Seattle-based sales software company Highspot is expanding its footprint into Canada with a new office in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Bhrighu Sareen, Highspot’s president of product and engineering, said about 10 Highspot employees are working in Canada for now, but the company plans to have more than 40 in the country as soon as possible, most of whom will be in British Columbia. Highspot, which announced the expansion on Wednesday, is currently using a coworking space for the Vancouver office, which opened in December.
“Highspot has done a great job of hiring in the Seattle area, and then through Covid hiring across the United States,” said Sareen, who joined the company in September after 17 years at Microsoft. “Canada, and in particular Vancouver, because the time zone difference being zero with the headquarters in Seattle, was very attractive.”
In a news release, Highspot said it is hiring roles in product, design, cybersecurity and engineering in Vancouver. The company is also expanding its apprenticeship program, called Accelerate, into Vancouver, and Sareen said Highspot aims to fill between 10 to 15 internships in Canada this year. Those internships will be in addition to the 40-plus roles the company is looking to hire.
While Highspot is expanding its presence in Canada, the company has reduced its Seattle footprint at its Belltown headquarters, located at 2211 Elliot Ave. According to a Highspot spokesperson, the company has reduced its space in Seattle through subleases, but the company still has significant space on two full floors. Highspot had five floors there as of January 2022, when the company raised a $248 million Series F round and hit a value of $3.5 billion.
Highspot, founded in 2012, makes software to help sales reps with content management, training and guidance. Its clients include Aetna, Staples and Yahoo. The company now has about 1,000 employees, a spokesperson said, up from a year ago when the company had more than 800 employees.
The Vancouver space is Highspot's fifth international office, as the company already has offices in London, Munich, Paris and Sydney. As for expanding into other countries, Sareen said Highspot is focusing on Vancouver to ensure the company instills the right culture at its new office. If the new office goes smoothly, it could provide a blueprint for future international offices, he added.
"The first few months are super critical," Sareen said. "The next few months we're heads down in just making sure Vancouver is successful."
