DoorDash Among LinkedIn’s Top U.S. Startups

Online professional network LinkedIn has revealed its 2020 Top Startups list, which identifies the 50 most successful emerging and growing startups in the United States, and food delivery service DoorDash has come in second, right after new home ownership business Better.com.

Rounding out the top five were commission-free trading platform Robinhood (No. 3), industrial IoT solutions leader Samsara (No. 4) and data analytics company Databricks (No. 5). Home goods retailer Brooklinen was No. 7 on the list, and e-commerce platform Deliverr came in at No. 20.

“This year’s Top Startups list is a reflection of how work is changing, which industries are emerging and growing and where people want to work now,” said Jessi Hempel, senior editor at large at Sunnyvale, California-based LinkedIn. “The honorees on this year’s list have all faced numerous, unanticipated challenges through COVID-19 and have demonstrated their resilience and continued innovation by not letting the pandemic slow them down. In fact, all of the startups on the list are hiring amid a difficult economy, and are doubling down on their employees by investing in ways to help them stay connected, engaged and healthy as the companies grow.”

Among the list’s key trends noted by LinkedIn was giving consumers more control over important aspects of their lives, including what and how they eat. The network noted that “DoorDash … has not just surged in demand for restaurant delivery, but has flexed during the pandemic to deliver essentials.”

Further, LinkedIn observed that the San Francisco-based food delivery service, “which filed to go public in February, has expanded into pharmacy and grocery offerings with the launch of DashMart virtual convenience stores, and has delivered millions of pounds of food to those in need with Project DASH.”

To qualify for the U.S. Top Startups list, a company must be independent and privately held, have at least 50 employees, be no more than seven years old, be headquartered in the United States and have at least 15% employee growth over the time period. LinkedIn evaluated key factors for ranking, among them interest in the company, employment growth, engagement with employees, job interest, and ability to attract talent from the LinkedIn Top Companies list. The timeline measured was January through July 2020.