Celebrating 11 Years of Digital Innovation
When Appstem was founded in 2010, mobile apps were just starting to gain in popularity. The Apple App Store launched in 2008 and at the time, only Apple could create apps. Everybody wanted to have an app but didn’t always know why they needed an app. Now, 11 years after its founding, Appstem is working with some of the country’s most innovative companies, including Tesla, Kaiser and Genentech, to achieve their vision.
This anniversary is coming after a chaotic year that saw unprecedented challenges. For companies across all industries, this year has been a test of patience and resilience, but for Appstem it has also been a year of reflection and lessons that have positioned the company for the year ahead.
Appstem has been incredibly fortunate to not have to lay off employees or otherwise reduce staff during the pandemic. While the company saw some competitors suffer, Appstem actually grew its team. Despite all of the challenges, we are grateful for a good 2020 and have exciting growth plans for 2021. The year is already off to a great start with some key new hires and clients wins.
The company also shifted its stance on remote work. Appstem had been a mostly remote company until 2013 but had made the decision to move staff into their San Francisco office. At the time, the decision made sense as it encouraged a creative, collaborative culture that kept employees engaged. Now that the pandemic has forced everyone to work from home, leadership pivoted to a completely remote work model. In the future, they’ll likely return to a hybrid but until then the remote format is working. Collaboration still happens with tools like Zoom, Slack, Asana and Google Drive. The flexibility that comes with a remote workforce has empowered the staff to stay engaged and find ways to grow into a stronger team.
One of the biggest positives to come out of 2020 is the company’s ability to be nimble and adapt to a rapidly changing (and uncertain) environment. From leadership down, the team recognizes that change is good and challenges only make you stronger on the other side. “Pivot” may be a buzzword but is a quality that organizations need to embrace to survive a year like we’ve just weathered. It’s part of Appstem’s culture and allows the company to thrive.
Appstem is ready to head into year 12 a little older and a little wiser. We’re growing our team and always looking for new and exciting problems to solve. If you’re looking for help with your software development project, we’d love to hear from you.
