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"This week, as part of The First 100, employees from startups like BaubleBar, Gilt and SoundCloud recall the early days at their companies, relaying what it was like to clear hurdles, adapt to change and break ground on new ideas.\n\"The beauty of a startup is that you can plug in and start playing almost immediately,\" says Tim Sullivan from PlaceIQ, hire 81 on our list of 100 employees from startups around the world who have been telling us about their early experiences. \nSullivan and his cohorts in the series echo similar sentiments about the advantages of working at a startup \u2014 such as not being tethered to a large corporation or being subjected to rigid mandates.\nRead on to hear the stories of hires 81 through 90, and follow along with the full series using the hashtag #First100.\n 81. Tim Sullivan, PlaceIQ \n\n\nImage:  Tim Sullivan Culture of collaboration... I joined PlaceIQ for the culture of collaboration that comes with an early stage startup. Prior to my current role, I was vice president of integrated and strategic partnerships at AT&amp;T. What really drew me to PlaceIQ were the unique technologies and capabilities that it offers customers at an early stage. In this noisy industry, PlaceIQ is able to set itself apart from the crowd because of the way it interprets and analyzes mobile data and location. It's unlike anything I have seen before, which made the opportunity to work here irresistible.\n Plugging in...  The beauty of a startup is that you can plug in and start playing almost immediately. Startups begin with a certain set of positions in mind, but as the company grows, those roles tend to change based on the strengths of the company, the employees and what's needed to move forward as quickly and as successfully as possible. In my case, I began as the head of client strategy and quickly discovered that I had an interest in doing much more than that. Then, as the company expanded, I had the freedom to pursue those interests. That's what is so great about working at a startup \u2014 things move fast and competition is [abundant], so employees have the opportunity to bend and twist as needed to make sure the company can break through the noise\u00A0and do great things.\n The future of analytics... I was originally drawn to the company because of its proprietary platform and powerful technology, both of which only get better as time goes on. One of the great things about PlaceIQ's technology is the extensibility. Since I started, we've really articulated a vision for our mobile insights that goes much further than, say, ad delivery. We've reached a point where we can truly say and prove that location is the future of data analytics.\nToday, PlaceIQ has 84 employees.\n 82. Corinne Ray, Vectorform \n\nImage:  Corinne RayJumping into the deep end... Coming into this role, I had never worked on an app before, or designed any complex information architecture myself. My first project at Vectorform threw me right into the deep end on both of those things, and I enjoyed the challenge. During my year here, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to design for iOS, Android, Windows and the web. At larger companies, my roles might be broken down into separate jobs; but at Vectorform, I enjoy being able to take the product from site map through information architecture and user interface design, and then to developers who make sure it looks perfect upon delivery.\nNerf darts and Lego...  The company has a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. There are constantly Nerf darts flying around the office, and we have a healthy love of Lego and video games. Trampoline dodgeball is one of my favorite group activities. What I love most about the culture, though, is the great conversations I have with co-workers about design and technology and where the fields are heading. We have a group of individuals who are always considering the future of our industry and thinking about what we can do to make ourselves an integral part of it.\nCompany perks... There's a real interest from my bosses in making sure that I care about what I'm working on, that I'm challenged and inspired by that work and that I'm generally happy. That is something unique even for a small company. It's also great that I can spend a week working out of our New York office (where my family and a lot of friends are) or take a trip to Seattle or Munich and work from our offices there.\nToday, Vectorform has 94 employees.\n 83. Garho Kametani, BaubleBar \n\nImage:  Garho KametaniSmall vs. large startups... I already had experience in the startup world, so I had no reservations about joining another one; I knew what I was getting into at BaubleBar. One of my main reasons for making the transition there was because of the company's small size and my potential to make an impact. I was coming from a larger startup with 600+ employees where I wasn't able to make the impact I knew I was capable of.\n'Fish in a vast ocean of rainbows'... Before BaubleBar, I was working at Fab.com, which was a great experience \u2014 but I was but one colorful fish in a vast ocean of rainbows there. What excites me about BaubleBar is because it's a smaller startup, I know I'll be able to make my mark.\nFollowing up on promises... One requirement I have when joining a new organization is that they have to have an open, supportive and fun company culture. I asked this of BaubleBar during my interview, and interviewer after interviewer reassured me that I would work hard and also have fun doing it. BaubleBar followed through on the promise. Co-founders Amy Jain and Daniella Yacobovsky set the tone for company \u2014 they work really hard to keep it fun and grounded.