Built In Names M13 a ‘Great Place to Work’ — Our Team Tells You Why

From a culture of gratitude to expansive opportunities for growth, here’s what our team has to say about what makes M13 a great place to work.

By M13 Team

January 12, 2023

5 MIN

Today, Built In announced that M13 was honored in its 2023 Best Places To Work Awards, ranking on lists for both Los Angeles and New York City.

At M13, we believe that we’re brighter together—and that our people are at the center of our success.

“Many VC firms don’t focus on culture in the way we do at M13, and so it’s fairly unique for a VC to be recognized for that,” says Matt Hoffman, M13 Partner and Head of Talent. “We credit much of our success in this area to the operating experience our partners bring to the team, where we’ve learned the value of a strong developmental mindset in driving performance.”

M13 Partner and Head of Brand Christine Choi adds: “From the start, Carter and Courtney conceived of M13 as a different kind of venture. We designed a firm that prioritized helping our founders with our expertise and an understanding of what they’re going through. This human-centric approach to business is similarly expressed with our own team.”

In turn, our strong culture propels our strategic vision. “Nobody wakes up at M13 not wanting to achieve great things,” says Carter Reum, M13 Co-founder and Partner. “We want to create a new innovative model that is talked about for decades to come.”

We asked the team to weigh in on what makes M13 a great place to work, from their favorite parts of M13 culture to how they feel supported in life beyond the office. Read on to see what they had to say.

What makes M13 special?

“M13’s LA headquarters and NY office are designed for gatherings, connection, and inspiration as much as they are for heads-down work. The play and joy in our staff retreats nourish bonds that make remote collaboration so much better. And every day we learn from our colleagues, whether they graduated from college two or 20 years ago. That learning mindset keeps us evolving and experimenting in times of change and uncertainty. It’s always about the people, and we are very proud to nurture a culture that attracts the best.”

— Christine, Partner & Head of Brand



“M13 has a culture of appreciating all the contributions of all our various team members on a daily and weekly basis. Everyone works hard and has high bars of excellence, yet the firm’s culture is one that causes people to pause and express gratitude to others along the way.

— Carter, Co-founder & Partner



“M13’s commitment to excellence through inclusive decision-making is an approach that is foundational to our culture. Our partners work hand-in-glove with their teams to ensure that the projects we pursue are valuable to the firm, while also being aligned with what each side sees as core challenges to be solved.”

— Michael, Community



How is M13 different from other places you’ve worked?

“People at M13 are allowed—and in fact encouraged!—to experiment. We are always looking for better ways to work, collaborate, and provide value to our startup founders. It’s a great place to try throwing different things at the wall to see what sticks.”

— Melissa, Propulsion



Firms often tout their 'smart, collegial culture,' but M13 truly is a place where teamwork is the most important cultural quality. Without any hesitation, M13 facilitates a culture in which a rising tide lifts all boats."

— Sarah, Investor Relations



“The humans! Not just the quality of our team, but the diverse backgrounds and experiences that each contribute to making M13 what it is.”

— Andrew, Launchpad



How does M13 support your life beyond the office?

“M13 has supported me beyond the office during the most difficult time in my life. M13 has given me the space to spend time with my family when I needed to and return to work at a pace that was conducive to my healing journey. The firm remains very human in their approach to ensuring all team members feel respected, supported, and truly cared for in and out of the office.”

— Generra, Brand



During the pandemic, M13 came together to ensure each of us, and our families, were supported in every way. With great intention and planning, the firm’s Mission Control team created a cadence of virtual events, check-ins, and programming, centered around our core value of Community, to ensure we were connected, collaborative, and #brightertogether. Partners, children, pets—all were welcome. This human approach to life during an unprecedented moment in time embodies the generosity of spirit and caring that is a hallmark of our firm, and it continues to this day.”

— Lizzie, Partner & Head of Operations



What makes you feel engaged at M13?

It's easy to feel engaged when you're working in an environment where intellectual curiosity is valued. The group collectively puts a lot of time and effort into understanding future trends.”

