Placeable among Denver startups moving forward

Denver's startups are quickly moving from infancy to later stages of business.

For instance, Placeable was named a "Denver Gazelle" by the city's Office of Economic Development in 2013 for its success and growth potential.

At that point, the location-based advertising company had about 40 employees, and it's since continued to grow, attracting clients like Bank of America, Western Union and American Express, among others.

During Denver Startup Week, it's important to remember that the startup phase is just a stage of many. For companies to continue and thrive, they must grow beyond the startup stage.

Second-stage companies are those that have survived the startup trenches and have reached $1 million in revenues. Some of the initial pressures are gone, but new ones take their place.

"Whenever you're going through this type of change it is difficult because you're looking around and saying, 'What do we need to do differently?'" says Placeable VP of Marketing Melissa Risteff.

Risteff joined the company in January after stints at Sun Microsystems and GE. "I joined the organization when they were looking for a leadership team and trying to make sure they were staffed to grow and take the company to the next level," she says.

To keep the company on a positive growth path, management has enacted policies to help keep its 50-plus employees happy. All of the employees have an ownership stake in the company.

Risteff says making sure leadership cohesion is important, as is a high degree of accountability. That includes "making sure individuals are treated as mature adults, and can make decisions and take pride in their work," she contends. "We're very committed to the people in the company." That includes a personal development "bullet" programs, which allows employees to explore things of interest to them even if it's not related to the company.

Placeable also benefits from its location in Denver, and its market sector is attracting both customers and capital. Says Risteff: "The Denver tech scene is exploding, and I think there are a lot of companies and a lot strategic investment partners interested in our space."

Contact Confluence Denver Innovation & Jobs News Editor Chris Meehan with tips and leads for future stories at chris@confluence-denver.com.