\nToday, BaubleBar has more than 110 employees.\n 84. Amy DiPane Cady, New Relic  \n\nImage:  Amy DiPane Cady Introductions...  I was introduced to NR through the company's vice president of sales, Matt Cooley, and its director of sales, Jim Ettig. When Matt proposed I come out and meet with New Relic founder and CEO Lew Cirne and the company's president and COO, Chris Cook, I was not at all expecting to uproot my family and move out to San Francisco. After the meetings with Chris and Lew, I knew I couldn't turn down the amazing opportunity. \u00A0\u00A0\nRapid growth... I was hired to lead the growth team, which had only four people when I started. Today, we're a team of 28, and we plan to grow to 40.  My role is always evolving and I'm always growing professionally.\nToday, New Relic has 350 employees.\n 85. Arley Betteridge Hunt, The Fresh Diet \n\nArley Betteridge Hunt, The Fresh DietImage:  Arley Betteridge HuntA company in its infancy... I came to The Fresh Diet in a temporary capacity in 2009 at the request of a close family friend (who's also part owner of the company). I had no reservations about a small company. In fact, I preferred joining one. I was 20 years old, and my work experience was about as small as the company itself.  I felt that The Fresh Diet \u2014 in its infancy with so much promise \u2014 mirrored my own career goals.\nEvolving with the business... My role has evolved substantially over time at TFD. I started as a part-time customer service representative. Then, TFD was small(er), which gave me the opportunity to learn and discover all the intimate workings of the company, a process that eventually set me up for success. My role developed from CS representative, to sales representative, to assistant director of customer service and now to internal business director. The culture at The Fresh Diet has always been naturally supportive; I have never shied away from jumping into a new project or trying to tackle a new challenge, even if that meant crossing a [department] boundary. The more I became involved, the more I found myself fascinated with the idea of becoming more involved with our team. \nDown with the doors... The culture at TFD is much more than the typical 'open door' policy; we quite literally have taken many doors off of their hinges at our office to promote open-air teamwork. We group desks together and share offices so we can better work together, share ideas and start conversations. \nToday, The Fresh Diet has more than 250 employees. \n 86. Catherine Coppinger, Offerpop \n\nImage:  Catherine CoppingerDitching the suit... I was immediately attracted to the subtle \"cool factor\" of the startup atmosphere, especially as a means to transition directly out of college into the workforce. When I found out I'd made the final round of interviews for the business development team at Offerpop, a recruiter there told me not to wear a suit to my last interview. \"We are a startup, silly!\" she said. For some reason, that really stuck with me \u2014 not to mention that it lightened the stressful mood, though I admit I spent longer than usual deciding what to wear that day. When I walked into the office, saw the bright orange and yellow walls and was greeted by people who seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs, I was hooked.\n'Not a cold-calling job'... I joined the Offerpop team as a business development representative (BDR), which is a high-volume, intro-to-sales role focused on outbound lead generation. This might sound like a cold-calling job, but that\u2019s not really true. As a BDR, you're the face of the company for a prospective client, and you're supposed to provide valuable insight and spark enough interest from them to warrant further discussions. Rapid evolution...  After I had been an Offerpop employee for about three months, our company went through internal restructuring that shifted the BDR function to become part of the marketing team. We had the ability to hire a number of new BDRs, and we also needed someone to focus on building out the team to scale with the rest of the company, which is where I stepped in as team lead. I began my new role working through metrics on BDR performance, using that data to update standard processes for efficiency and consistency, and then collaborating on a more targeted on-boarding course for new hires to the BDR position. I currently manage a team of seven, play an active role in the hiring and training of new team members and continue to contribute to outbound outreach efforts.\nKeeping things young... Our office has a very team-focused atmosphere, and that\u2019s especially true of business development, which is largely comprised of recent college graduates. We all sit within a few feet of each other (no cubicles) and we keep the day interesting with call-offs and other challenges. It can get pretty competitive, but always in a fun way. At the end of the day, we're working together to further the goals of the company.\nToday, Offerpop has 100 employees.\n 87. Hillary Creeggan, Stitch Fix \n\nImage:  Hillary CreegganA focus on feedback... Prior to Stitch Fix, I worked as an assistant buyer at a catalog company based in San Francisco. Coming from a catalog business, where client feedback is limited, I was excited to be more in-touch with our client base at Stitch Fix. Each client we ship a 'Fix' to leaves feedback on the items they receive, which gives us very actionable data on each product. Reading feedback from our clients always keeps me going. Sometimes it's hearing about how confident they felt starting their new job, how great they looked on a first date or how we got them out of their comfort zone. Whatever the impact is, it never fails to keep me motivated!