Overview

About Awardco

Founded in 2015, Awardco is a fast-growing, founder-led, and recognition-first workplace technology company that partners with and empowers organisations to celebrate and reward their people in meaningful, flexible, and scalable ways.

Today, Awardco is valued at over $1B and has 6M+ global users, achieving a 4.9 rating on G2 and ranking as the 20th best software product in 2025.

The Challenge

Building a strong culture of intentional recognition

When Awardco launched a decade ago, founders Steve and Mike Sonnenberg and Tanner Runia set out to transform how employees were recognised and rewarded at work. From the beginning, their product vision was inseparable from the culture they wanted to create: one where recognition was not occasional or top-down, but continuous, peer-driven, and deeply human.

As Awardco grew from a start-up into a global HR tech leader, now serving more than 6 million users across 163 countries, the challenge became not only building a world-class product but also protecting and scaling the ethos on which it was founded. It was never enough to deliver recognition technology; the company also had to live those values and weave them intrinsically into its solutions.

With rapid hiring, regional expansion, and evolving workplace dynamics, Awardco faced the same question as its customers: how do you sustain a culture of connection, purpose, and performance across departments, time zones, and diverse experiences, while continuing to deliver innovative solutions?

“Awardco’s platform is essentially a modern engagement tool—it helps shape employee behaviour, reinforce values, and strengthen culture. We’re introducing something new and customisable to HR that positions us as meaningful partners in the organisation.” – James Westwood

“Highlight what's happening, what's going well. Talk about it over and over and over it again. You might say it's a broken record, but that's the record I'd like to play.” — Steve Sonnenberg, Co-Founder and CEO

The Solution

Maintaining a core culture of appreciation

Awardco has grown its own culture of recognition in the same way many organisations do—starting with simple peer-to-peer and manager-to-peer programmes and evolving into a wide range of initiatives such as incentives, A-Pay, AwardCodes, and nominations.

As a customer-led SaaS company, Awardco invests heavily in understanding what organisations truly need and the challenges they face. As its own customer, it also recognises that one size does not fit all. Meeting people where they are is essential. By continuously testing, adapting, and embedding these programmes into its daily practices—with the help of full executive buy-in and participation—Awardco not only strengthens its culture but also gains first-hand insights to refine the platform, drive innovation, and better guide customers in building recognition programmes that truly resonate.

This practice not only drives continuous product development, it also creates a sense of ownership and fuels consistent platform use. A recognition is sent by an Awardco employee every two seconds. By living in the product daily, Awardco has elevated recognition from a single moment into a movement. Authentic appreciation is now woven into leadership rituals, team practices, and the everyday rhythms of work. As a result, Awardco has strengthened its own culture while also gaining the first-hand experience needed to better guide and partner with customers as they launch and scale their own recognition programmes.

“Recognition allows us to see and appreciate each other, no matter where we live. At Awardco, I make sure it’s always front of mind—we weave it into everything, even starting our all-hands meetings with a recognition."- Steve Sonnenberg, Co-Founder and CEO

Awardco has intrinsically tied recognition into its culture through the following methodologies.

Recognition as leadership practice

At Awardco, leadership’s involvement in recognition goes far beyond symbolism—it actively shapes a culture where every contribution is seen and celebrated.

Recognition is woven into daily and weekly rhythms. Each week during the Recognise the Good global meeting segment, CEO Steve highlights two recognitions from the past week and awards additional AwardCode™ points to both the giver and the recipient. Any meeting with ten or more participants begins with recognition. Managers integrate recognition into feedback, and employees receive monthly point balances, scaled by tenure, that they can use to reward peers. Expiring balances encourage consistent engagement, ensuring recognition remains active and ongoing.

These practices ensure recognition is not just a programme or initiative—it is a living rhythm that connects, motivates, and empowers the entire organisation. At Awardco, recognition has become intrinsic to identity, with the majority of recognitions being non-monetary, demonstrating that employees truly understand and embrace the value of appreciation.

