At Upstart, Women Represent 44.4% of Their Leadership Team: Here’s Why You Should Join Them

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Upstart employees.

Image courtesy of Upstart.

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“Upstart is here to build the future of credit for everyone, and we believe that our workplace should reflect the people we build things for. Upstart’s diversity and inclusion efforts go well beyond the hiring process. We welcome people from all walks of life, and we encourage activities and interactions across our teams.” — Upstart

All around Upstart, you can feel the collaborative company culture — one that highlights the multidimensional people who are committed to building the future of affordable credit for everyone.

Together, the Upstart team (or Upstarters) brings their domain expertise to revolutionize every aspect of lending and credit risk evaluation. At Upstart, differences in opinion are viewed positively, and employees are encouraged to share their ideas openly, explains one woman at the company.

The work culture is driven by the immensely unique backgrounds and experiences of the Upstarter team. Take, for example, the Chief Compliance Officer who ran a dance studio. Or the Chief Financial Officer who plays in a salsa band. Or the General Counsel who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. Differences and unique life experiences are truly celebrated at Upstart.

“We have a pretty awesome, blameless culture where we are all in it together and collectively find solutions to problems,” an anonymous employee adds. Other women at the company agree. One tells Fairygodboss that “Upstarters truly own and drive the culture that they want to see and build.”

Want to learn more about why women and non-binary people like you love working at Upstart? From the company’s mission to the career development opportunities, benefits and resource groups that empower Upstarters, here’s why Upstart is a great place to work.

What differentiates Upstart from others in this space/industry?

Upstart’s mission, technology and impact differentiate the company from others in this space. 

The Upstart mission is to enable effortless credit based on true risk. Our artificial intelligence (AI) lending platform is designed to improve access to affordable credit while reducing the risk and costs of lending for our bank partners. Upstart goes beyond the credit score, using non-conventional variables at scale to provide superior loan performance and improve consumers' access to credit. Improved access to affordable credit creates lasting impacts on our customers’ lives.

Describe 5 employee benefits that positively impact women who work at Upstart. 

  1. Upstarters have access to financial advisors and tax professionals through Origin who provide 1-on-1 financial planning and complementary tax filing.

  2. Upstart’s 401k matching program helps employees save for retirement.

  3. Upstart offers two generous budgets for wellness and productivity, which can be used for office equipment, physical and mental health apps, and tickets to conferences.

  4. Upstarters have flexible time off, which they are encouraged to use in order to achieve work/life balance

  5. Upstart offers an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), which can help employees reach their personal financial goals.

What career development opportunities can women job seekers expect from Upstart? How is career pathing approached? 

  • One of the employee resource groups, Superwomen, runs a mentorship program for members of the ERG. The program seeks to connect interested Upstarters (mentees) with more experienced colleagues who can share their knowledge, insights and perspective, as well as guide their mentees in developing skills they need to achieve their personal and professional goals.

    • Superwomen is a very active ERG. One member said that, since joining Superwomen, she has built friendships, improved her overall self esteem and has been provided with many self growth opportunities that benefited how she approached her desired career path. 

  • We offer a whole host of internal and upward mobility opportunities. The majority of the new roles are first advertised and announced internally, and employees are encouraged to apply for those roles.

  • Upstart boasts a strong culture of recognizing and rewarding good performance. We pay for performance (with performance-based bonus multipliers) and have a feedback-driven culture. 

Why should women want to grow their careers at Upstart? 

Representation matters, women represent 44.4% of the Upstart leadership team and 37.5% of the Upstart Board. Seeing other women in leadership roles helps you know that “the next step” is achievable. 

Is there anything else women should know about pursuing a career at Upstart? 

There are numerous opportunities for personal and professional growth. Every employee is given a personal development budget of $1,200 annually to pursue their own personal interests outside of the workplace. This is on top of the professional development budget held within their work group. This emphasis on personal development is rare and allows women to pursue their passions outside of the workplace.

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