Forbes Names Aha! as One of America’s Best Startup Employers

It is a thrilling time to be part of the Aha! team. Recently we announced that our company surpassed a major milestone — $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR). We also launched Aha! Create, a new digital notebook for product and company builders. (Editor's note: Aha! Create is now Aha! Notebooks. See what is new.) And we are already seeing organizations pledge their commitment to the Bootstrap Movement, an approach to sustainable business growth that is rooted in purpose, self-reliance, and value exchange.

Now I am excited to share that we are on the 2022 Forbes' list of America's best startup employers — for the third year in a row.

Forbes partnered with market research company Statista to evaluate 2,500 U.S.-based startups. All companies included were founded between 2012 and 2019 and have at least 50 employees. Each of the final 500 organizations were ranked on three main criteria: employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and company growth. This entailed reviewing articles and social media posts, reviews from current and former employees, website traffic, and headcount over time.

The final group of companies spans a range of industries, including healthcare, finance, and technology. Many of the top 100 organizations provide business products and software services — the tools folks need to do their jobs more effectively and add real value for their customers. This is just what the Aha! suite of tools provides. We empower teams at every step of the product development process, from strategizing and ideating to planning, building, and launching.

We are proud to be recognized for our unique operating philosophy. We are purpose-driven, self-reliant, and dedicated to creating real value.

A big reason for our success is The Responsive Method (TRM), our framework for interacting with customers and teammates in a mutually-beneficial way. Our entire team moves quickly and with purpose, helping each other when the need is most urgent. This means that all of our interactions are grounded in respect and service — we lead with curiosity, transparency, and kindness.

Being a different type of company can be a galvanizing force. It spurs those around you to take notice and attracts exceptional people to join the team. Among the many attributes that set us apart, Aha! is:

• A market leader — We serve more than 5,000 companies and 500,000 of their users. Many of their product development stories highlight why they trust us to help them build great products and be happy doing it.

• Highly profitable — We celebrate our financial success with the team via biannual profit-sharing. And we give back to the most vulnerable members of our local communities through Aha! Cares.

• Fully remote — Great work is not defined by a location. We stay connected and achieve meaningful results while being entirely distributed.

• Bootstrapped — As champions of the Bootstrap Movement, we are self-funded and purpose-driven. We prioritize value over valuation and believe in sustainable growth.

• Lovable — Customer and teammate joy are paramount. Lovability, our bestselling book, explains how we are able to deliver real value and be happy doing it.

It is humbling to help so many companies build products that customers love and be recognized as the top product development software.

But what matters more than external validation is the happiness of our team. There would be no Aha! without the kind, talented folks who help our customers build better products every day. This is why we continue to regularly track and report on lovability as a business metric — to make sure the joy of our team and customers grows over time.

Together we work hard to deliver real value to our customers, colleagues, and communities every day.

We are bootstrapped, profitable, fully remote, and hiring. Join our team.