“In any meeting with more than ten people, I like to start with a recognition—highlighting what’s happening and what’s going well. Even in my executive meetings, I’ll share a recognition that stood out from one of the leaders. I enjoy leading with recognition, focusing on the positives rather than dwelling on what’s missing." - Steve Sonnenberg, Co-Founder and CEO

Seamless, visible, and always-on celebrations

Through smart integrations, recognition becomes a natural part of every employee’s daily workflow. Below are a few examples:

• LMS: When employees complete training such as onboarding and security compliance, they receive a recognition alongside points.

• Slack: Employees can recognise peers in the moment by typing “/recognise” into any Slack channel. All recognitions, whether through Slack or in the Awardco platform, also appear in a shared Slack channel to give the entire company visibility and build a culture of recognition.

• ScreenCloud: Office screens display a real-time recognition feed, celebrating achievements across locations and teams.

• HRIS: Automated imports ensure birthdays and anniversaries are recognised on time, every time. Data flows bi-directionally for alignment across systems, and custom reports integrate with payroll to streamline the gross-up process and reduce tax complexity.

• LinkedIn: Employees can easily share their recognitions externally with secure, AI-assisted editing to protect sensitive details.

"Every team meeting and company-wide meeting starts with recognitions, they come in every single day. They’re on our TV screens throughout the office; you can’t go anywhere in the building without seeing them constantly flowing through. We carry this into leadership as well. Our executive meetings start with recognitions, and we encourage employees not only to recognise but also to call back to those recognitions so people see them more than once. It’s reinforced everywhere, even in our Slack integrations." - Amy Butler, VP of People Operations

"In any meeting with more than ten people, I like to start with a recognition—highlighting what’s happening and what’s going well. Even in my executive meetings, I’ll share a recognition that stood out from one of the leaders. I enjoy leading with recognition, focusing on the positives rather than dwelling on what’s missing." - Steve Sonnenberg, Co-Founder and CEO

On-the-go recognition and redemption

To meet employees wherever they are, Awardco has designed tools that make recognition frequent, visible, and effortless. This transforms recognition from a one-time gesture into an always-on cultural rhythm:

• Mobile app: Recognition and redemption are just a tap away, no matter if employees are in office, in the field, or at home.

• AwardCodes™: Employees can easily recognize during offline moments like meetings, off-sites, and surprise events (did you know you can put codes inside of Easter eggs?) with custom codes printed on physical cards. Over 1,000 AwardCodes have been distributed this year alone.

• External Recognition: clients, partners, patients, customers, and more can recognise employees instantly through QR codes or personalised links. These messages flow directly into the Awardco feed for all to see.

• A-Pay™: A-Pay cards bring unmatched flexibility to employee rewards. With a straightforward 1:1 point-to-pound conversion, these physical and digital cards have quickly become a favourite. In 2025 alone, employees have already made nearly 15,000 purchases ranging from morning coffee and streaming subscriptions to car repairs and auto parts.

“I love my A-Pay points. A-Pay is hands-down my favourite programme! One of my favourite ways to use my points is to save them up for trips. It makes my travels even more special knowing Awardco helped make them happen. A-Pay has funded an NYC trip, my first hockey game in Utah, a family cruise, and an Orlando trip. Without A-Pay I wouldn’t have been able to travel nearly as much. It’s truly been a game-changer!” – Joe Gorham, SMB CSM Team Lead

Engagement-driving features

Awardco is intentionally designed to be the platform employees love to log into. Every feature is built to spark participation, strengthen programmes, and make recognition meaningful.

• Custom user interface: Beyond the recognition feed, employees see their A-Pay™ balance, peer milestones, upcoming birthdays, tickets for Delta Center events, retail perks, active surveys, incentive programmes, and access to the world’s largest rewards marketplace, all in one place.
  
