What type of tech company is right for me? 🤔

Breaking down the different types of tech companies

When considering what kind of tech company you want to work for, there are many factors to consider — such as size, industry and business model. First and foremost, though, is the type of product they offer.

At the end of the day, all tech companies provide a product, which has users. That product, though, can take various forms — which result in fundamentally different types of companies.

This also means that there are certain types of specialized jobs that will be more common at the company, based on the type it is.

Here’s how they break down:

Software as a service (SaaS)

This is the most common type of tech company. A SaaS company develops a piece of software, and makes it available to end users. The product can be free or paid to use.

Examples of SaaS companies include:

• Slack

• Dropbox

• Salesforce

You might like working for a SaaS company if:

• You enjoy talking to customers

• You like digging into user feedback

• You enjoy solving problems for users

SaaS companies hire lots of people in:

• Sales

• Product Marketing

• User Research

Marketplaces

Marketplaces are tech products that match supply and demand. The most successful ones are able to remove friction from the transaction, and add trust for both sides.

Examples of marketplace companies include:

• Uber

• Airbnb

• DoorDash

You might like working for a Marketplace company if:

• You have an analytical mindset

• You enjoy pouring through large volumes of data

• You like running experiments

Marketplace companies hire lots of people in:

• Operations

• Strategy

• Data Science

Social Networks

Social networks are products that focus on fostering connection among people, using technology.

Examples of social networking companies include:

• TikTok

• Instagram

• Clubhouse

You might like working for a social networking company if:

• You‘re interested in psychology

• You’re interested in the creator economy

• You enjoy creating digital content

Social networking companies hire lots of people in:

• Growth

• User Experience (UX)

• Mobile Engineering (iOS / Android)

FinTech

FinTech companies deal with all things finance — money, currency, and payments. This includes managing your finances, making payments, and trading stocks.

Examples of FinTech companies include:

• Wealthsimple

• Stripe

• Coinbase

You might like working for a FinTech company if:

• You enjoy navigating the policy and regulatory landscape

• You’re interested in internationalization

• You have a background in Economics or Finance

FinTech companies hire lots of people in:

• Operations

• Legal

• Finance

Hardware

Hardware companies build physical products — such as laptops, smartphones, and electronic devices. Besides this, the other key difference between them and software companies is the release cycles.

Software can be launched and continuously iterated on a daily basis, while Hardware deals with long release cycles due to the physical manufacturing required. This means the day-to-day work can be quite different at a software and hardware company.

Examples of Hardware companies include:

• Apple

• Tesla

• Microsoft

You might like working for a Hardware company if:

• You have an Engineering background

• You like building physical things

• You’re interested in computer technology

Hardware companies hire lots of people in:

• Engineering

• Program Management

• Quality Assurance

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Now that you know about what the different types of tech companies are, the next step is to decide what kind of job you’d want.

We’ll cover that in my next post!