The last 12 months has represented one of the most successful periods of time in Southern California’s short tech history. Between the flurry of fundings and the seemingly endless reports of new, exciting products, tech companies all over the area have achieved much, much more than what many — especially those from up north — had previously thought possible. Recently, Built In LA published our 2017 edition of the Top 100 digital tech employers in LA and Orange Counties. Here are the companies who experienced the most substantial personnel growth since 2016.
Number of LA/OC employees: 258
Positions climbed: 34
Net employee increase: 118
Year in review: A few months after checking in at number 58 in our list of Top 100 digital companies in LA and OC, ServiceTitan — which initially launched as way for two recent grads to help their parents manage their blue-collar businesses in a more efficient manner — scored an $80 million Series B, without ever having to leave the company’s Glendale headquarters. Since then, the company has added roughly 20 employees each month, and while they reported a headcount of 258 back in October, CEO Ara Mahdessian told Built In LA that the company plans to be north of 300 employees by the end of 2017.
Number of LA/OC employees: 257
Positions climbed: 30
Net employee increase: 110
Year in review: 2017 has proven to be a gigantic year for Arts District-based Hyperloop One. Since October 2016, the startup has raised $135 million, including a major investment from Richard Branson’s Virgin Group that helped the company add 110 employees — enough to help the company jump 30 spots in our 2017 report to 60.
Number of LA/OC employees: 1,887
Positions climbed: 21
Net employee increase: 1,229
Year in review: Since Nordstrom and HauteLook joined forces back in early-2011, the company has established itself as not only one of the premier e-commerce brands in LA, but in the world. In the last year, the company added 1,229 employees, which was good enough to take the company from number 24 last year to the third spot this year.
Number of LA/OC employees: 220
Positions climbed: 26
Net employee increase: 90
Year in review: Santa Monica-based marketing tech startup PatientPop continued the trajectory it set back in 2014 by hiring 90 employees over the last year and rocketing up 26 spots to number 70 overall. Located just a block from the beach, the company has been able to maintain its startup-style of open communication despite all the growth over the last few years.
Number of LA/OC employees: 359
Positions climbed: 21
Net employee increase: 109
Year in review: Long Beach-based Laserfiche, which develops an enterprise software that allows businesses to streamline their content management solutions, jumped up 21 spots in this year’s report, landing at 21 on the list thanks to the addition of more than 100 employees. Earlier this year, the company was named as a leader in the Nucleus Research ECM Technology Value Matrix 2017, based on the team’s ability to respond to user needs.
Number of LA/OC employees: 500
Positions climbed: 18
Net employee increase: 140
Year in review: Adtech giant OpenX celebrated a big 2016 by adding 140 full-time staffers to work in the company’s Pasadena-based office. Just a few days ago, the company announced it had recorded 150 percent growth in net revenue year-over-year, as well as the launch of its mobile SDK, which creates a better way for publishers and app developers to monetize their mobile apps.
Number of LA/OC employees: 590
Positions climbed: 17
Net employee increase: 154
Year in review: It might come a surprise to see NYC-based content giant Buzzfeed land on a list of the biggest employers in Southern California, but given LA’s reputation as the entertainment capital of the world, it shouldn’t be a shock that the company has decided to establish a major presence here in the Southland.
Number of LA/OC employees: 280
Positions climbed: 17
Net employee increase: 65
Year in review: A few months after being acquired by Unilever for $1 billion, Marina Del Rey-based Dollar Shave Club landed on Built In LA’s 2016 list of top digital employers in Los Angeles and OC at number 68. One year later, the company climbed to 51 overall thanks to 65 new hires, bringing the company’s LA-based headcount to 280.
Number of LA/OC employees: 500
Positions climbed: 17
Net employee increase: 128
Year in review: Jumping up from number 42 on 2016’s list all the way to 26 was Del Rey-based visual effects company Digital Domain. In addition to adding 128 LA-based employees over the last year, the company also opened its first office in India, adding to the company’s global presence that includes offices in New York, Portland, Vancouver and several other international locations.
Number of LA/OC employees: 592
Positions climbed: 14
Net employee increase: 82
Year in review: Glendale-based edtech giant Age of Learning has been a member of the Southern California tech unicorn club for well over a year now, and it’s growth between October 2016 and October 2017 is certainly indicative of a company trending in the right direction. In addition to adding 82 employees in one year — good enough to take the company from 32 in 2016 to 18 in 2017 — the company also expanded its headquarters and now boasts one of the coolest offices in all of LA tech.