\nStarting scrappy... When I started at Stitch Fix as the assistant buyer for tops, my role was pretty scrappy. We had a lot to get done every day, and not a lot of people to do it. My day-to-day tasks ranged from the traditional work of an assistant buyer to editing product copy and decorating conference rooms. As our buying team grows, my role has become more focused, but it's just as intense as it ever was. Now I oversee two subclasses within tops and manage some of our new vendors. \nBrand recognition... When I began a year ago, everything we did was on a much smaller scale. Our orders were smaller, our team was smaller and even our industry presence was smaller. We're now writing competitive orders and outgrowing our office space. Everywhere I go these days, someone has heard of Stitch Fix! \nToday, Stitch Fix has 500 employees.\n 88. Marc Strigel, SoundClound\n\n\nImage:  Marc StrigelEnabling new tech... I joined SoundCloud in November 2011, having previously worked for PayPal helping run eBay Marketplace in Germany and in other European markets. I'd also worked at media companies RTL and Bertelsmann, and at smaller startups as well. What excited me about working at SoundCloud was the opportunity to build on my previous career in media and enable new technologies. SoundCloud brings both [media and tech] together.\nA global product... SoundCloud is one of the few truly global startups. We often note that \"global is on our DNA.\" We currently have more than 200 employees worldwide (with over 150 of those in Berlin) representing 31 different nationalities, and our product has been designed at a global level since the beginning. It works for anyone, anywhere in the world. \nZeroing in on creators... Recently, we've been concentrating on finding new ways for our creator community to be discovered and heard. Recent updates to both our web platform and mobile applications have made SoundCloud more social than ever before, with the addition of new features focused on improving discovery, sharing and connectivity between community members. Our creator community has been scaling at a rapid rate. We see creation happening every day, with 12 hours of music and audio posted every minute.Today, SoundCloud has 200 employees.  89. Pooja Agarwal, Gilt \n\nImage:  Pooja Agarwal\n\nOrganic growth... I started at Gilt as a merchandising intern right out of school five years ago. Since then, I've had roles in buying for our home, kids, women's jewelry and beauty categories, and also in supervising sales and creative operations. Currently, I'm director of business process strategy, where I work across all of Gilt to improve our processes, tools and resourcing, all of which continue to help us scale. As new projects come up, Gilt gives me the opportunity to take the lead because I've learned from early on the way the company operates and how teams collaborate. These opportunities have come about very organically because I've been able to grow along with Gilt.Sticking with its core... When I started at Gilt, it was at time when the company was growing quickly, expanding into new verticals and launching our Japanese office. We were building an innovative company to become a leader in the flash-sale space. Today, five years later, we continue to focus on what makes us uniquely Gilt: Our core flash-sale business. We're always coming up with new ideas and new ways to do things, though \u2014 whether that means launching personalized sales generated by algorithms and based on your shopping behavior or creating new mobile app features that make it even easier and faster to shop Gilt.Keeping the challenge strong... There's always a new challenge. Every day at noon, we launch an entirely new store. As a result, every day at Gilt is different. It keeps the work really interesting for the team since there is always another exciting project to work on or a new, challenging problem to solve. Today, Gilt has more than 1,000 employees. 90. Michelle L. Stahl, VEVO  \nImage:  Michelle L. Stahl\n\n110% music... Before I joined VEVO, part of my routine every morning would be to check VEVO's website. I loved seeing all the new video premieres, the crisp player and what they were doing with original programming. I was working at AOL, and while I really enjoyed it there, I was excited to be part of something fresh and new. I was also thrilled that my focus would be 110% on music.New responsibilities... I was hired as a supervising producer for our performance-based original content.  Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to work closely with our event marketing team and have since taken on a significant part of the production and planning of our events. Live performance events and marketing events are very similar and have a lot of crossover. However, I'm also very lucky that I've been given the chance to refine my skills as an event producer and take on new responsibilities. Sweet perks... VEVO is a fantastic place to work \u2014  artists often come by to play a new album or perform a new single and they bring lunch. Getting to meet unbelievably talented people (John Legend, Ellie Goulding, Thirty Seconds to Mars \u2014 not to name drop) certainly doesn't hurt.Today, VEVO has 250 employees. Were you one of the #First100 at your company? Tell us about your experience in the comments."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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