Raleigh-based Pendo to hire 400 people in 2021

RALEIGH–Pendo, a platform that accelerates product adoption and one of the Triangle’s handful of billion-dollar unicorn companies, said it plans to hire 400 people this year.

In a year-end review, the company said it has 120 positions open now.

Pendo experienced headcount growth across every function, adding 168 new employees, including 12 executives in 2020.

A happy place: Pendo earns No. 5 national ranking for employee attitude

It said notable 2020 milestones include substantial growth in bookings from new and existing customers, the launch of its Pendo Free product, and global expansion into the Asia-Pacific region.

Demand for Pendo increased as companies plan for long-term remote or hybrid work environments; the proliferation of workplace software has made it a necessity for companies to invest in tools to drive software adoption.

Inside a unicorn: How Pendo is making a big difference in software

“Despite the many challenges of 2020, the team innovated and hustled to meet growing demand for Pendo as companies’ digital transformation plans accelerated,” said Todd Olson, CEO and co-founder of Pendo.

Highlights of the fiscal year include:

Revenue and customer growth: Pendo exceeded revenue expectations for the year, with growth in new bookings from traditional enterprises and increased sales from existing customers.

The customer count approached 2000, with new customers in the fourth quarter including John Wiley & Sons, Imperfect Foods Inc., Mercury Insurance, Inc., Essity Hygiene and Health AB, Seismic Software, Brainshark, Zix, and Balto Software.

Global expansion: Pendo now employs more than 100 people outside the United States, with growth of its teams in Israel and the United Kingdom and its late 2020 expansion into the Asia-Pacific region.

Pendo opened an office in Tokyo in November 2020, and will open an office in Sydney, Australia in early 2021, bringing its total global office count to eight.

Product: Over the fiscal year, Pendo shipped 67 product releases, leading to new products, features and capabilities.

They included Pendo Free: A free version of Pendo that gives companies access to Pendo’s analytics and in-app guidance capabilities, helping product managers answer the common question: Are my customers using my product the way we envisioned they would?

Pendo also supported customers and the broader product community through virtual events, education and thought leadership, and a new book:

More than 3,000 people attended the company’s first virtual Pendomonium user conference tripled from past events; another 3,000 attended at least one monthly Pendorama event; and 10 new regional Pendo User Groups formed, bringing the total to 21.

Pendo also announced the launch of Pendo Neighborhood, a new platform for Pendo customers that includes education, events and networking opportunities.
ProductCraft: Traffic to Pendo’s online community for product people jumped 40% during the year as it published a record 220 original articles and hosted nearly 1,200 attendees for its first virtual event.

Founded by product people in 2013, Pendo is backed by Battery Ventures, Spark Capital, Meritech Capital and Sapphire Ventures.