Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Anthony Sodd
Tried and tested: After 10 years, Ace Metrix still treasures its startup vibe
For a company that rubs shoulders with some of the biggest advertisers in the world, Ace Metrix’s offices are a surprisingly intimate and down-to-earth place. Although the company has been in business for over a decade and has experienced steady growth, they still have fewer than 50 employees — still the sort of place where everybody knows everyone’s name.
The Travel Industry Is Changing Course — And NextGuest Is Steering the Way
Take a scroll through your Instagram feed and you'll see that the experience economy is alive and thriving: From FOMO-worthy pics in Turks and Caicos to nightlife in Tokyo, people are traveling more than ever — and likely causing more envy to their following than ever before. And, while the concept of staying at a hotel has largely remained consistent, the way people book travel has drastically changed.
This Chicago Company Is Using AI and Machine Learning to Identify Cyberbullying, Help Farmers in Chile, and So Much More
You hear a lot about artificial intelligence these days, but what you don’t hear much about is a small team that’s actually dreaming up and implementing it for big-name clients. Strong Analytics has only been around a couple of years, but they’ve already created a name for themselves as the sort of team that can bring big, state-of-the-art technology-driven projects to fruition. We stopped by to see the mighty little team in action.
A Look Into SevenFifty — The Growing Company That’s Modernizing the $1.4T Alcohol Industry
The booze industry is massive — $1.4-trillion-a-year massive — and yet, it has been remarkably slow to join the digital world. SevenFifty is changing that, bringing the entire supply chain into one convenient marketplace. Despite their seemingly daunting task, the folks at the company are a pretty chill (and determined) lot, and we spent some time with them to see how one small company can modernize a behemoth industry — and do it in style.
As MediaAlpha goes from boutique to household name, they’re determined to keep their team a family
MediaAlpha is transforming from a startup into a team that sets the pace for the industry globally. Over the last few years, the marketing technology company has grown from modest beginnings in a small office in LA to global offices on three continents. And after increasing revenue year over year (again), they’re getting ready for 2019 to be yet another breakout year.
SmartBear’s Marketing Team Is Redesigning And Redeploying — Be Prepared To See a Lot More Of It
SmartBear has been around for a decade now and largely remained under the radar — but that’s about to change. The software development toolkit provider finds itself in the enviable position of feeling both like a nimble startup in hypergrowth mode and an established, stable company. Today, SmartBear is building and equipping its marketing department to spread the word about all it has to offer. We stopped in to see what this new, supercharged team has planned for the future.
FourKites CTO Vivek Vaid on how the Chicago startup is using data to drive efficiency across the logistics industry
Transportation logistics is a huge, messy business, and FourKites is plunging in headfirst to make it a more efficient space. The company’s data-first approach is unique and has been paying off big time for the company and its clients. We caught up with CTO Vivek Vaid to see what it is about FourKites’ data-centric approach that makes it so successful.
Selling at Box isn't just about the sale - though that happens a lot, too
Selling at Box isn’t quite the same as working on the sales team at a lot of other companies. While there’s plenty of time spent working the phones, people on Box’s sales team spend as much of their time learning about how they can improve their client’s business as they do actually selling the product — for them, the two go hand in hand. We stopped by to get to know some people on the team to see what it was like first hand.
Vivid Seats is all about the perfect seat - but the magic comes from their world-class data and engineering teams
As Vivid Seats continues its upward trajectory under the new leadership of CEO Stan Chia, they’ve embarked on an ambitious mission to build a world-class engineering team that’s powering one of the world’s largest ticketing platforms. We stopped by the Vivid Seats offices to talk with a few of the minds behind the tech platform and saw just what kind of growth the team is going through.
Sticking together: The team behind StickerGiant’s 100M stickers-a-year business
Chances are, you’ve seen some of StickerGiant’s work. With the Longmont-based team producing 100 million stickers a year, their work is stuck to everything from beer bottles and cannabis packaging to street-side light poles and sandwich wrappers. As ubiquitous as their work already is, StickerGiant is averaging around 30 percent yearly growth, which has led to a lot of room for existing employees to grow, as well as a lot of space for outside talent to join the team.
Working at PerkSpot is all about the perks - but it’s not why people love working there
Ironically, if you ask people at PerkSpot what the best part of their job is, it’s not the perks — although they are pretty good. Instead, many will say that it’s a mixture of their teammates and the ability to grow professionally in a supportive environment. Until last year, when the company took in a $50 million funding round, PerkSpot had been bootstrapped. Since then, the company has entered a phase of super-charged growth.
How Worldpay's team is working to complete virtually every transaction you make
Worldpay is playing in the big leagues. The company, founded in 2018 after a merger between the largest merchant acquirer in the U.K. and the largest merchant acquirer in the U.S., operates the backend muscle that enables your debit and credit cards to function everywhere from Casa Bonita to Timbuktu. Their systems support over 300 types of payments in 120 currencies and they process over 40 billion transactions annually — that’s 1,268 transactions every second.
The rise of the reviews: How the sales team works together to close at G2
After taking on a $55 million Series C late last year, G2 is ramping up to take their unique brand of business reviews global, and a big part of making that a reality is expanding their already very successful sales team. We talked with three members of the sales team to see what life at G2 is like — and where they're headed next.
How the team at Beyond Limits is using NASA-developed AI to make Earth a better place
As a company that was born out of CalTech and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, you’d expect the Beyond Limits offices to be filled with confidential rooms, each brimming with secrets of the final frontier. The reality is a bit closer to home, but what the company is doing is anything but normal.
Busy learning: How Teachers Pay Teachers grew from modest exchange to education powerhouse
Created by former school teacher Paul Edelman as a simple way to get more educational resources for his students, Teachers Pay Teachers quickly built a dedicated user base in the mid-aughts when it was founded. The company was acquired within a year of launch by education giant, Scholastic — only to be repurchased by Edelman in the middle of the financial crisis to return it to its former mission: make education better and more accessible.
Vivid Seats CEO Stan Chia talks Chicago startups — and what’s going on at the city's best-kept secret in tech
Stan Chia recently joined as Vivid Seats’ CEO in November 2018 — but his career working with exciting, fast-growing companies is nothing new. Stan, 37, has already had successful careers with some of the biggest names in tech — including building Amazon’s toy business and helping scale Grubhub’s delivery business — and is now gearing up to continue Vivid Seats’ ascent to new heights. We caught up with Stan, who gave us an inside look into what’s going on at the company with him at the helm.
How the team behind Abacus is working to make reimbursements easy - and having fun while doing it
Abacus is one of those startups that’s easy to admire. Launched in 2013, they’ve managed to put together a group of cool, quirky people who are legitimately passionate about what is an otherwise unsexy industry: creating reimbursement software. Abacus has created a workplace for a tight-knit group of people who are excited to solve a real problem, and they’re doing it for some of the best in the business — with clients including the likes of Boxed, ClassPass and GLG.
As Syndigo scales, why it's looking to its culture to prepare for the long haul
Syndigo has a lot going for it. In a way, you can think of the company as a brand new startup — only with the stability and staying power of a company that has been around for decades. Syndigo is the result of Gladson, a Chicago-based provider of digital asset and product information management solutions, which united six companies it acquired last year under one new brand. We caught up with the leaders of some of the company’s most dynamic teams to see just what’s going on over at Syndigo.
How Jared Hecht’s Fundera is transforming how small businesses find financial solutions
Jared Hecht knows a thing or two about leading successful teams. In 2010, he helped launch the mobile messaging platform GroupMe and, just 370 days later, he sold the company to Skype for $85 million. After a stint as an angel investor with companies like the New York-based stars Sweetgreen and Flatiron Health, Hecht founded another company: Fundera.
A virtual tour of 7 of NYC's coolest tech offices
While many Americans spend their days in a sea of cubes, people who work at tech companies in New York spend their time in custom built workplace palaces — or at least workplace-playgrounds. Forget cubicles and break rooms, we're talking amusement park level themed rooms, game rooms, on-site chefs, full bars and views of the city that tourists will pay for only a glimpse of.
NYC tech company spreads fears of zombie employees on subways
by Anthony Sodd October 31, 2016 The New York-based HR-tech company Justworks is getting into the Halloween spirit this year, with subway ads inspired by the golden age of horror films. Justworks’ dystopic ads dream up a vision of a world where 1099s and W2 come to life and zombie employees crave benefits with the same zeal that normal zombies crave brains. The idea, of course, is that Justworks’ software can alleviate these horrors and make running a business less frightening.
This is what life is like at one of NYC's fastest growing HR startups
Justworks is going through a growth spurt. The HR-tech company, which was founded in 2012, raised a $33 million round of funding in March, and has been hiring like crazy across multiple departments. With all that growth, we wanted to get an inside look at what it was really like to join their fast-growing team. We stopped by their office in the Flatiron District and spent some time with their sales team. The Justworks sales team is big, with around 40 people taking up an entire wing of their office.
Colorado's 11 biggest fundings in the last 5 years
[ibimage==34049==Original==none==self==ibimage_align-center] It's been a crazy couple of years for startup funding in Colorado — especially for a couple companies. Zayo Group and Xero both hauled in tons of cash, but other companies also did really well. See below for our list of the 11 largest fundings from Jan. 1, 2010 through May 27, 2015. The list is based on our records and includes only digital tech companies located in Colorado. [ibimage==34037==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-center] 11.
Verizon is turning some of their prime NYC real estate into coworking spaces
Verizon is testing the waters of coworking. The telecom giant, which owns a surprisingly large amount real estate around the city, is partnering with the coworking company to open a new space across from One World Trade Center — and more may be coming. "We've never done anything like this with our portfolio before," John Vazquez, Verizon's senior vice president for Global Real Estate, said in a statement.
Want to travel on the company's dime? 5 NYC tech jobs for you | Built In NYC
Are you filled with wanderlust but not ready to leave the greatest city in the world? Turns out, you can have a bit of both worlds — a nice, steady job in the city, that requires you to get out and see different parts of the world. Here are five job openings at NYC tech companies that involve travel. Buen Viaje. What they do: Livestream is bringing the power of live video to the masses. They want to make a world where every event is available live, online.
3 NYC startup founders weigh in on what the future of fashion-tech will look like
As tech proliferates every aspect of our lives, it's no surprise that it's started to invade the fashion world. Online clothing retailer Gilt made an early splash in the fashion-tech space, reaching a $1 billion valuation back in 2011. Four years later, the online eyewear retailer Warby Parker, became the second fashion-tech company to join New York’s unicorn club, reaching a $1.2 billion valuation in 2015.
Startup sounds: 3 NYC tech founders share the music that make them productive
Everyone has a few hacks they rely on to maintain their desired level of productivity. Whether it be turning off distracting notifications, checking e-mails on the go or only scheduling meetings on certain days, it can take a while to find out what techniques are most constructive. But for these three New York-based founders, music is what helps them get the job done while they work to grow their startups. Bora Celik is the founder of Jukely, a subscription service for concerts.
3 NYC tech companies explain why, and how, they invest in employee health
Tech companies have come to realize that a healthy employee is a happy and productive employee. As such, many have invested heavily in creating wellness programs that encourage and assist a healthy lifestyle both in and outside the office. We set out to see just what these programs looked like at a few NYC startups. Here's what we found. Group Nine Media is one of the world's biggest digital-first media companies.
The best of the best of NYC tech offices in 2016
We visit a ton of cool offices at Built In NYC — it's a perk of the job. And, while (almost) all tech offices we visit are nice places to work, some are exceptional. Some have awesome kitchens, some have rooftop gardens to die for and others are just jam-packed with video games and booze. They all have their own charms. So, to help make sense of it all, we thought we'd compile our own "best of the best" list for NYC tech offices.
For women in tech, New York City is calling
Last year, McKinsey published a report outlining how $12 trillion could be added to global GDP by 2025 if appropriate measures are taken to advance women’s equality in both society and the workforce. As systemic gender disparities are rooted in business at-large, that goal is easier said than done.
How AOL reinvented itself into a modern media giant and adtech powerhouse
When you think of AOL, most of us probably think about the infernally slow age of dial-up, one of the largest, and worst, mergers, ‘You’ve got mail,’ and this social gateway. Walking into AOL’s bustling office in Astor Place paints a different picture, and it’s anything but outdated. The expansive, multi-story office feels more like a chic hotel than a corporate headquarters and exudes the spirited vibe typical in startup settings — but at an enormous scale.
Vroom looks to hit the gas on growth, drives home with $50M in new funding
Vroom, the New York-based online pre-owned car retailer, announced today it raised a $50 million Series E funding round. Altimeter Capital and Foxhaven Asset Management joined existing investors L. Catterton, General Catalyst Partners, Allen & Company, and funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. Vroom has seen rapid growth in the three years since its founding and raised $218 million in funding to date.
Spot.IM scores $13M Series A to empower digital publishers’ social communities
Spot.IM, a social engagement platform that’s disrupting the digital publishing industry, announced today it has closed a $13 million Series A. The round was led by Index Ventures and AltaIR Capital, with additional investments from Norma Investments Limited, M&C Saatchi Mobile CEO, James Hilton, Wix co-founder and CEO, Avishai Abrahami, Wix co-founder and CTO, Giora Kaplan, Wix President and COO, Nir Zohar, Brian Bedol and Ran Tushia.
These 17 women are shaping venture capital in NYC
According to a recent study published by TechCrunch, only seven percent of partners at the top 100 venture firms in the world are women. That means that 54 out of the 755 partners at these venture firms are women, a number congruent with technology’s notorious reputation as a male dominated industry. But change is in the air. According to the study, 16 percent of new venture capital firms have been founded by at least one women, complementing the industry’s growing diversity numbers.
InVision clinches $55 million Series D to help companies build better digital experiences
InVision, a collaborative prototyping and design platform, has raised a $55 million Series D. The round was led by ICONIQ Capital, a venture firm with previous investments in companies such as Sprinklr SprinklrVisit their siteView company profile and Datadog DatadogVisit their siteView company profile. Existing investors Accel Partners and FirstMark Capital also participated in the round. This investment brings the company’s total funding to $135 million since it was founded in 2011.
Brooklyn coliving startup, Common, scores $16M to expand to SF, DC
Common was founded by General Assembly co-founder Brad Hargreaves in 2015 and officially opened its first coliving space in Crown Heights, Brooklyn back in October. The company rents out apartment buildings and sublets rooms in shared suites for a minimum of 90 days. After that, renters can move out as they please, or hop around to different Common locations.
Northside Fest (with images, tweets) 路 AnthonySodd 路 Storify
Are you sure you want to delete your account? You'll lose everything, forever! Of course not!
NFL Stadiums by Ranking: The Redskins Suck
After last night's game I doubt many fans will want to hear it, but a new study shows that FedEx Field is one of the least popular venues in football. The Roosevelts ranked all 31 NFL stadiums according to their overall Yelp reviews and found that FedEx field is pretty much as bad as it gets. The stadium that scored the best, infuriatingly, was Green Bay’s Lambeau Field, followed by Seattle’s CenturyLink Field and Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.
Capitol Hill Shooting: What We Know So Far
Image via Instagram. [UPDATE: 8:56 p.m.] The black Infinity in today's Capitol Hill incident was registered to 34-year-old dental hygienist Miriam Carey of Stamford, Ct. Authorities believe that Carey was driving the car. [UPDATE: 6:14 p.m.] Police have confirmed that two police officers were injured in the incident today and that both are expected to make a full recovery.
7 Infuriating Behaviors Every Metro Rider Has Encountered
When you ride any form of public transportation you are guaranteed to come into contact with people who you might otherwise choose to avoid. There are pushy people, slow people, sick people and, every so often, people pooping in a trash can.
How to Help the Homeless When It’s Bitterly Cold
With temperatures well below freezing, it is jarring to walk by people panhandling on the streets or tucked away underneath blankets in the nooks and cranny’s of buildings. While you run shivering from one heated building to another heated building, these people are left out in the cold. According to a 2013 HUD study, some 200,000 Americans are homeless and not living in shelters – a sad reality that is incredibly dangerous in this sort of weather.
Citing standard of living, Bay Area tech employees long for NYC
According to a new survey, Bay Area tech workers are looking to escape, and they want to escape to New York. The survey, created by the tech hiring research firm Woo.io , found that almost thirty precent of the Bay Area’s tech workforce wanted to leave. That was up about seven percent from just the end of last year. Of those, a whopping 46 percent said they were interested in moving to New York — an increase of almost 10 percent since the end of last year.
Alley or Valley: Test your knowledge of the NYC tech scene
Alright, New York — you think you know your tech scene? Well take this quick quiz to test your tech city knowledge. All you have to do is answer if a company is from Frisco (they hate when we call it that) or from right here in New York. We tried to keep it nice and easy, and most of the companies in the quiz are large, well established and consumer-facing. Of course, then some are not. Hit play and in the blank spot simply answer if each company is based in New York or Frisco. It's that simple.
Week in review: Classpass changes pricing structure, NYC metrocards get upgrade and more
ClassPass’s current pricing structure doesn’t allow for more power users than folks who work out a few times each month. To get out ahead of that shift, ClassPass is now offering users a five-pack plan each month. The pricing on this five-pack varies by city based on the average cost of fitness classes in a given market, and rolled out nationwide on Wednesday. [TechCrunch] New York City is looking to finally replace its outdated, difficult-to-use Metrocard system for public transit.
Even Thought Leadership is Ripe for Disruption
Uber. Airbnb. Netflix. These are only a few of the companies that haunt the nightmares of CEOs. We are in an era of runaway innovation, where new market entrants have the ability to derail and, in some instances, outright flatten their era’s predecessor. But while we navigate increasingly uncertain markets, our time is not that of the Wild Wild West. Sometimes, there really is room in town for more than one outlaw. Which brings me to thought leadership.
This NYC startup will help you find undiscovered wonders wherever you are
In 2009, Dylan Thuras and Joshua Foer founded Atlas Obscura Atlas ObscuraVisit their siteView company profile as a passion project, aiming to create a collaborative, online form of a travel book.
Escape the office: 5 free, wifi-enabled places to work outside in NYC
Sure, New York is a concrete jungle, but that doesn’t mean the jungle isn't full of cool places to work outside. Even if your landlord bolted and alarmed the door to your rooftop, you can still breath fresh air and soak up some sun while burning through emails. Here are our five favorite places to work in Manhattan's great outdoors: Yup, Bryant Park is wired. Actually, it was one of the first parks in the city to offer free wifi way back in 2002.
20 Columbia alumni who founded major New York tech companies
New York City universities are renowned for producing top-tier tech talent and entrepreneurs. Among the wide-selection of institutions in the city, Columbia University is a thriving hub for entrepreneurship, scoring a spot on Forbes’ list of Top 50 schools for entrepreneurs and clocking in as the fourth most popular school for female founders to graduate from.
Startup Phenomenon Women: A Day of Ideas, Advice and Networking
With more than 8.6 million women-owned businesses in the United States generating over $1.3 trillion in revenues, women are an integral part of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Networks of women continue to make an enormous impact on economies all over the world. What sorts of entrepreneurial communities will attract this talent? How can women entrepreneurs create their own successful startup ecosystems?
50 Colorado Startups to Watch in 2016
Related: Best Startups to Work for in Colorado Colorado tech is booming. A lot of growth is being driven by the small, innovative companies that Colorado seems to have an uncanny ability to foster. While the state is home to its fair share of large tech companies, it is these smaller comcanarypanies that will be the next big thing. Just like last year, we’ve picked 50 startups we think are worth watching.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Anthony
Contact Anthony, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack