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A company like Coinsquare, a digital currency trading platform, can offer exceptional career opportunities, Ugrin believes. “People can help to grow the business and their career at the same time. We think about a job as an opportunity where you are paid to learn, and can come to work every day knowing you are doing something meaningful.”

If you are pulling talent from some big players, that’s a real signal these companies are making a massive impact Daniel Roth, LinkedIn

Ample Organics, which ranked seventh, is a developer of compliance reporting software for the cannabis industry. CEO John Prentice observes there are a lot of people today looking at cannabis as the next great career opportunity. Most are around retail or production. “However, not everyone interested in the industry wants to touch the plant. A lot of software developers want to be part of it as well.”

He says Ample’s job postings elicit a large number of responses. A recent posting for an executive assistant position for example, received more than 250 applications.

The quality of applicants for senior roles is equally impressive. “We’ve had people from IBM and Shopify, as well as investment bankers and healthcare company executives,” Prentice reports.

Having just crossed the 100-employee mark, Ample is aiming to increase staff to 150 toward the end of the year. As part of its hiring efforts, it also engages in a lot of outreach within the tech community though different startup organizations, and encourages employees to post reviews on Glassdoor.

As Roth notes, some might think that companies offering such perks as ice cream or ping pong are drawing cards. “When we ask professionals, that’s not what they value. They want to feel invested in a company that has some kind of purpose. The rest is just window dressing.”

Many candidates see rapidly growing startups as a means to acquire additional skills and experience, he adds. “People are leaving Wall Street to work with companies like Wealthsimple or Coinsquare because they want to take on new challenges. They want to work for companies with some kind of purpose. It’s a hugely attractive proposition for them.”

Click here for a complete list of the 2018 Top Startups in Canada.