  
• World’s largest global rewards marketplace: With over 300 million options worldwide, including no mark-ups on products through Amazon, items from Best Buy, thousands of gift cards, global experiences, custom swag, charitable giving, and more, everyone can find something valuable. Additionally, transparent 1:1 point-to-pound pricing eliminates conversion confusion.
  
  
• Engagement survey participation: Awardco employees average 58% more survey participation than industry benchmarks by rewarding survey completions through the platform. After introducing incentives, survey completion jumped 75% to 95%.

• Encore™: Managers and peers with budgets can give an “Encore” to existing recognitions, adding additional points and comments with a single click to amplify appreciation.

By weaving recognition into workflows, making it accessible on the go, and enriching the experience with meaningful rewards, Awardco ensures that recognition isn’t just a programme, it’s an organic, grassroots movement that fuels culture and engagement.

Programmes with purpose

Awardco’s internal recognition programmes reflect the same spirit of innovation its clients enjoy. These initiatives not only strengthen company culture from the inside out, but also act as a proving ground to test and refine products built in partnership with clients. 

With 51 unique programmes, ranging from team-specific challenges to company-wide, values-driven initiatives, Awardco ensures recognition remains flexible, meaningful, and adaptable to evolving cultural needs. The following are just a few examples of these programmes.

Elevate and Stay Active Earn Programme

This wellness-driven incentive programme rewards employees with up to 1,000 points total for hiking local mountain peaks that correspond to the names of Awardco’s office conference rooms. Its goal is to tie recognition to wellness, culture, and community. 

Additionally, to improve inclusion for those not able to hike, Awardco has set up similar participation programmes with similar incentives.

So far, the Elevate and Stay Active Programme has seen:

• Over one-third of employees participating
• Over 450 hikes completed, totaling 1,700 miles
• More than 31,000 points have been awarded, with participants averaging ~135 points each

"The health benefits keep employees feeling recognised, appreciated, and incentivised to recharge, re-up, and engage outside the office." — Isaiah Bryson, Chief Operating Officer

Celebrate Pride

As part of Awardco’s Recognize a Cause initiative, this programme promoted inclusive storytelling and community building. In June, all employees were invited to share why Pride matters to them, sparking empathy, belonging, and meaningful conversations while reinforcing equity, diversity, and inclusion in the workplace. These recognitions were shown throughout the company on shared screens.

This is but one of many ways Awardco uses recognition to support Employee Resource Groups to drive awareness, inclusion, and support.

“Awardco just does it better. Where many companies just temporarily “rainbow-ify” their logo for the month (or backtrack entirely from any mention of Pride support) Awardco fosters an environment of safety and inclusion and truly CELEBRATES individuals for who they are. There’s a huge difference.” — Tylyn Hansen, Sr. Graphic Designer

Nomination programmes

Awardco has many unique nomination programs, two of which are the A-Team and G.O.A.T. programmes. These unique nominations recognize standout employees both across the company and within departments, and highlight Awardco’s core values in action. 

The A-Team program highlights three exemplary employees on a bi-annual basis with a company-wide recognition and celebration. Any employee can nominate any colleague, creating equity across recognitions and helping leaders see all the incredible work across all teams.

The G.O.A.T. program is a non-monetary program unique to our Product Team. Coworkers nominate each other for the Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T) award. Nominees go through a simple approval process, highlighting their work to team leaders, and a fun goat statue is awarded to winners. 

Nomination programmes are easy to set up, submit, and manage, saving significant admin time and boosting participation. The A-Team programme consistently boasts high participation, receiving 30% more submissions than its goal.

Service awards

Awardco celebrates career milestones through a fully automated, tenure-based programme powered by HRIS integration. Unique in the industry, this programme eliminates manual work and saves HR valuable time while ensuring employees feel appreciated for their dedication.

• $25/month from day one
• $50/month after 1 year
• $75/month after 2 years 
• $100/month after 3 years
• $125/month after 4 years
• $150/month after 5 years (and beyond)

This programme drives greater retention and ensures employees feel valued consistently throughout their careers, starting right from day one.

