Chalkfly
What it is: An e-commerce office and school supply company that funnels 5% of all sales directly back to teachers
Where it's located: Detroit, Mich.
Why it's a great place to work: Team members are encouraged to make the greatest impact in the local community and beyond. The team has monthly "culture outings," which have previously included ice skating, sushi-making classes, and Segway-ing around Detroit.
Cloudability
What it is: A cloud cost analytics company that lets users monitor, manage, and communicate about their cloud spending
Where it's located: Portland, Ore.
Why it's a great place to work: Cloudability offers employees and their families 100% paid health care, generous stock options, and no formal vacation policy. The company frequently hosts events such as monthly happy hours and semiannual off-site retreats.
Fanology
What it is: A social media company that builds the social influence of celebrities and brands, and helps connect them to their fans and consumers
Where it's located: Los Angeles, Calif.
Why it's a great place to work: Fanology schedules regular team-building activities, such as a high ropes course, and provides one-on-one mentoring. The team also has tea every day at 4 p.m.
Greatist
What it is: A fitness, health, and happiness digital media startup
Where it's located: New York, N.Y.
Why it's a great place to work: Employees get a free corporate gym membership, participate in weekly fitness classes around the city, and have access to tons of healthy food and snacks in the office.
Groove Commerce
What it is: A creative digital agency with a focus on eCommerce, web design, inbound marketing, and branding
Where it's located: Baltimore, Md.
Why it's a great place to work: Groove Commerce offers 100% paid benefits and hosts “Free Friday Lunches,” where employees get one-on-one time with CEO Ethan Giffin.
Hoopla.io
What it is: An event marketing platform and syndication network powering local event discovery
Where it's located: Kansas City, Kan.
Why it's a great place to work: Hoopla.io lives by the work hard, play hard mantra. Employee perks include lake outings, happy hours, laser tag, and catered lunches. The company also lets everyone from interns to full-time employees take advantage of workshops, hackathons, and meetup groups in the Kansas City area.
nexus IT group
What it is: An IT staffing agency
Where it's located: Overland Park, Kan.
Why it's a great place to work: The nexus IT group office houses a putting green, foosball tables, and a basketball hoop. The company has no hierarchies and the senior-most individuals sit and work with the team's newest members on a daily basis.
Parking Panda
What it is: A company that helps consumers find, reserve, and pay for parking from their computer or mobile phone
Where it's located: Baltimore, Md.
Why it's a great place to work: Parking Panda offers quarterly Uber credits to employees, hosts company retreats at the beach, and holds sponsored restaurant outings.
Privy
What it is: An online platform that helps local business marketers acquire customers and harness customer data to make retention marketing more relevant and effective
Where it's located: Boston, Mass.
Why it's a great place to work: Privy holds a once-a-month "lunch and learn" where the company brings in an investor or successful founder to have fireside chats with the team.
SocialRadar
What it is: A company building mobile applications that give you real-time information about the people around you
Where it's located: Washington, D.C.
Why it's a great place to work: SocialRadar team members eat together, work out together, and attend industry events together to stay connected and relevant in the community.
SpareFoot
What it is: An online marketplace for self-storage, making it easy to find, compare, and book the best storage space
Where it's located: Austin, Tex.
Why it's a great place to work: Employee benefits include a full-time chef who cooks daily fresh meals, a no-policy vacation policy, fully paid insurance for employees and their families, games throughout the office, sake bomb events and monthly happy hours, and a full kitchen with a bar.
Sparkhouse
What it is: A video production and marketing studio
Where it's located: Costa Mesa, Calif.
Why it's a great place to work: Sparkhouse gives its employees free access to its film equipment (cameras, lighting, studios) for them to use on personal, outside projects. The company also offers flexible working hours and team lunches with the founders every Friday.
Sproutsocial
What it is: A social media management platform that provides businesses with three key social media capabilities: engagement, publishing, and analytics
Where it's located: Chicago, Ill.
Why it's a great place to work: Sproutsocial offers employees monthly (or weekly) happy hours, themed parties, free daily lunches, and continuous Ping-Pong games.
Sputnik Creative
What it is: A full-service digital and branding studio
Where it's located: Austin, Tex.
Why it's a great place to work: The work environment encourages collaboration with people outside of the core team, sharing one studio with a rotating cast of guest talent (invite only).
Thankx Media
What it is: An enterprise technology company delivering fully-integrated, web-based e-commerce solutions
Where it's located: Glen Ellyn, Ill.
Why it's a great place to work: Thankx Media encourages employees to challenge themselves and make mistakes. The company is passionate about helping the local start-up community and hosts regular meetups at its new space.