On September 28, LinkedIn released its Top Startups list, which is its self-described annual ranking of 50 emerging U.S. companies “gaining attention and recruiting top talent.” The professional networking site takes into consideration a variety of criteria based on its own data when coming up with the list: employment growth, engagement with the company and its employees, job interest and ability to attract talent from companies.
Now, we often take these sorts of lists with a grain of salt. In this case, I was admittedly (and naturally) less interested in their overall rankings and more intrigued by which fintechs made the list — and why.
Here’s what I found out: Seven fintech companies ranked in the top 50: Brex (No. 4), Ramp (No. 5), Gravy (No. 14), Esusu (No. 29), GPARENCY (No. 35), Deel (No. 43) and Masterworks (No. 47).
Drilling down, I learned that among the seven fintech startups that made the list, there are 125+ open roles. An astounding 87% of those open roles are for remote positions.
“A majority of fintech startups on this year’s list deal in the realms of building and managing credit for businesses and consumers — credit management is only becoming more important as interest rates rise and the economy slows, positioning these companies to play an even more relevant role in the lives of their users and customers,” LinkedIn business and finance editor at large Devin Banerjee told TechCrunch over email.
LinkedIn went on to offer further insights on each of the companies and some examples of the roles they are looking to fill. The summaries preceding the open roles were drafted by LinkedIn using survey responses from the honoree companies.
Brex
Brex is 100% remote. The company is looking for customer-focused skills and asks candidates to tell them about “a time you learned something from a team member that changed your mind or widened your perspective.” Among the positions it is hiring for are Real-Time Analyst and Lifecycle Marketing Manager.
Ramp
The No. 1 skill Ramp is looking to hire for now is software engineering, as the company’s main hiring priorities are for engineers and product managers, including entry-level and remote roles (the company is hybrid). Ramp doesn’t require college degrees for all hires, and offers lots of “learning opportunities, autonomy with a high level of ownership, and rapid advancement.” Among the roles it is hiring for are Head of Data Science / Credit, Fraud, & Pricing and Partner Marketing & Enablement.
Esusu
Esusu is looking to hire those with engineering skills, and the company says critical thinking is the hardest skill to hire for. They’re “doubling down on folks we call justice capitalists — people who have a head for business and a heart for the world. These people fundamentally believe that doing good and doing well are by no means mutually exclusive.” Esusu advises candidates to “outreach with intent…It always grabs the attention of the recruiter when you reach out directly and have clearly researched the company and the role.” Among the positions it’s hiring for are Senior Cloud Infrastructure Engineer and Enterprise Account Executive.
GPARENCY
GPARENCY is looking to hire for sales, including entry-level roles, and says it is open to no experience — they’ll train new hires in the skills they need, and in company culture. For example, it’s looking for a Sales Executive.
Deel
Deel is looking to hire those with sales skills and says that candidates should be prepared to answer the interview question specifically to address this remote-first company: “What would you need to be successful working in a highly diverse, global work environment with colleagues sitting in nearly 80 countries and being fully remote?” From this question, the company looks to learn “how will the candidate handle the challenges of collaborating and communicating within a hyper-growth startup with 1300 team members.” Deel also says employee referrals are the best way a candidate can catch their attention. Among the positions it’s hiring for are Partnership Manager and Senior DevOps Engineer.
Masterworks
Masterworks says it is looking to hire product managers and engineers with startup experience, and asks candidates, “Where do you hope to be in 5 years?” The company says, “Though there is no right answer, we hope to see how driven the individual is, and how their personality comes through when considering their futures. We also like to hire individuals who we, as a company, can grow with.” The company is hybrid. Among the positions it’s hiring for are Principle Product Designer and CRM Specialist.