Additionally, Awardco deploys custom MemoryBooks® for service anniversaries: a digital “yearbook” style experience where coworkers comment, leave pictures, and celebrate the tenure of their peers.

The Results

Increased engagement

Awardco’s investment in its people has delivered measurable outcomes across engagement, retention, and business performance.

• 100% of employees logged into the platform in 2025, averaging 61+ logins per user
• 42,058 recognitions submitted in the first half of 2025, with most being non-monetary
• 70 recognitions submitted on average per employee
• 100% of employees have been recognised, creating a culture of inclusivity
• 400% increase in recognitions given following Slack integration
• 84% program participation rate, well above the ~80% industry benchmark for recognition-rich cultures
• 1,700+ miles hiked as part of the Elevate and Stay Active wellness challenge, with over 30% of employees participating
• 95% engagement survey participation after linking recognition to survey completion (a 15% increase), significantly about the SaaS average of 60%

“What I enjoy most is seeing the energy, enthusiasm, and engagement we have at work—and then being able to connect that back to the numbers. With the platform, we can see exactly which behaviours are being recognised and rewarded.” — James Westwood, Director of People Operations

Better retention and hiring

Through strategic recognition efforts Awardco has seen industry-leading retention and hiring success:

• Attrition dropped by 41% YOY
• Offer acceptance rate rose from 84% in 2024 to 89% in 2025
• Awardco’s culture continues to be a talent magnet, fueling 25% YOY employee growth
• Average employee tenure now sits at 4–5 years

“A big part of that retention jump was career progression. Employees want to be at Awardco. That's very clear in the way that they use our platform. They want to be able to build their career here and stay here.” — Amy Butler, VP of People Operations

Impactful, efficient results

Automations in the Awardco platform have saved the HR team valuable time while driving measurable results.

• 20 hours per week saved through automation and integrations, about half a full-time HR administrator
• eNPS response rates increased by 10% year-over-year
• eNPS score grew 53% in one year and is now 8% above the industry benchmark
• Over 90% of employees report that their skills and talents are valued

“Our eNPS soared from 38 in 2024 to 58 in 2025. That's unheard of and something I've never been a part of before. I think it speaks to the really special culture that Awardco has built through recognition and through building a culture where people feel like they belong.” — Amy Butler, VP of People Operations

Culture that pays for itself

With 6% lower attrition than the industry average, Awardco is achieving significant cost savings by retaining top talent.

• Every retained employee saves Awardco estimated average of $100K
• In 2024 alone, an estimated $4.67M was saved from retaining top talent

Beyond cost savings, Awardco also benefits from higher offer acceptance rates, faster onboarding, and stronger team morale, across every touchpoint of the employee journey.

“When I helped someone and they recognised me, I felt like I was making a real impact and doing something the company truly valued. Every time I’ve given or received recognition, it’s connected me with more people across the company. Through that simple act of appreciation, I’ve built relationships, gotten to know colleagues I might not have otherwise, and even made lasting friendships.” — Victoria Deshler, Senior Product Implementation Specialist

3rd-party validation

Because Awardco uses its own product, our employees all know the value it provides and deeply believe in the power of appreciation and its impact on the workforce. This authenticity, combined with Awardco’s ability to consistently deliver on its promises, has helped fuel incredible business growth. Awardco has seen the following:

• A consistent 91% client retention rate, 13.7% above industry average
• Awardco raised a record-setting Series A in 2021 and a $165M Series B in 2025, driving its valuation beyond $1B
• Multiple awards won
  
  • #1 Highest Rated Employee Recognition Platform 
  • Top 100 Highest Satisfaction Products 2025
  • Best HR Software Products 2025
  • Best Software Products 2025
  • Best Mid-Market Products 2025
  • 4.9/5 ranking on Capterra, GetApp, and Software Reviews
  • 4.7/5 on Gartner Insights
  • Four-time winner of Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies in the U.S.

