Searching for a new career path in the expansive tech industry can be a thrill. But it can also feel like an overwhelming plunge without knowing where to start – especially in a major hub like San Francisco. Researching companies, matching mission statements to personal values and going through continuous rounds of interviews can feel like a job itself.
However, when you find that right position — whether the fit is thanks to your deep passion for the product or leadership establishing a clear timeline for career mobility — you know.
“I’ve followed Crunchyroll’s growth from the beginning and have been a long-time user,” Annabel Ly, product manager at the anime and manga media platform, said. “It felt like the most natural next step in my career: combining my lifelong passion for anime with my love for technology and developing user-driven experiences.”
For Liam Delumpa, senior software engineer team lead at Human Interest, knowing there was a path to greater responsibility was an important factor.
“I have weekly one-on-ones with my manager to discuss career growth,” Delumpa said. “Leadership is devoted to employee engagement and satisfaction. After six months, they promoted me.”
Built In San Francisco caught up with seven local tech pros to learn more about what drew them to their roles, what passion projects keep them inspired and what’s making them stick around for the long haul. And did we mention they’re all hiring?
Divvy Homes is on a mission to make homeownership happen for families and individuals who don’t qualify for a traditional mortgage.
It’s a team effort: “There is a high amount of trust and respect between not only Divvy and our customers, but among the Divvy team as well,” Pottabathni said. “In order for us to succeed operationally, a lot of moving parts and work need to get done both sequentially and synchronously, and this is only feasible if everyone trusts their counterparts to get the job done. Each job in the chain is critical to Divvy’s success and ultimately the success of our customers to trek on the path toward homeownership.
“The team does an amazing job of recognizing the importance of each role, celebrating the achievements and respecting the function. The executive team in turn places a lot of trust in the company by being transparent and candid about the health of the businesses and makes all the information presented to the board available to the rest of the company. This creates a cycle of motivation that is infectious at every level.”
Making a difference: “Divvy has already made a huge impact on the lives of thousands of families across the United States, and the change we can make at scale could be transformational. Divvy has a chance to fundamentally shift the traditional path of homeownership and ultimately make it more equitable and available. As a newly promoted engineering manager, I am excited to have been given the opportunity to grow the engineering team to help create the software that can make the product work at scale. Divvy has placed a lot of trust in me to hit my goals, invested in my personal and career growth, and has rewarded me with the opportunities and access to really make an impact on the business and ultimately our customers.”
Crunchyroll is home to the world’s largest collection of anime and manga fan experiences, offering everything from video content to merchandise, games and event invitations.
Passion behind the product: “I have been a huge anime fan for more than 20 years, starting with Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon when I was in elementary school and continuing on into adulthood where I find myself watching five to 10 shows weekly every season,” Ly said. “I’ve followed Crunchyroll’s growth from the beginning and have been a long-time user, so when this opportunity came up to contribute to the development of a product I use every day, it felt too good to be true. After working in the San Francisco tech scene for several years, it felt like the most natural next step in my career, combining my lifelong passion for anime with my love for technology and developing user-driven experiences.”
A fandom united: “The growing Crunchyroll community is unique, and our fans are connected not just by a shared love of anime but also participation in the fandom. My role focuses on feature development that goes beyond the streaming experience and enhances participation in anime fandom directly on the platform. From the ability to engage with comments on an episode you just watched to connecting with other fans’ unique perspectives in series ratings and reviews, I am excited that we are launching features that connect anime fans, both new and old, and enable all types of fans to be a part of the Crunchyroll community.”
Human Interest offers an easy and affordable 401(k) retirement plan for the modern workforce.
Delivering on commitments: “The reason I chose Human Interest and have remained here is because the leadership is so invested in my career growth,” Delumpa said. “When I first applied, I wanted a software engineer II position. I fumbled a little in the interview, so they offered me a position as a software engineer I, with the opportunity to prove myself for six months. After six months, they promoted me. I have weekly one-on-ones with my manager to discuss career growth, and have worked my way up to senior engineer and team lead.
“I have never been part of a company that truly cares for my well-being and career interests the way that Human Interest does. Leadership is devoted to employee engagement and satisfaction. Any opinions you have, positive or negative, are openly accepted and considered. If you are not satisfied with the nature of the work you are doing, leadership does their best to accommodate your requests to better align with your interests and needs. I have truly never felt taken care of by an employer to the extent I have at Human Interest.”
