WeSolv Chats with Pattie Money, Chief People Officer at SendGrid

Nine years ago, three engineers on a mission to solve their email deliverability challenges launched a small startup called SendGrid — the world’s first cloud-based email service aimed at reliably delivering emails for other developers and growing businesses. Since its humble beginnings in the Techstars program, SendGrid has sent over a trillion emails for growing companies all over the world.

With its recent IPO followed by its acquisition by Twilio, SendGrid’s trajectory is guaranteed to grow by leaps and bounds over the next several years along with many opportunities for MBAs to contribute their talent and skills to this growing tech giant. Right before the Twilio acquisition announcement, we sat down to chat with SendGrid’s Chief People Officer Pattie Money to gain an inside view of the company’s culture and what it takes to be a successful “Gridder”. Here are a few key takeaways from that discussion:

It’s a great time to join SendGrid! With its recent IPO and intended acquisition by Twilio, MBAs are well-positioned to be high-impact players within the company. MBAs occupy a diverse range of roles at SendGrid including business operations, product management, financial planning and analysis, as well as the C-Suite.

“Gridders” live by its 4 Hs. “We hire smart, nice people that work in the 4H way,” says Money. “We always strive to be happy, hungry, humble, and honest.”

SendGrid’s top performers have a high ‘do-say’ ratio. Another important quality SendGrid seeks in candidates is a high “do-say” ratio — the ability to meet deadlines and follow through on commitments to colleagues.

Remember, the MBA is just the beginning of your journey. SendGrid seeks lifelong learners who are open and inquisitive, have high organizational EQ, and the ability to adapt and analyze the landscape to move the company forward. “Those who make it to the C-Suite are the folks that are constantly working on their skills and preparing for the next step,” says Money.

This is a great time for more women and underrepresented minorities to join the tech field. Despite the well-documented issues surrounding diversity and inclusion in technology, Money urges more women and underrepresented minorities to join its ranks of highly-paid talent eager to make their mark on the industry. “Tech needs more diversity because technology products are used by every single person in the world,” Money points out. “It’s critical for product success.” SendGrid’s PRISM team promotes diversity and inclusion by leading fireside chats and hosting a Diversity Week to engage the entire organization in conversation, among other things.

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To gain more insights and advice for embarking upon a career at SendGrid, tune into the entire episode here.