“My favourite thing about working at Awardco is when I get on these demos, when I get on these calls with caring, real HR leaders who want to make an impact, sharing what Awardco does, but then seeing it make a real impact in their employees is a nothing short of career defining product to sell.” — Ethan Tunnicliffe, Account Executive

“Getting to sell a product that has such a real human impact, not just glittery recognition, not just gimmicky gift cards and rewards. Real powerful, tangible impact is a product that I am passionate and driven to sell and is the main reason I come in through those doors every day because it is real, and it makes a meaningful impact on those we sell to, but also their employees and who they go home to at the end of the day.” —  Ethan Tunnicliffe, Account Executive

Our own results speak for themselves, and coupled with external validation it demonstrates that recognition is more than simply “nice to have.” It’s a strategic investment that delivers bottom-line value.

Voices of Awardco

We asked Awardco employees to share anecdotes of appreciation and speak to how recognition has impacted them.

How Recognition transformed tension into collaboration

"One time, we had a critical team collaboration meeting where I left feeling frustrated at the perspectives that were shared. Instead of stewing, I remembered Awardco and decided to shift the narrative and recognise these individuals instead. As I wrote my recognition, my mind and emotions settled down, and I saw their frustrating comments as evidence of their trust in me to take critical feedback in order for us to succeed as a team. I smiled when I clicked submit, excited for the next meeting. When we met, they gave reciprocal recognition and highlighted things they appreciated about what I was doing. This circle of recognition brought the whole team together. - Adam Meadows, PM Intern

The power of overwhelming recognition

"It was just a normal Tuesday... until my phone started lighting up. One person from the product team sent me a recognition. Then another, until I had been recognised more than 70 times. What no one knew was that I’d been quietly struggling that day. Yet every single recognition landed exactly where I needed it most. Awardco’s culture is something I feel every single day. I love knowing that the little things I’ve done have truly impacted my colleagues and friends." - Taylor Card, Office Assistant

Human connection

“I believe in recognition because of its human-centric nature—acknowledging a person with their own feelings, emotions, and life experiences. The recognitions that stand out most are those that arrive at just the right time and speak to that human need. At the end of the day, people need connection, and recognition fulfills that in a powerful way.” - Dillon Winspear, VP of Product

The Magic of recognition

“These recognitions aren’t just from managers—they’re from peers who’ve become friends, leaders I admire, and colleagues across different departments. Together, they create a living record of collaboration and impact that I can return to anytime. On tough days, when work feels overwhelming, those recognitions are a powerful reminder that my contributions matter.

And that’s the true magic of recognition: it connects people, celebrates meaningful work, and makes every individual feel valued. For me, there isn’t just one favourite recognition—because together, they tell a story of gratitude, connection, and the power of simply saying, “Thank you. I see you. What you do matters.” - Bohdan Klawe, Enterprise Account Executive

The Return on Recognition™

Recognition at Awardco isn’t an initiative, it’s a rhythm. A constant record of positivity that, when repeated, becomes second nature. From CEO to intern, everyone carries the responsibility to recognise others. Recognition isn’t “fluffy”—it’s a proven driver of trust, performance, and cultural strength.

Awardco itself is living proof. By investing in connection, purpose, and performance through its own platform, the company has become its own best case study.

"We’ve accomplished so many amazing things and built such a strong foundation, it’s now up to us to take the next step. How do we keep evolving to ensure we don’t fall behind? The blueprint of HR is changing. The way things were done thirty years ago, or even the way we’ve done them for the past thirty, no longer works. We’re just getting started on this journey of evolution. We’re beginning to mature, grow, and scale, and I’m excited to see what comes next. It’s been a fun ride so far, and I truly believe we have incredible opportunities ahead of us." — Amy Butler, VP of People Operations

Let our story inspire your own

Recognition isn’t just a tool. It’s a culture transformer. With the right leadership, mindset, and platform, what Awardco has built internally can be replicated anywhere—and the results speak for themselves.

Get a demo today to see how recognition can transform your own organisation.