Upgrade Culture | Comparably
Upgrade Claimed Company
Upgrade is an online lending company that offers affordable credit products and free credit education tools. Upgrade was founded in 2017 and its current CEO is Renaud Laplanche. Since its inception 5 years ago, Upgrade has grown to more than 1400 team members. read more
This company is accepting feedback from verified employees
EMPLOYEE
PARTICIPANTS
124
TOTAL
RATINGS
2249

Upgrade Company Culture

Upgrade Culture

This score is derived from employee ratings & reviews
Choice Employer
A+
4.7/5

Top Rated Culture Dimensions

Upgrade CEO

Top 5%Top 5% of Similar Size Companies on Comparably
Renaud Laplanche Upgrade's CEO
Renaud Laplanche
96 /100

Diversity at Upgrade

Top 5%Top 5% of Similar Size Companies on Comparably
A+

Diverse employees at Upgrade have rated CEO Rating, Team, and Executive Team as the highest categories they have scored

Women at Upgrade

Top 5%Top 5% of Similar Size Companies on Comparably
A+

Women at Upgrade have rated Team, Meetings, and Perks And Benefits as the highest categories they have scored

Upgrade eNPS

Net Promoter Score tracks your employees' overall score to this question: "On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend working at your company to a friend?"
Top 5%Top 5% of Similar Size Companies on Comparably

Recommend to a Friend?

84

Upgrade employees are 84% more likely to recommend Upgrade as a great place to work

89%Promoters
6%Passives
5%Detractors

Working at Upgrade

Working at Upgrade is rated highly by 124 employees, across various culture dimensions. Upgrade employees are most satisfied about CEO Rating, Compensation, and Environment categories, putting Upgrade’s culture in the Top 5% compared to similar sized companies on Comparably and in the Top 5% compared to other companies in San Francisco. See below in detail how working at Upgrade was rated by employees.

Overall Company Culture at Upgrade

A+

Overall Company Culture at Upgrade is rated A+

Last updated months ago

Top
5%

Upgrade ranks in the Top 5% of other companies on Comparably with 1,001-5,000 Employees for Overall Company Culture Score

Overall Company Culture Score by Department

This graph details how each department scores their Overall Company Culture

Results from 124 Employees

View Results
0
20
40
60
80
100
Design
98
Design98
Admin
97
Admin97
Product
96
Product96
Finance
95
Finance95
Legal
94
Legal94
Marketing
94
Marketing94
HR
93
HR93
Operations
93
Operations93
Engineering
90
Engineering90
IT
89
IT89

Upgrade Employee Reviews

Out of 390 Upgrade employee reviews, 97% were positive. The remaining 3% were constructive reviews with the goal of helping Upgrade improve their work culture.

97%
3%
Positive Reviews97%
Constructive Feedback3%

Positive Reviews From Upgrade Employees

  • What is the best part about your compensation package?
    We get stock options and a 401k match.
  • What do you like best about the leadership team?
    Our leadership team has a clear vision for our company.
  • What is most positive about the culture and environment at your company?
    Everyone gets along and has a lot of fun while working together.

Constructive Feedback From Upgrade Employees

  • What needs to change to make the company culture better?
    The upper management need to stop treating employees less than
  • Why do you feel undervalued and what would make you feel better about your compensation?
    Definitely, you are overworked with minimum pay
  • What does the leadership team need to get better at?
    Stop being control freaks and gain confidence

Upgrade Company Information

Upgrade Company Overview

Upgrade is an online lending company that offers affordable credit products and free credit education tools. Upgrade was founded in 2017 and its current CEO is Renaud Laplanche. Since its inception 5 years ago, Upgrade has grown to more than 1400 team members.

Upgrade was founded in 2017 and its current CEO is Renaud Laplanche. Since its inception 9 years ago, Upgrade has grown to 1400 employees.

Upgrade Mission, Vision & Values

Upgrade Mission Statement

Our goal is to reduce or eliminate fees on everyday transactions and improve consumer access to affordable and responsible credit lines, personal loans, and checking and savings accounts.

Upgrade Values

  • We Help Each Other
  • We’re Always Learning
  • We Move Fast
  • We Act As Owners
Headquarter275 Battery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
United States of America
Websitewww.upgrade.com/
Founding Date2017
Company StatusPrivate
Jobswww.upgrade.com/careers/
Social Sites
  • Culture Video

Upgrade Employees

Upgrade has 1400 employees. 124 employees at Upgrade have reviewed Upgrade across various culture dimensions, providing their opinions on items ranging from executive ratings to the pace at work. The latest review was months ago.

Overall, the 124 Upgrade employees give their leadership a grade of A+, or Top 5% of similar size companies on Comparably. This includes specific ratings of their executive team, CEO, and manager.

