software engineer

product manager

optical engineer

web developer

vice president of marketing

FORM

Working at FORM is like working on a final project at school with your best friends: It will be stressful, challenging and fast paced, but you will have the time of your life building it with some of the most quirky and lovable people you will ever meet.

The team at FORM is truly one of a kind. All of the teams intertwine and overlap in some way, which makes for a cohesive working environment and ultimately a better product. From eating lunch together to company retreats, there are no divides or cliques among groups. Previous co-op students returning for visits are also a strong indicator of this inclusivity, as they are treated like a full time employee and are given meaningful tasks.

As with most new companies, it takes time to optimize the product as well as optimize the team building the product. Since FORM has started, the management team has greatly improved the working environment. Although some issues still arise as a result of management error, the quality of their support and leadership constantly improves. What was previously a disorganized and biased experience has been replaced with a distinct feeling of inclusion and warmth that makes coming to work everyday a joy. 

FORM is also a company where your work is appreciated and you will directly see the impact you have on the finished product. The salary level for the software team is below industry standard, but the amount of responsibility you are given as an individual spawns a wealth of experience and skills you could not have gained elsewhere. However, the mindset of the software team would improve if salary levels were raised, as undermining talent with low salaries negatively effects morale.

Overall, working at FORM has been a rewarding and challenging experience that I would not trade for anything else. I am proud to tell friends and family where I work, what I do and what we make, and that makes getting up in the morning worth it.

I've been with FORM for 3 months now, coming from a much larger organisation where it was difficult to be heard and valued as a contributor. Although I was hesitant about starting at FORM, where I would have to build my role and department from scratch (which I thought might be beyond my skill level), I'm glad to say that I have only received support and encouragement from everyone, and feel I have really been able to contribute to the company, and quickly own my areas of expertise. 

I have loved that my manager has given me freedom and trust to work the way I think I should, including my responsibilities, working hours, and the tools I use to do my job. I think if you want to work here, you have to be OK with things not being black-and-white or set in stone - this can be liberating for some, scary for others. 

FORM doesn't really put much stock in hierarchy and I feel that discussion and feedback is valued from every employee. It's also been refreshing and positive to be included in meetings and decisions that affect my department (which happened less in previous jobs).

Having only worked here for about 3 months, I can't speak to long-term advancement opportunities, but based on management's attitude towards innovation and owning your role, I feel confident that they encourage advancement and growth!

The culture here is great - everyone is friendly and there's no egos or cliques. I really like our Friday all-hands meeting (followed by food and drinks), as well as the monthly meetings where we can learn about different areas of the business. 

The only 'negtives' (if you can call them that) for me, would be that I would love to see FORM, like all businesses, keep moving towards more green practices in the office, like reducing waste and plastic usage; and I would LOVE it if the office was dog-friendly (for well-behaved pooches only, of course).

FORM is working on something really exciting, and you can tell that the whole team is bought into the product. No two days look the same (as is typical for a startup), and you have to be proactive and flexible in doing work that doesn't always fall neatly within a JD. I loved working on complex and ambiguous problems, and it was very exciting to be building a brand and launch strategy entirely from scratch. 

Strengths 
- Strong leadership and great culture - you are friends with your coworkers and have a lot of fun together, but are also super productive and work very hard 
- Big potential for the product. I know everyone likes to say this about themselves, but this team has experience from a successfully acquired company, and is targeting an objectively underserved yet lucrative market. The product is super cool and the reactions to the MVP (especially from SMEs and KOLs) have been extremely positive. 

Weaknesses 
- When I was there, FORM was still a pre-revenue startup so salary was definitely not at the high end, but they try their best to be competitive with the market and value top talent. No benefits at the time, but opportunity for stock options for higher level positions. 
- Many of the leadership team came from Recon/Intel, so there was sometimes a bias to using Recon's experience as a baseline for comparison when making decisions, even though FORM's product and business are quite different.

As far as joining an early-stage startup goes, FORM is relatively low risk as it is well-funded and is led by already successful entrepreneurs and VCs.

Pros: Free coffee and snacks, beer and food on Friday. Get to work on latest technology.

Cons: The management absolutely has priorities incorrect. There seems to be no structure or communication between the levels. When there is praise to be shared, the managers seem to pat themselves on the back, when there are delays, the managers seem to blame the lower ranks. The company also believes in asking employees to work over time and encourage weekends if they are behind schedule, without pay (unless you count a slice of pizza).

