Cultural-Fit-ology Final Results: The Organization with the Best Company Culture in Tech

March 25, 2013

OpenView’s Cultural-Fit-ology March Madness tournament came to a thrilling conclusion with HubSpot and SEOmoz locked in a battle to decide who has the “Best Company Culture in Tech.” The results are in and we have a winner.
After four rounds of head-to-head competition with some of the best names in tech, one company has emerged as OpenView’s first ever Cultural-Fit-ology champion.
And the winner is…
Champion HubSpot
The two companies gave us a final to remember, with SEOmoz climbing back from an early deficit to make it anyone’s match on Saturday, but in the end HubSpot rallied to pull away and prevail, winning 56% to 44%.
Capping off a dominating run through the Northeast region and its epic take down of Google in the Final Four, HubSpot proved it was (in)bound for glory, and that this was a title it wouldn’t be denied.
Download a copy of this year’s final bracket.
The Best Company Culture in Tech: HubSpot
Congratulations HubSpot! Let’s take one final look at the qualities that set this winning company culture apart, and the path HubSpot took to its championship title.
[new_royalslider id=”31″]
While SEOmoz’s run fell short, Roger & Co. can stand tall knowing they have an incredibly passionate fan base who poured in their votes, comments, and support.
What this tournament has made absolutely clear is that both companies have a connection with their employees and customers that goes well beyond the norm, and both serve as shining examples of what putting that connection and company culture first looks like.

Tournament Takeaways

1) Size Can Be a Challenge
There were more than a fair share of shocking upsets throughout the tournament, and we learned that when it comes to amazing company culture, size can actually be a potential disadvantage.
Both HubSpot and SEOmoz took down larger competitors who tipped the scales in terms of number of employees and brand awareness in their favor. If anything, the success of underdogs in the tournament may be an indication that the elements of a vibrant company culture — strong, personal relationships, a cohesive set of values and vision, and both individual and collective passion — is something that is easier to develop and inspire starting out than it is to maintain as you grow.
Perhaps the real challenge is finding ways to scale that passion and cohesive vision, and sustain those close connections in the midst of expansion and transition. With their solid foundations, however, both HubSpot and SEOmoz appear well prepared to take that challenge head on.
2) Great Companies are Community Builders
Both HubSpot and SEOmoz have the power of thriving communities behind them, and that’s because they have taken the time and effort to develop those communities around a focus on shared passions and interests rather than a focus on branded products and solutions. Inbound.org and the YouMoz Blog are two of the most active forums in their respective spaces, reaching beyond their founders to take on lives of their own.
3) Openness and Empowerment Rule
At the core of both companies’ cultures are two distinctly important qualities:

  1. An eagerness to be open and share information
  2. A passion to empower their customers, employees, and communities

4) It Pays to Have a Code (one that you don’t need to crack)
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons HubSpot and SEOmoz made it so far in a tournament based on company culture is because they have both taken such care in defining exactly what it is that defines them. They are crystal clear about their mission, vision, and values, and they have each put them front and center with the HubSpot Culture Code and the TAGFEE Code, respectively.

Thank You for Following this Year’s Tournament and Congratulations HubSpot!

Thank you to everyone who voted, participated, and otherwise helped make Cultural-Fit-ology possible! Stay tuned for more tips and tactics on developing a strong company culture from our winner, HubSpot, and in the meantime, see The HubSpot Code for an inside peek into the best company culture in tech:

 
 
 

 
 
 
 

OpenView, the expansion stage venture firm, helps build software companies into market leaders. Through our Expansion Platform, we help companies hire the best talent, acquire and retain the right customers and partner with industry leaders so they can dominate their markets. Our focus on the expansion stage makes us uniquely suited to provide truly tailored operational support to our portfolio companies. Learn more about OpenView at openviewpartners.com.