— Mark, Investing



“M13’s culture of gratitude motivates me to do my best work. Whether one-on-one, in Slack, or in all-hands team meetings, gratitudes are common, and they energize everyone to give their best while enjoying the ride.”

— Michael, Data



“Everyone here brings energy and enthusiasm to their work, and it’s exciting to see everyone leverage their experience and knowledge to support each other and our founders and their teams. Our common love for founders and the journeys they are on keeps me engaged and inspired.

— Loren, Talent



“Venture as an industry is fast moving, and M13 as a firm is very responsive to the changes occuring to the markets, to the consumer, and to technology. I find our work at M13 to be very engaging because we get to help drive these changes through our investment decisions, as well as our hands-on work with our portfolio companies.”

— Adam, Entrepreneur-in-Residence



“I’m given the room and the support to tackle really challenging problems. I’ve grown twice as much in my five months at M13 than I did in 2 years at my previous position, because I am trusted and encouraged to learn by doing.”

— Samantha, Community



“M13’s first annual Brighter Together Week in 2022 was a true embodiment of our commitment to fostering community both internally and externally. This week of events brought together our community members from all different backgrounds and provided the unique opportunity for direct connections between the M13 team, founders, and investors. The success of this week would not have been possible without the support of the entire M13 team’s collaborative efforts in the months leading up to the event.”

— Carly, Brand



What is the best part of working at M13?

All voices are heard. I’ve never been afraid to speak my mind or contribute my opinions, and as a result, I’ve been able to have a greater impact through my work here and develop more as a professional than I would be able to anywhere else.”

— Sarah, Talent



“The best part of working at M13 is that we place equally high value on our thoughtful process and on achieving outsized outcomes. This is exemplified by the journeys of our co-founders Carter & Courtney, who seeded multiple unicorns—including Lyft, Ring, and Thrive Market—and put us in a position every day to fuel the next generation of companies, like Rho, Shef, Rothy's, Daily Harvest, Lifeforce, Lightning Labs, and Arena Club. It all starts with our obsession with solving problems, commitment to our craft, and, most importantly, having fun throughout the journey. I'm so lucky to get to work at a company where we are equally inspired by the joy of winning and by enjoying the process along our special journey."

— Karim, Investing



“The people, the collaborative culture, and the collective effort to continually improve. M13 is a community of incredible people who make coming to work every day a true privilege. I am lucky to work alongside people who trust me, uplift me, challenge me, and inspire me.

— Julie, Talent



“The sense of community here is remarkable, and getting to collaborate and work with everyone here is such a rewarding feeling.”

— Arbo, Talent



Everyone here is such a great human being with a genuine heart. This is not by accident! The strength and power of 'one team, one dream' is not only felt but actively discussed and pursued. I am consistently thankful for not just my immediate team but the entire team working and supporting each other to do our best work.”

— Abigail, Brand



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Founded in 2016 with offices in Los Angeles (HQ) and New York and a staff of 40, M13 is a consumer technology venture capital firm. We invest in the seed to series A stages of enabling technology startups that power the future of work, health, commerce, and money.

M13 is staffed with 2.5 operators for every investor so our founders get access to deep operational expertise, tech tools, and an ecosystem that helps them build faster and better. Where we see whitespace in an industry, our Launchpad develops founding teams, products, and practices to incubate and launch an idea from inception.

We believe that advancement is a team mission. Messier 13 (or M13) is one of the brightest star clusters in the Northern sky. It’s full of remarkable individual stars, and when those stars come together, they create something that’s truly greater than the sum of its parts. All of us at M13 contribute to our collective success by being brighter together. Our proven Propulsion platform for success will create more winning companies and demonstrate that when investors and founding teams are aligned on a venture together, we can redefine what’s possible.

Built In determines the winners of Best Places to Work based on an algorithm, using company data about compensation and benefits. To reflect the benefits candidates are searching for more frequently on Built In, the program also weighs criteria like remote and flexible work opportunities, programs for DEI and other people-first cultural offerings.