The company seems to have internal problems playing favoritism. They are not shy about excluding you socially and professionally if you are not "one of them" making it really hard to professionally grow within the company or be heard. They do not seem to hesitate to promote someone they favor but for everyone else will offer 0.5% yearly raise on an already under-paid position and call that fair.

The company's strategy seems to be to sucker in young blood with promises of working for a great progressive company that will treat you well and then dangle it in front of you until you realize it too late and leave at which point they will just replace you with the next young blood. I've seen too many colleagues leave in a similar manner. Stay far away.

FORM is a fun place to work at because of the wide impact you can make and the many hats you get to wear. 

If you're looking for a rewarding job then FORM is where you should be. Since they are a startup it comes with all the same cliche pros/cons list of any startup. What's different about FORM is how fast I have seen developers ramp up across all levels. From intern to mid-level, I have witnessed many new people getting hired and succeeding at their job because of the strong mentorship brought by the senior staff. 

The most important thing to consider if you have accepted an offer is to focus on your communication skills. Similar to any job, it is difficult to make changes without vocalizing your issues in a constructive manner. From my experience when I vocalized my issues actions were always taken to make a positive change. 

Again, FORM is a startup which comes with longer hours (nothing crazy, just honestly a bit longer) and less pay (but competitive with other startups).

I personally loved the people, company, and the culture but the only reason I left was because I was poached and received an offer I couldn't refuse.

This company is uniquely positioned in that the team at FORM are delivering a new product/innovation that has never been seen before and is truly disruptive for the market they are addressing. 

To thrive at FORM, you have to be a self-starter, a problem solver, and a team player. It's a team made up of industry veterans mixed with fresh faces from complementary industries, while coops are given a great opportunity to be exposed to the fast-paced environment of life in a start-up.

You are firmly put in charge of your role and are encouraged to take risks and explore all avenues that will help drive success for the company. Everyone is friendly and welcoming and look to help each other to deliver the best possible product for customers. 

It's a very dedicated and passionate team that works hard during the week, but also enjoy hanging out together on Friday afternoons for food and drink (which is catered weekly). While foosball tables and a pool table make for nice additions to the office and ensure people in different teams can bond through games.

Working at FORM has been a blast! Creating new products is never easy and every day is full of fun challenges and great learning opportunities and I feel like I have learned so much and had lots of fun along the way.

Like many startups there is lots of freedom and autonomy that has allowed me to grow professionally and learn many new skills. Where FORM differs from many other startups is that it is full of people to learn from who are very experienced in their field and have done this before. If you're ever stuck on a problem, there is no shortage of smart people to get help from. 

It might be trite to say, but the people at FORM really do make all the difference. The team is full of bright, fun people who are able to come together to do cool things. Show up with a positive attitude and you'll fit right in!

I would highly recommend working here to any one who is up for a challenge and who is passionate about making cool products!

FORM is a great place to work! Everyone is laid back, friendly, and there are no office politics. The company is not like other startups where there's chaos and instead has a good balance of flexibility and structure. It's easy to strike up conversations with everyone, even people you don't normally work with. 

If you're looking for a job where you do your 9-5 and clock out then FORM is not the right place for you. But if you're looking for a place where people are passionate about their role and the product and want to work in an exciting work environment, then FORM is great. Everyone pitches in when needed and goes above and beyond even if that means working extra hours here and there or answering an urgent email from home. That's what makes it fun.

This company is a great place to work at if you enjoy a fast paced start up environment where you given responsibility and can make an impact, minus the chaos that usually comes with it. 

The management here has had a successful startup before this company. They know how to create a high velocity engineering process driven by product requirements. They also understand the importance of transparency so everybody is on the same page. I also like how the management team is is pretty small compared to the amount of workers.

The people here are friendly, fun and active. There are weekend hike groups. Some nice perks such as free food and beer.

Pros: 
There are a lot of great and friendly people that work within the organization. Good location downtown.

Cons: 
There is an expectation that you should work really long hours and weekends for no extra pay, equity and low salary increases. There is uncertainty pertaining to the viability of the product because the market is so niche. The annual raises given to employees (even high performing ones) are very low (1k) resulting in company turnover. Some of the management can be unprofessional and will often publically disrespect former colleagues and even potential hires in front of the team. Would not recommend.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Software engineer 6 salaries reported	$57,667 per year
Product manager 1 salary reported	$87,500 per year
Optical engineer 1 salary reported	$115,000 per year
Web developer 1 salary reported	$80,000 per year
Vice president of marketing 1 salary reported	$170,000 per year

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