One-of-a-kind products: “We’re a standout in the industry because of the automation and support we offer to our small and medium-sized business clients and the way we disrupt the industry, such as by eliminating 401(k) transaction fees. My team builds automation for processes that competitors typically would be doing manually. I get to see firsthand how impactful the product can be and cannot imagine the pain our competitors must have in implementing 401(k) offerings without the extensive suite of automated tools that Human Interest has developed.
“Based on our last series of funding, it is clear that others in the industry recognize the same potential and value that I see. With this innovative mindset and culture, we are tenaciously adding features and building on new concepts to help our clients. One of our core company values is to deliver on our promise. We are devoted to delivering the best product and executing on the roadmap communicated to our stakeholders. I firmly believe that Human Interest has limitless potential.”
Butterfly Network is the creator of the handheld ultrasound monitoring device Butterfly IQ. They also provide point-of-care ultrasound operating software for use by medical professionals.
Matching the role: “The combination of working on breakthrough technology and the Butterfly Network mission to democratize healthcare were the deciding factors for me when presented the opportunity to join the software development team,” Huston said. “There are dramatic growth options across various healthcare sectors for our software team. My technical strengths and interests match the needs of a growing software development organization and will provide me with growth opportunities while delivering on the mission and driving the technology edge to take full advantage of the probe and our software platform capabilities.”
Extraordinary impact: “Working with extraordinary people is the thing that excites me the most about Butterfly Network. The collection of leading hardware and software developers who have disrupted the point-of-care ultrasound market is now pushing the boundaries of the Butterfly Network usage and opening opportunities into vast and impactful new markets. Working on a team consisting of members with special skills will enable me to expand my skill set and participate in the Butterfly Network mission of lowering the barrier to provide healthcare across the U.S. and the planet.”
UJET creates forward-thinking solutions designed specifically with smartphones in mind, seamlessly prioritizing the largest number of user experiences.
Knowing at first sight: “Customer support is not something I ever thought about, other than when I needed to talk to someone about an issue,” Tran said. “But after seeing a demo of the product during my interview, I knew this was a company I wanted to be a part of. The technology is first in class and the market is ripe for disruption. Everything about the product makes sense, so it was an easy choice for me to come work here. That was four years ago and I haven’t looked back.”
Growing influence: “We are growing a lot and I’m excited to see more and more people use our platform. I have direct input into the direction and technology we use to build our system and see the impact it has not only for UJET, but for our customers as well. I also get to help expand the talent of our engineering team across multiple states and countries.”
Next Insurance provides affordable and customizable policies to small business owners.
Endless support: “I have never encountered an organization that had such a genuine dedication and commitment to the development and growth of its employees, or one that was so willing to listen to the voice of the little guy,” Knight said. “I started in August 2017 when the company employed fewer than 50 people and our support team was just six, sitting back-to-back with Sofya, the COO. Despite being on the support team — a role which, in many places, earns condescension and patronizing remarks — I was treated like a full member of the company, respected and listened to like any other employee.
“I could not imagine this story playing out like this anywhere else. Without the leadership team, and all the other NEXTers who live our values daily, I would not have taken the job, and I certainly would not still be here raving about it four years later.”
Standing up for the little guy: “To me, NEXT’s success means fewer small businesses are likely to go under. It means solo entrepreneurs can scale to any size they dream of by using our small to medium-sized business springboard programs and resources. It means dreamers with more time to do what they love, a cash flow that is healthy enough to allow for reinvesting in business growth and a brand recognition strategy that will make them as big a name as they want to be.
“What excites me most is I’m pretty sure I’m going to take us there. My entire charter is to build customer loyalty by helping member businesses thrive. We believe propelling customers’ businesses forward also propels us, both by providing coverage for new elements of their business and also because helping customers succeed ensures they will stay with NEXT and likely become promoters, spreading the word about their great experiences with us. For the sake of the customer and for our bottom line, I will do everything in my power to help small businesses thrive.”
Affirm helps e-commerce businesses offer installment-based payment options to give customers a more flexible and transparent way to purchase goods.
Continuous improvement: “I’m most excited about helping our marketing and product teams understand our consumers to build better products,” Kirk said. “The work I’ve done to help our marketing team think about our positioning, consumer segmentation, and how we show up in media and advertising is just getting started. I'm really excited to see how this will elevate our brand equity in the space.”
