Seattle-based identity verification company Ekata plans to keep hiring after being acquired by the payments corporation Mastercard for $850 million in a deal that closed in June.
Samantha Rist, Ekata's vice president of people, said Ekata, which is maintaining its brand, currently has about 250 employees. She added that Ekata plans to keep growing its headcount 50% annually, and although the Mastercard backing could accelerate that growth, recruiting in tech is a challenge.
"We're coming out of this pandemic. We just got acquired. It's starting to become the perfect storm, and not in all the most amazing ways," Rist said. "I've certainly been in touch with my industry peers to understand, 'What's it been like for you to recruit in the Seattle market?' And everyone is challenged."
Rist said 150 of Ekata's roughly 250 employees are based in the Seattle area. According to Ekata's website, the company is hiring roles in engineering, human resources, marketing and sales.
Ekata, which spun out of Whitepages in 2019, helps clients prevent fraud during account openings and payments. Lyft, Alaska Airlines and Checkout.com are some of Ekata's customers. Mastercard and Ekata first announced the planned acquisition in April. Rist said no employees were laid off as a result of the acquisition.
Earlier this year, Ekata CEO Rob Eleveld told the Business Journal that retaining employees with so many big tech companies in the area presents a challenge.
"We for seven years have recruited and built a team in the shadow of Amazon," Eleveld said earlier this year. "FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google) is the big wolf out there. The sheep, they don't need to wander a half-mile from the flock. They're like five yards from the flock, FAANG is going to eat them. We have to build a tight culture and a place people feel super-empowered and are interested to work, or we just lose to FAANG."
Ekata currently occupies two full floors in Rainer Tower downtown. Employees can use the office on a voluntary basis, but the company plans to eventually bring employees back into the office three days a week, allowing them to work remotely two days a week. Rist said the company planned for this reopening to happen in October but pushed the date back to January. She added that Ekata is monitoring Covid rates, vaccination rates, and child care and school openings when considering its office reopening.
