Denver’s emerging innovation scene is gathering national notice, as two local companies were named among LinkedIn’s list of top U.S. startups.
Denver’s Guild Education and Boom Supersonic landed a spot on LinkedIn’s annual list, which selects 50 companies that Americans want to work at most. LinkedIn said it compiles its list by analyzing things like employee growth, jobseeker interest and how well startups have attracted talent away from companies like Amazon, Apple, Facebook and other larger firms that appear on LinkedIn's flagship top companies list.
In order to qualify, startups had to be 7 years old or younger, have at least 50 employees, and be headquartered in the U.S.
"Over the past year and a half, professionals across the U.S. have been pushed to reevaluate the way they live and work in the wake of the pandemic," LinkedIn wrote in the Wednesday announcement. "With economic recovery starting to happen at different paces across industries, many professionals are looking for something new, asking themselves: 'What’s next?'"
Guild Education was recognized as No. 23 on the list, with aerospace unicorn Boom Supersonic close behind at No. 35. The list was topped by New York City-based Better and Bay Area startup Gong. The list was largely dominated by Bay Area companies, with 18 companies littering the rankings.
This is ed tech giant Guild’s second consecutive appearance on the list and its highest ranking to date. This year’s announcement also marks the first time Colorado has had two companies make LinkedIn’s list in its five-year history.
The honor comes at a busy time for Guild, as the education upskilling company cemented its unicorn status with a $150 million Series E financing round in June, bringing the company’s valuation to roughly $3.75 billion. The company first hit unicorn status following its Series D financing round in November 2019.
The company also announced a partnership with Target in August to offer 340,000 of the retailer’s U.S. frontline workers a debt-free education-assistance program. All part-time and full-time Target employees will qualify for company assistance for select undergraduate degrees, certificates and textbooks come fall. The company will invest $200 million into the program over the next four years, Target said in a release.
At Boom, the company’s high-profile partnerships have also made news this year. In June, United Airlines ordered 15 passenger jets from the Colorado plane maker. The Chicago-based airline’s deal included an option to purchase 35 more of Boom’s Overture airplanes.
The price tag for United’s order wasn’t disclosed, but Boom founder and CEO Brett Scholl has said in the past that Overtures will cost about $200 million, suggesting United’s buy is worth $3 billion or more.
