Today, we announced the U.S. 2018 LinkedIn Top Startups list, our annual ranking of the 50 most sought-after startups, as determined by the billions of actions taken by more than 575 million professionals on LinkedIn.
Topping the list this year is Lyft (#1), Halo Top Creamery (#2), Coinbase (#3), Noodle.ai (#4) and Bird (#5). These companies are not only redefining our future as consumers (see: low calorie ice cream and scooters for commuters), but they’re changing the ways we get our jobs done as they do it. Whether you’re aspiring to be at a buzzy startup or just fascinated by the future of work, here’s how the Top Startups are upping the game:
Permanent out of offices: We know that 96% of professionals don’t aspire to have a corner office and perhaps the most interesting thing about this list is that the number two location behind San Francisco for the most option jobs is anywhere. Halo Top Creamery (#2) is proof that great work can be done without an office at all. The low-calorie ice cream brand is responsible for the most radical shift in the ice cream industry in decades, from rattling long-established rivals such as Unilever’s Ben & Jerry’s to become the best-selling pint in American grocery stores. What’s even more fascinating is that they achieved this feat without a proper office. All of the ice cream brand’s employees work remotely or at coworking spaces. Multiple startups on the list are also hiring anywhere, posting jobs for remote workers and opening hiring in multiple cities outside of their headquarters. Bird (#5) is hiring community managers in a dozen different cities — from Minneapolis to Chicago and Denver — while Glossier (#8) wants to hire a data engineer, a position that can be done remotely or from its New York office.
Rethinking the job title: While the bulk of the open roles at the top startups are for engineering roles, startups are not afraid to break the job-title mold. Many startups are hiring for one-of-a-kind titles, those that show up only a single time across the list. There's just one opening for a farm manager at Plenty, the hydroponic grower; one city launcher for fast-growing scooter startup Bird; one data annotator for the autonomous driving startup Drive.ai.
Building a modern MBA: Startups on the list consider themselves launching pads for new types of skills and experiences — MBA-style training without the debt. Coinbase (#3), for example, attracts employees who want to “earn their ‘MBA’ in crypto or start their crypto career,” the company says.
You can check out the complete list of the U.S. LinkedIn Top Startups here. Have these companies or others impacted the way you work? What changes would you like to see more employers push for? Join the conversation on LinkedIn with the hashtag #LinkedInTopStartups.