In the world of startups, it can be easy to think about Silicon Valley and its infamous bro-culture. You know, the type of companies where there’s a plethora of male employees and it’s not uncommon to find work environments with a culture of fraternization and sexism. Yet, within the startup world, there’s a growing number of companies gaining traction that are anything but “bro-y.”
That is, many of them are led by women executives and—to make things even better—they’re made for women and other previously under-served communities. We scoured LinkedIn’s list of the Top Startups of 2018 in the United States, released earlier this year, to find the hottest ones.
The ranking lists the top 50 most-sought after companies that are less than seven years old and that scored well in terms of employee growth, jobseeker interest, member engagement how well it pulled the attention of top talent from the general LinkedIn Top Companies list.
Here are the top-five most popular startups with women executives and/or founders.
Coinbase
No matter where you stand on alternative currencies, chance are you’ve probably already head of bitcoin. Coinbase bills itself as a secure online platform for buying, selling, and trading digital currency. The company ranks #3 on the Top Startups of 2018 list and counts Alesia Haas, as CFO and Rachael Horwitz, as VP of Communications.
Noodle.ai
Noodle.ai bills is an artificial intelligence system for enterprise companies designed to manage business operations. This summer, the company raised $35 million in a round by Dell Technologies Capital and TPG Growth. It ranks #4 on the Top Startups of 2018 list and its leadership includes Chelsea Hardaway as CMO and Martha McGaw as its chief talent officer.
Glossier
In four short years, Glossier has made a big splash in the beauty industry. Led by its founder and chief executive officer, Emily Weiss, Glossier has captured the attention of millennials with its fresh-faced models and understated campaigns. Earlier this year, the company gained an additional $52 million in venture capital funding as it readies itself for “phase two” of the company. The company ranks #8 on the Top Startups list and also counts Alexandra Weiss, as its SVP of Marketing.
Ellevest
As a Wall Street veteran, Sallie Krawcheck noticed that there was a big disparity between men and women when it came to investing. So, she launched Ellevest, a company with the goal of helping bridge the gap by providing a digital financial platform for women to invest and secure their financial futures.
The company ranks #14 on the Top Startups list and counts four women within its senior leadership team: Krawcheck, as CEO and co-founder, Sylvia Kwan, as chief investment officer, Melissa Cullens, as chief design officer and Alexandria Stried, as chief product officer.
Root Insurance
Like other industries, car insurance companies have been trying to adapt their existing business products to make them more appealing to millennials and tech-savvy consumers. Enter Root Insurance, an app which gives you a car insurance rate based on how well you drive.
The three-year-old company ranks #18 on the Top Startups list and most recently raised $100 million in funding. It also counts four women executives among the companies leadership: Cindy Powell, as CFO, Lauren Gruenebaum, as chief product officer, Kelly Ruoff, as chief brand officer and Clara Kridler, as VP of People.
You can read the full LinkedIn Top Startups of 2018 list here.