Employees at Upgrade are extremely happy with their total compensation at Upgrade, which includes a combination of pay, stock and equity, and benefits.

Overall, employees at Upgrade are extremely happy with their team. 124 Participants grade the quality of their coworkers an A+. The majority believe the meetings at Upgrade are effective, and the majority look forward to interacting with their coworkers.

The majority of employees at Upgrade believe the environment at Upgrade is positive. Most Participants believe the pace of work at Upgrade is comfortably fast. About 80% of the employees at Upgrade work 8 hours or less, while 1% of them have an extremely long day - longer than twelve hours.

Overall, the employees at Upgrade are extremely happy, based on their aggregated ratings of future outlook, customer perception, and their excitement going to work.

A Day in the Life
A Day in the Life
Upgrade employees generally work 8.4 hrs a day
Work Hours
A Day in the Life
Employees at Upgrade report the work pace is comfortably fast
Work Pace
A Day in the Life
On a typical day, employees at Upgrade have 2 meetings
Meetings
A Day in the Life
99% of Upgrade employees look forward to interacting with their team every day
Coworkers
A Day in the Life
Upgrade employees most often take unlimited paid vacation and sick days each year
Perks & Benefits
A Day in the Life
89% of Upgrade employees report they are happy with their work life balance
Work Life Balance
A Day in the Life
Upgrade employees typically get valuable feedback on how to improve at work Every Week
Feedback
A Day in the Life
97% of Upgrade employees call their work environment positive
Environment

Joining Upgrade - Employee Onboarding

The prevailing opinion from employees about joining Upgrade is that the company was very prepared on their first day. Upgrade employees concluded that their overall onboarding experience was positive. 100% said their direct manager was helpful with their acclimation during the first 90 days. First impressions are important, and how prepared a company is on your first day leaves a lasting impression.

Upgrade KPIs and OKRs

At Upgrade 86% of employees think their department KPIs and OKRs are clear. Employees’ understanding of Upgrade's KPIs and OKRs is essential for its success. Out of 12 Upgrade employees who’ve answered, “Are your company’s goals clear and are you invested in them?” 10 have said yes.

AnswerPercent
Yes83%
No17%
Are your company's goals clear, and are you invested in them?
AnswerPercent
Yes86%
No14%
Are the KPIs/OKRs for your department clear?

Upgrade CEO & Leadership

Renaud Laplanche Upgrade's CEO
96 /100

Upgrade CEO Awards and Recognitions

Best CEOs for Diversity 2019 (Small & Midsize Companies)
Best CEOs for Women 2019 (Small & Midsize Companies)

Upgrade’s CEO Renaud Laplanche started in this role in 2017. Renaud’s approval rate is in the Top 5% of all CEOs of similar-sized companies on Comparably, and in the Top 5% compared to the CEOs of all other companies in San Francisco. With a high CEO score, Renaud Laplanche has won the Best CEOs for Women in 2019 along with Drift CEO David Cancel and Highspot CEO Robert Wahbe. In addition, Renaud has garnered Best CEOs for Diversity in 2019 specifically for Diversity, making Upgrade’s CEO one of the top rated CEOs by diverse employees. Upgrade’s CEO is highly regarded especially by employees in the Admin department, employees in the HR department, and employees in the Legal department. However, African American/Black employees, employees in the Design department, and employees in the IT department have a less favorable view of the CEO and believe there is room for improvement. Under Laplanche’s leadership, Upgrade employee respondents are most happy about their Compensation and the company’s Environment. Office Culture and Professional Development are two areas, according to respondents, where Upgrade could stand to see real improvement.

Upgrade Leadership

The Upgrade Executive Team is rated an “A+” and led by CEO Renaud Laplanche, Co-founder & CTO Visar Nimani, and Chief Risk Officer & Chief Compliance Officer Tom Curran

  • Renaud Laplanche  CEO / President

    Renaud Laplanche CEO / President

    Renaud Laplanche serves as the CEO / President of Upgrade.

  • Visar Nimani Co-founder & CTO, 2019 Best Engineering Department Leader

    Visar brings 20+ years of technology experience building and running P2P/marketplace platforms. Visar was one of the... read more

  • Tom Curran Chief Risk Officer & Chief Compliance Officer

    Tom Curran serves as the Chief Risk Officer & Chief Compliance Officer of Upgrade.

  • Punit Dholakia VP, Capital Markets

    Punit Dholakia serves as the VP, Capital Markets of Upgrade.

  • Paresh Gangodker SVP Technology

    Paresh Gangodker serves as the SVP Technology of Upgrade.

  • Evren Ozdemir VP, Structured Solutions

    Evren Ozdemir serves as the VP, Structured Solutions of Upgrade.

  • Peter Holmes VP, Business Development

    Peter Holmes serves as the VP, Business Development of Upgrade.

