‘Tech sales boot camp’ gives help
Editor’s note: Here are five Bay Area startups worth watching this week.
With no formal college education or any experience in tech, Rafael Olimpiada was held back by his resume.
Then he signed up for training with AlwaysHired — a San Francisco company that taught him how to land a job at a tech startup. AlwaysHired describes itself as a “tech sales boot camp.” Engineering talent is coveted in Silicon Valley. But for those who are not as computer savvy, sales jobs are often a good point of entry. Trainees don’t just learn how to sell tech products; they learn how to sell themselves, too.
During the AlwaysHired program, Olimpiada, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was taught the basics of making a sales call, from what tone to use with a prospective client to which phrases to use when a customer doesn’t seem interested. Shortly after he graduated from the three-week program in February, he landed a job as an account manager at Base CRM, a business software company in Mountain View.
“Now I want to move up the ranks, and see how far I can go from here,” Olimpiada said.
AlwaysHired charges about $300 in tuition up front. Once a student lands a job, they pay AlwaysHired 6 percent of the new gig’s first-year salary.
“Product managers and (user experience) designers don't have entry-level” roles, said AlwaysHired CEO Gabriel Moncayo said. “Sales is an easy way to get people in and then they can grow their business.”
AlwaysHired, founded in 2015, has raised $500,000. Some AlwaysHired graduates now work at Bay Area companies as big as Yelp and Google.
Moncayo said the increased attention on Crunchbase, the startup database, could come from a new group of trainees who start this week.
Also trending: Bright Funds
Gives employees a way to make charitable donations matched by their employers. What happened: CEO Ty Walrod said Bright Funds has teamed up with many Fortune 500 companies. Why it matters: Walrod says his company makes charitable donations as easy as sending a tweet. Headquarters: San Francisco Funding: $6.8 million Employees: 20
ClearGraph
Offers a search function for business data that allows workers to ask questions in plain English, instead of having to learn special software tools.
What happened: The company won the Celent Research Model Bank award for emerging tech. Why it matters: ClearGraph’s technology allows businesses to understand their clients and industries better. Headquarters: Palo Alto Funding: $3 million Employees: 15
BirdEye
An online reputation-management tool for businesses. What happened: The company was honored at the 2017 American Business Awards this month. Why it matters: As companies’ online reputations become increasingly important and sensitive, BirdEye monitors Internet reviews so it can fix any problems as they happen.
Headquarters: Sunnyvale Funding: $33 million
Employees: 101 to 250
Good Parents Inc.
Maker of Kiddo, a health and wellness tracker for kids. What happened: In the past, it has secured endorsements from UCSF Medical Center and UC Davis, the company said. Why it matters: This technology allows parents to monitor their kids’ stress, activity, skin temperature, heart rate and perspiration levels. Headquarters: San Francisco Funding: $2.5 million Employees: 10