Scale-up success

Polarsteps was selected as a top performer by three separate tech awards that celebrate successful scale-ups.

The Deloitte Technology Fast 50, which rewards Dutch tech entrepreneurs whose companies show the most ambition and year-on-year growth, placed Polarsteps on its prestigious list. A spokesperson for Deloitte said: ‘Being nominated for the Technology Fast 50 competition is a testament to a company's remarkable growth trajectory.’

We were also named in the Top 250, an annual research publication by Rotterdam’s Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship that identifies companies driving growth in the Netherlands. The accompanying report also singled out businesses that, like Polarsteps, have women in the C-suite.

And in November, Polarsteps was placed on The Europas 100 List, an annual award whose judging panel of venture capitalists singles out the hottest startups in Europe. Previous winners in the awards’ 16-year history include Spotify, Zalando, and Deliveroo.

Teleporter triumph

The category that clinched Polarsteps a trophy this year celebrated the company’s human side. Polarsteps’ People & Ops team won a People & Culture IMPACT Award for the company’s Teleporter — now officially recognized as the coolest company perk around!

The Teleporter transports each member of the Polarsteps team to a random location once a year on their work anniversary, offering them a free travel ticket, the opportunity to explore a new destination, and the chance to experience the app as a user does.

The judges of the category for ‘Best Creative and Core Value-Fit Perk’ said: ‘The Teleporter initiative is a unique benefit that ties directly to Polarsteps’ core business of travel and exploration.’

Sascha Vloet, head of our People and Operations team, said: ‘We believe there’s no better way to translate a product — and a core company value of “We are Explorers at Heart” — into a benefit! Employees experience the brand in a personal way, aligning their work with the company’s mission. The Travel Book they get at the end of their trip is, of course, another benefit.’

Our CEO Clare Jones added: 'We’re so proud to see Polarsteps taking off, with incredible growth in our user numbers this year, and it’s great to see that recognized in awards like these — but it’s especially heartening to see the company being celebrated for creating and sustaining a wonderful culture, too.'