  • Geneva Rinehart Senior Vice President and Managing Editor

    Geneva Rinehart serves as the Senior Vice President and Managing Editor of Upgrade.

Upgrade Salaries

How much does Upgrade pay?

How much do people at Upgrade get paid? See the latest salaries by department and job title. The average estimated annual salary, including base and bonus, at Upgrade is $141,666, or $68 per hour, while the estimated median salary is $140,373, or $67 per hour.

At Upgrade, the highest paid job is a Director of Engineering at $243,735 annually and the lowest is a CS Rep at $52,127 annually. Average Upgrade salaries by department include: Finance at $102,748, HR at $170,565, Business Development at $107,595, and Design at $119,390. Half of Upgrade salaries are above $140,373.

107 employees at Upgrade rank their Compensation in the Top 5% of similar sized companies in the US (based on 343 ratings) while 106 employees at Upgrade rank their Perks And Benefits in the Top 5% of similar sized companies in the US (based on 116 ratings).

Salaries contributed from Upgrade employees include job titles like Principal Engineer, DevOps, Product Manager, and Designer. Comparably data has a total of 0 salary records from Upgrade employees.

Last updated months ago.

1st Percentile
$81k
$81k1st Percentile
17th Percentile
$110k
$110k17th Percentile
33rd Percentile
$140k
$140k33rd Percentile
50th Percentile
$186k
$186k50th Percentile
67th Percentile
$226k
$226k67th Percentile
83rd Percentile
$269k
$269k83rd Percentile
100th Percentile
$281k
$281k100th Percentile
$141,666*
Average Compensation
$140,373*
Median Compensation

* Estimated salaries Estimated salaries are based on data provided anonymously by employees and/or estimated by other statistical methods.

Upgrade Salaries by Department

Explore Upgrade Salaries

Diversity & Inclusion at Upgrade

Diverse employees at Upgrade score the company 91/100 across various culture categories, placing Upgrade in the Top 5% of companies on Comparably with 1,001-5,000 Employees for Comparably's diversity score. The Diversity score provides insights into how diverse employees feel and rate their work experience at Upgrade across various culture dimensions.

Ranked Culture the Highest

Women 97/100
Department - Finance
Men 96/100
Department - Product
Diverse Employees 96/100
Department - Product

Ranked Culture the Lowest

Women 92/100
Department - Marketing
Men 87/100
Department - IT
Diverse Employees 86/100
Department - IT

Upgrade Perks & Benefits

Health & Wellness

  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Health Insurance
  • Life Insurance
  • Gym Membership / Reimbursement

Paid Time Off

  • PTO / Vacation Policy
  • Paid Holidays
  • Maternity / Paternity Leave

Financial Benefits

  • 401K / Retirement Plan
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Office Perks

  • Free Food
  • Company Social Outings
  • Work From Home Policy
  • Unique Office Space

Upgrade PTO

Upgrade's PTO and Vacation policy typically gives unlimited days off a year with 86% of employees expected to be work free while out of office. Paid Time Off is Upgrade's 2nd most important benefit besides Healthcare when ranked by employees, with 29% of employees saying it is the most important benefit. Upgrade's benefits and PTO Package averages to represent a $1000 -$1500 cash value per month.

AnswerPercent
Flex Time43%
Vacation Policy29%
Office Meals14%
401k Contribution14%
Childcare0%
Other than healthcare, which of the following benefits is most important to you?
AnswerPercent
Yes14%
No86%
Does your boss expect you to work when you're on vacation?
AnswerPercent
$2500+/mo12%
$1500 - $2500/mo25%
$1000 -$1500/mo25%
$500 -$1000/mo25%
Less than $500/mo13%
What do you estimate the cash value of your benefits to be? Healthcare, PTO, etc?

Upgrade Internship Program

Acquiring a position in Upgrade's Internship Program is generally somewhat difficult. Why intern at Upgrade? Employees are extremely happy at Upgrade and rate their office perks as fantastic. It’s summer, interning should not be only a learning experience, but also an enjoyable one. Upgrade employees say they’re never bored at work. Additionally, 45% have developed close friendships with their co-workers.

How difficult is it to get an internship at Upgrade?

Engineering
Very Difficult25%
Somewhat Difficult38%
Not Difficult25%
Difficult0%
Does Not Offer Internships12%
Answered by 8 Engineering Interns

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Upgrade

What is Upgrade address?

Upgrade location is at 275 Battery Street

Who is the CEO of Upgrade?

Upgrade CEO is Renaud Laplanche, their score by employees is 96

What is Upgrade eNPS?

The eNPS for Upgrade is 84

What is the salary for Community Manager in Upgrade?

Community Manager average salary in the US is 89k

What are the salaries in the Sales in Upgrade?

The average salaries for Sales in Upgrade is 162k

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