The novel coronavirus has upended any and all plans the region’s startups had heading into 2020.
They’re experiencing pain and pressure, trying to protect their bottom lines while continuing to fundraise and grow and, in some cases, merely stay afloat. And now more than ever, they’re making cuts — of positions, salaries and services — as they work to figure out what comes next.
Layoffs have led 140,000 residents of D.C., Maryland and Virginia to file initial unemployment claims last week alone, and roughly 900,000 across the three jurisdictions to apply for initial claims in the last five weeks.
But not all local companies are scaling back. Some, too, are scaling up. Here’s a deeper look at a few area businesses now hiring.
Appian Corp.
The Tysons software firm is now hiring for more than 60 positions in sales, engineering, professional services, marketing and an array of corporate roles, from finance to recruiting to C-level roles.
Appian, now with more than 1,000 employees, is supporting some of the country’s largest health care and financial organizations through the COVID-19 crisis, according to founder and CEO Matt Calkins.
“Every company now sees how important it is to be able to change its software applications quickly,” he said. “Appian’s market is going to grow.”
Last month, the company launched a free health management app to help other businesses track workforce health and safety through the pandemic, by collecting information from employees and storing it in a HIPAA-compliant cloud. For that product, employers can see the health and work status of employees by geography and department and also match volunteers with people who need help, Calkins told the Washington Business Journal in March.
Now, Appian is working to serve its customers while keeping their health as a priority, Calkins said in an email Thursday. “By taking extra care for personal safety, businesses can reassure their employees and customers that they can resume their lives securely. Going forward, we are continuing to help organizations manage change, automate their businesses and connect their workforce through low-code automation.”
Storyblocks
The Arlington digital content company is seeing more demand for stock media, now that stay-at-home orders are keeping videographers and photographers from being able to shoot their own footage. So it needs to keep up with that demand.
“Now more than ever, it’s important for us to do what we can to support them with high quality, affordable video, audio and images,” said CEO TJ Leonard in an email Thursday.
To do that, the company is hiring, now with eight open positions, four of which are in sales. Long-term, it’s shooting to build out both its product and engineering teams, as well as its marketing and sales teams, according to Leonard. Storyblocks currently has 105 workers, including 19 new hires since March.
The business has not taken a financial hit and “continues to do well financially,” Leonard said, declining to disclose revenue. But, he said, Storyblocks has seen new users double since February and downloads increase by 50% over the same period.
“Right now, one of my top priorities as CEO is helping my team get through this pandemic together by reinforcing our culture of positivity and support,” Leonard said. “At the same time, we’re offering flexibility to the creators and businesses who work with us to help everyone in our ecosystem survive this.”
GetUpside
The D.C. company, whose mobile platform connects users with brick-and-mortar commerce, recently hired 13 employees and is looking to fill 24 more positions by the end of this quarter — from software engineers to sales representatives, among others. It currently has 170 staff members on board.
As the coronavirus outbreak worsened, GetUpside took steps to preserve its cash and redirect funds to its users and merchant partners, according to Wayne Lin, its co-founder and chief operating officer.
That has meant investing $5.8 million of earnings from previous periods in offer subsidies across the country. So now, GetUpside’s users can get more cash back at gas stations, restaurants and grocery stores — to both keep business coming to them, and help people earn more money from their purchases. It’s also pushing out new product features, training its account management team on digital platforms and helping local restaurants in its markets with a $2.5 million stimulus package.
The company said revenue grew 300% in 2019, declining to disclose specifics.
Now it’s focused on both helping its partner businesses earn more profit, and building up the team so post-pandemic, “we will be there to make them stronger than ever,” Lin said in an email.
“For our users, we are extra focused on helping them get more value for their dollar on the things they buy everyday: fuel and food,” he said. “Wallets will be tight, and we can help.”
