Great early-stage startup - Anonymous employee Helix Employee Review

5.0
Sep 29, 2016
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Noble mission: You're not creating another chat or shared economy app. The technology here will shape human progression. -Great perks: matching 401k, catered meals, relocation benefits, 12 weeks paternity/maternity leave, free shuttles -Solid foundation: Smart, friendly, and experienced executive team. Great investors. -Reasonable work hours: Employees aren't expected to work crazy hours. There are deadlines to hit, but nothing unreasonable. CEO emphasizes family life. -Heavy emphasis on culture: Quarterly culture surveys, candidate screens have culture components, events within the company to promote learning from one another (not just happy hours!) -Smart team: Employees are intelligent and amiable. Positive work environment. -Transparent leadership team: Leadership is very transparent. Every employee knows the burn rate and the execution path for the next several quarters.

Cons

-Company mission is challenging: The general public might not be ready for this kind of technology. Helix will have to define the space. It's hard to describe the company mission to non-tech/biology people. -FDA: The company is trying it's best to be compliant with the government. This slows down some opportunities. -Hiring is slow: Typical problem. Silicon Valley is very competitive.

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Helix Response
9y
Thanks for taking the time to provide us with your feedback! We're glad to hear that you feel that we're holding firm to our values! If you have friends or former colleagues that might be interested in working with us, feel free to invite them in for lunch, ice cream, coffee, or ping pong anytime. Derek Talent Acquisition Team

Explore other reviews about Helix

5.0
Feb 19, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Dynamic fast modern company with lots of opportunities to learn modern tools.

Cons

Modern fast companies often require occasional uncompensated overtime and rapid changing priorities

1.0
Nov 2, 2024
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The industry the company is in has potential.

Cons

After a decade, many basic processes are still not standardized. Simple tasks that should be easy elsewhere take unnecessary effort here. Mid-level managers form cliques, handling conflicts by forcing the more reasonable side to back down. Double standards are everywhere. People who don’t do the work tend to oppress those who do. Managers have a shallow understanding of both the work and people, resorting to bullying those who are kind while avoiding confrontations with the strong or rude. There's a constant manpower shortage, and higher-level issues are often dumped on lower-level employees, but salaries and promotions don’t reflect this. Meetings are mostly for show—employees are only allowed to ask trivial questions or praise each other. If you bring up real issues, they’ll either ask you to fix them yourself or tell you to stay quiet. Layoffs have been frequent over the past year, mostly targeting decent employees who won’t cause trouble or those who dare to speak up. The company is rigidly hierarchical, both in title and race. Middle managers give speeches as if they’re important figures, which is laughable. The quality of employees has dropped, and management is full of holes. Issues in old negative Glassdoor reviews remain unresolved to this day. The tolerance for toxic employees and the chaotic management have left good employees discouraged—they either find excuses to leave or simply cut down their productivity. As one one-star review said, this company needs a complete overhaul, not just minor tweaks.

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