Growing startup in climate tech - Anonymous employee First Street Foundation Employee Review

-Strong mission and desire to do good in the world -Genuinely caring coworkers -Just raised a large funding round -Starting as a non profit gives the company more stability than your typically early stage start up -Highly accessible leadership team and CEO -Better work life balance than many tech companies -Less attrition than many tech companies -Demand for the product just skyrocketed due to new regulations

-Operating in a highly competitive space, with the need to move quickly -Company is still figuring out what it means culturally to no longer be a non profit -There is a loud but very small group of employees who are not happy with the change to for profit (they appear to have written most of these reviews)

The tchnical team at the firm is amazing... really smart, easy to work with, and super dedicated to tackling the link between climate issues and financial risks. They’re strong in all the technical areas, and yes, First Street work is needed... BUT....

Zero Transparency: You’re always kept in the dark about the real state of the business. The all-hands meetings are bs The PTO Policy is a Joke: They basically force you to limit vacations to 5 days. They’d rather you take a random afternoon here and there than an actual week off to recharge. "Startup Speed" is an Excuse: Leadership constantly says "we move fast," but it just means rushing out unvalidated products that aren't ready. Despite the chaos, there’s no actual growth to show for it and the ARR certainly isn’t reflecting the "speed." Toxic Leadership: The CEO is pretty arrogant, and for a fact, I know doesn't care about feedback. The strategy changes whenever a potential client asks for something new, leaving the company feeling lost... and team members feeling disconnected with firm's direction and goals. Management is stingy; the food they advertise consists of weekly breakfasts (bagels with schmear), which only cost around four dollars, and team lunches once per quarter, which are generally pizza. No Job Security: Again, feedback culture is non-existent. You’ll get compliments one day and be fired the next. A culture of fear and uncertainty prevents employees from doing their best, as they are too fearful and only do what they are instructed. Overall: It’s an exhausting environment where everyone is on edge. You basically have to spend your energy "pleasing" the CEO just to survive. Not worth the burnout.