of the company.”
Keeper Security’s new office features an open floor plan with four large conference rooms and private phone booths. The office, which can hold up to 190 employees, has exposed brick and wood beams while yellow accents pepper the space throughout. On one brick wall, a neon white sign reads “Keeper.”
“We have a lot of collaborative spaces where people can eat, hang out, talk and meet,” Guccione said. “I wanted [employees] to feel great about where they were walking into every single day.”
Go inside Keeper Security’s office below:
