Why Yoodli landed as a Top Startup in Seattle

A great place to work is one where the brand is real and not just a slick pitch. You know what you’re getting yourself into, you’re excited to be part of that particular vibe, and once you’re in, you want to stay there. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect. It just means it’s right for you. It’s also why I’m so proud Yoodli was just named one of LinkedIn’s Top Startups in Seattle.

So how do you tell from the outside? After all, you can’t take a company’s word for it. You have to watch what people do. Do they apply? Join? Stay? Or, whoops, do they leave?!

That’s exactly what LinkedIn’s Top Startups list measures, and it’s why I love it. You can’t apply for it, and nobody gets to spin it. It’s built on which companies people are watching, applying to, and leaving other great companies to join. This year, Yoodli came in at #5 on LinkedIn’s Top Startups list in Seattle.

Take a look at what we actually post on LinkedIn. Polished team videos and perfectly staged photos? Nope! Instead, you’ll find a whole lot of selfies, usually with our customers and super users! You might even find a video of our CEO riding a scooter around the office. We’re a bit goofy, and we’re also insanely passionate about our customers and the product we’re building. We’ll hustle through the rough patches, but we’ve always got each other’s backs.

That’s what it feels like from the inside, too. I know, because I got to see it up close before I ever joined.

How I got here

I met Yoodli as an HR consultant. Yoodli’s CFO, Andy (my buddy & former coworker) brought me in to help with compensation strategy. The longer I stayed, the more interesting the work got. I also kept meeting more of the team, and every week I was having more fun.

So when Varun reached out this summer about bringing on a full-time People leader, I didn’t have to think long. I could walk away from my favorite client, or I could join a team I already felt pulled into. I knew right away which one I wanted, and I joined full-time in August.

Inside one of the top startups in Seattle

If you ask me what it’s like here, my honest answer is good vibes. I know, fluffy. But good vibes are what you feel when smart people trust each other, like working together, and don’t take themselves too seriously.

A few other things that are true:

• It moves fast. Really fast. Priorities shift, and decisions don’t wait for perfect information.
• The product is easy to love. Yoodli is betting on humans in an AI world. More than a million learners, along with companies like Google, Databricks and Sandler, use our AI platform to build, practice, coach and measure the skills their people need most. Helping people grow is my function’s whole mission, so I use it myself. Our managers practice navigating tricky conversations, and candidates practice interviewing with us so they feel their best when they get to the real call.
• We make time to know each other. This August, the whole company spent a few days together at Vibes Week: a pickleball tournament, a beach BBQ, and lots of time with people we don’t usually get to work with.
• The office has seals! Okay, they’re not technically ours, but we can see them from our spot on Pier 70. Try focusing on a business meeting when the orcas are breaching!

Who will love it here

A brand that’s real helps the right people find you and lets everyone else opt out. This isn’t the place for everyone, and that’s okay.

You might love it here if:

• You like speed. If moving fast energizes you, you’ll thrive. If it makes you feel rushed and unprepared, it’s probably not the right company for you.
• You like building. You get energy from creating things that don’t exist yet.
• You care about customers. We’re insanely passionate about the people who use Yoodli, and it shows up in how we work every day.
• You can be candid and kind. You hold high standards and still care about the people around you. I coach on this a lot. One of my proudest moments so far was helping a first-time people manager care for his team with real compassion and still hold clear expectations. A lot of managers think they have to pick one. But you don’t. You can do both, and you should.

Come see for yourself

A ranking is a snapshot. What it reflects, though, is a lot of talented people deciding this is where they want to build, and my job is to make sure they’re glad they did.

To everyone who’s been keeping an eye on us, applying for jobs here, or even accepting them: thank you! To the Yoodli team: you’re the reason the brand is real. And to LinkedIn News, thanks for the recognition.

If what you see here sounds like you, come talk to us. We’re hiring.

About the author

Rachel Cougan is VP of People at Yoodli. She has spent more than 20 years building People teams at fast-growing companies, including Hiya. She’s also a certified coach, a West Coast native and, in her own words, a coffee addict and an optimist.