Nestled between legendary universities and some of the best hospitals in the country, Boston is also home to six tech companies that are shaking up the healthcare, HR and security industries.
From quantum-engineering diamonds to collaborating with ethical hackers, the extraordinary projects that employees at these six Boston companies are taking on will deliver innovative solutions for customers.
With talented teams, millions of dollars in investments and leaders dedicated to building inclusive cultures, these organizations stood out among others. Their teams are filled with passionate people who are dedicated to problem-solving, growth and ensuring their products and services fill unique gaps in the tech industry.
For these reasons and more, Built In Boston is featuring these six workplaces as our companies of the month.
What Cohere Health does: Founded in August 2019, Cohere Health was established on the basic premise that every patient deserves to be fully informed, every doctor should feel supported and every health plan should deliver the best possible outcomes. With the help of AI-driven technology, the healthtech company provides solutions to streamline the healthcare process for patients and providers.
Mentorship matters: Director of Engineering Andrew MacLeay told Built In Boston in June 2022 that managers provide support and structure to enable even the newest engineers to contribute fully to team projects. “Mentorship in Cohere engineering is about giving every member of the team the opportunity to be a full partner in the process at every stage, and always encouraging them to take leadership opportunities,” MacLeay said.
In the news: In November 2022, digital health marketplace AVIA Connect named Cohere Health as a top company in prior authorization. Cohere Unify, the company’s intelligent prior authorization platform, helps ensure that patients receive speedy, evidence-based care plans.
What Takeda does: Pharmaceutical company Takeda opened its global headquarters in Tokyo in 2018, but the roots of the company stretch back to 1781, when Takeda founder Chobei I began selling traditional Japanese and Chinese herbal medicines from an Osaka market. More than two centuries later, Takeda is committed to delivering research-driven, life-saving pharmaceuticals to patients worldwide, and the company now has dozens of offices around the world, including one in Lexington, Massachusetts.
In the news: In May 2022, Takeda announced an updated commitment to achieving net-zero greenhouse emissions in its operations by 2035 — a five-year acceleration of its previous commitment — and throughout its value chain by 2040.
“The health of our planet and the health of people are inextricably linked — reducing carbon emissions and minimizing our environmental footprint is essential to driving sustainable growth,” President and CEO Christophe Weber said in a statement. “This accelerated commitment is ambitious but comes from a recognition that we can do more to be responsible and ethical stewards of the planet we share.”
Who Takeda is hiring: Takeda is hiring more than a dozen roles in operations, product, data and analytics and more.
What DUST Identity does: With the help of quantum-engineered diamonds, DUST Identity assigns a digital tag to physical items such as products, parts and packaging so they can be verified, tracked and traced throughout the supply chain. The company’s three co-founders — Ophir Gaathon, Jonathan Hodges and Dirk Englund — met in 2011 as Columbia University Ph.D. candidates studying diamonds’ quantum characteristics. Seven years later, they launched the Newton-based security software company and its Diamond Unclonable Secure Tag — for which the company was named.
Prioritizing problem-solving: For Director of Software Engineering Conor Hackett, the culture at DUST Identity stands out for its growth-centered approach to obstacles. “There are three qualities that stand out about our team: a learning mindset, a team-first mentality and our hacker ethos,” Hackett told Built In Boston in September 2022. “We see each technical challenge as a puzzle and are humbled by our recognition that through grit, experimentation, learning and the collective strength of our team, it is only a matter of time until we find a solution.”
In the news: On December 14, 2022, DUST Identity announced the addition of two new executives to its team: Roger Brown as chief operating officer and Rod Schultz as senior vice president of product. Brown came to DUST after a 20-year career in marketing leadership at T-Mobile. Schultz most recently worked as head of product security and privacy at Zoom and possesses 25 years of prior experience in product and engineering roles at Cisco, Apple and Adobe.
What the Predictive Index does: The Predictive Index runs a talent optimization platform trusted by more than 10,000 companies, including DocuSign, Nissan and Formstack. The HR tech company’s software platform analyzes behavioral data to support leaders in hiring top talent, inspiring teams and measuring employee engagement.
Committed to inclusion: In September 2022, Built In connected with Faridah Bori, user operations team lead, to discuss how The Predictive Index’s employee resource groups are championing a culture of diversity and inclusion. “Our Queer@PI ERG spearheaded a Pride event this past June that was both educational and celebratory,” Bori said. “C-suite members moved calendar meetings to attend, signifying their commitment and approved the suspension of PI’s live support service to ensure ALL staff could participate.”
In the news: The Predictive Index announced in September 2022 that it had received a $30 million minority investment from automotive industry company JM Family Enterprises. CEO Mike Zani said the company would use the investment to expand product capabilities and ensure an engaging software experience.
What Cybereason does: Calling its team and clients “the defenders,” Cybereason assembles professionals from the military, government intelligence agencies and security enterprises to provide businesses with cybersecurity solutions. CEO and Co-Founder Lior Div is a hacking expert who received a medal of honor for his service as commander of a cybersecurity team in the Israel Defense Forces.
Mission alignment: For Director of Product Management Eitan Moriano, Cybereason’s product purpose perfectly complements organizational goals. “Our product vision is derived from the company vision, to protect people and information in the new and open connected world, and from our mission to reverse the adversary advantage by empowering defenders with ingenuity and technology to stop cyber threats,” Moriano told Built In Boston in October 2022.
In the news: In September 2022, Cybereason announced a partnership with Vietnamese IT company FPT Software to prevent cyberattacks on businesses in the Asia-Pacific region.
What Detectify does: Detectify automates and scales crowdsourced cybersecurity research for more than 10,000 users, including Grammarly and Photobox. To achieve this, the security software company partners with ethical hackers — people who expose system vulnerabilities by lawful means.
Enabling cross-cultural collaboration: While the company currently operates on a hybrid model, Dan Drees, head of sales in the Americas, told Built In in May 2022 that Detectify offers many opportunities for in-person collaboration and team bonding. One highlight is its cultural and competence exchange program, in which employees from Detectify’s headquarters in Sweden spend about a month in Boston with their American colleagues.
“Our hybrid approach along with the cultural exchange initiative has really allowed us to find that sweet spot where you get a chance to build great relationships with the amazing people at this company and enjoy the freedom remote work brings,” Drees said.
In the news: In September 2022, Detectify announced that it had raised $10 million in funding, bringing the company’s total raised amount to $42 million. CEO Rickard Carlsson said the funds would contribute to product development and improving the overall user experience.
