For some, the perks of ping pong tables, free snacks and flexible hours are enough to convince early startup hires to sign on the dotted line. For others, the potential to make an impact on a growing business and have a hand in shaping an industry is the main allure. With new and promising startups popping up in locations everywhere from Silicon Valley and New York City to burgeoning tech hubs like Boston and Miami, it's clear that startup culture has its advantages — and its hardships.

Throughout the course of our series The First 100, we've been talking to hires #1 through 100 at successful startups from around the country, asking their opinions on early growth, tough decisions and the ups and downs of startup life. This week, we're talking to employees #71 through 80 from companies like Pinterest, Homejoy and Birchbox.

Follow along with the full series here, and online with the hashtag #First100.

71. Gabriel Trionfi, Pinterest

Image: Gabriel Trionfi

An audacious vision... In my experience, it's hard to come by leaders who truly prioritize understanding the people they're building for. After talking to [Pinterest's founders, Ben Silbermann and Evan Sharp], I was all-in. It’s the audaciousness of the company’s mission that captured my imagination. Pinterest is a service that can illuminate the relationships between the world’s ideas, things and people — we can help our Pinners enjoy moments of pure discovery: New places, new ideas, things to make, things to do and even intimate moments of self-discovery. I couldn’t pass up the chance to be a part of a team that realizes that opportunity.

The transformative power of discovery... After studying the developmental importance of imaginary friends in graduate school, I worked at IDEO and then most recently at Facebook. On my last project, I was the lead researcher on the Facebook Graph Search team, where I became obsessed with the transformative power of discovery experiences. Searching for information is great, but people love discovering personally meaningful things even more — which is an experience that Pinterest delivers.

The "research guy"... As the first researcher at Pinterest, it felt good to be the “research guy” on the creative team; but what I really wanted was to bring together a team of researchers that cared most about making Pinterest better for Pinners. We now have a multidisciplinary team of five researchers who deliver end-to-end strategic insights. Being one part of an amazing team of career researchers feels so much better than being the lone “research guy.”

Working for the underdog... I think what differentiates our culture now is that it’s incredibly intentional. People at Pinterest have strong opinions and deliver amazing work. Even as we grow, we’re a scrappy company where everyone is swiftly getting things done together. Everything is done for a reason and that makes a difference, and this sort of thoughtfulness is true of all teams — from engineering to HR and all the rest. We still have a ways to go. We’re still an underdog, and I like that.

Today, Pinterest has 240 employees.

72. Lauren Arkema, Wayfair

Image: Lauren Arkema

Maintaining the entrepreneurial spirit... When I joined Wayfair, the entrepreneurial spirit was extremely evident and contagious, just as it is today. We're never truly "done": We’ve expanded into Europe and Australia, rebranded from CSNStores to Wayfair and merged with iconic brands, such as DwellStudio. I try to capture that entrepreneurial spirit and project the feeling that I felt in my interview when I conduct interviews now.

Evolving responsibilities... My initial responsibilities involved adding products to our various microsites while simultaneously answering customer service calls from end-user consumers. I now manage two teams: an exclusive designer trade services team, which consists of business account managers focused on providing design professionals with custom product, pricing, content and logistic solutions for their clients; as well as a specialized sales team for high-profile consumers shopping our AllModern and DwellStudio sites. I've enjoyed traveling in both the U.S. and internationally for AllModern, and currently host booths at trade shows across the county for interior designers, architects and contractors.

Still feels like a startup... The key to Wayfair’s success is that externally, we are an established corporate company and a growing household name — but in our employees’ eyes, we still feel like a startup where everyone’s ideas are valued and everyone at any level or tenure can have an immediate impact. I love the people I work with. Even after the longest or most challenging days, I always think, “I work with extremely talented people. I couldn’t ask for better partners.”

Today, Wayfair has 1,400 employees.

73. Ravi Patel, Integral Ad Science

Image: Ravi Patel

Taking the reins... Looking into how technology would disrupt the culture of advertising, I was fascinated to learn more and be a part of it. I joined Integral because of the people, culture and potential for personal growth — the opportunity to take an idea from conception and develop a product excited me. There aren't many businesses that put trust in you to take the reins and build without being impeded by bureaucracy. Integral gave me the chance to prove myself as a product manager in this industry.

Freedom and flexibility... My role has evolved pretty organically, as opposed to a linear path you see in larger companies. I am still a product manager, but I have gone from developing the video solution to also managing the API solution and working on a portion of the mobile offering at the company. Even as a growing company, Integral has fostered and encouraged the ability to work in cross-functional teamwork outside of my current product group. The company has pushed me to reach higher expectations while also giving me the freedom to work in an environment that is conducive to my strengths.

No "seniority" complexes... The pace at which Integral is growing is exciting, but what makes it great is that Integral has been able to stay true to its culture and environment. Even as we have grown, it is still the same open workplace, with high visibility into where the company is currently and where it is headed in the coming year(s). I always describe our company structure as "flat." Everyone treats each other with the same respect; there is no "seniority" complex here. It is really a place where you can embrace change and be a part of the innovation. Showing that you can easily roll with the punches is one way to ensure your success here.

A sense of pride... One of the biggest things that keeps me going is seeing my colleagues love what they do. I used to work at places where people just did it because "it pays the bills." At Integral, you get rewarded for your hard work by the company, but you also feel a sense of pride for your accomplishments.

Today, Integral Ad Science has 96 employees.

74. Tara DelloIacono Thies, Clif Bar & Company

In the video above, Tara explains what it's like to be hire #74.

Getting paid to work out... The atmosphere at Clif is pretty awesome — it's a fun place to work because we take our work seriously, but we don't take ourselves very seriously. One of the coolest things is that we get paid to work out. We have a gym on-site with personal trainers, who have such broad areas of expertise. I can go in and talk to Joe about a running plan for a marathon, or I can talk to Sadie about how to work on my kettlebell swing. And this all happens at work. It's part of our culture because of our athletic heritage.

The spirit of adventure... We're always evolving and changing, and with the wonderful people I get to work with every day, I always get to learn something new or try a new adventure — whether it be some sort of wild activity like running 20 miles in the mountains or working on a nutritious and organic food recipe for a new product. We've become this group of athletes and foodies doing fun adventures together — there's a 150-mile bike ride that Gary puts on, or we'll all go out camping or river rafting. Or even just a couple people from the office will come together to go for a run in the middle of the afternoon. It's just a really fun place to work.

Today, Clif Bar & Company has 350 employees.

75. Nicole Lopuch, BrightEdge

Image: Nicole Lopuch

No cubicles here... When I walked in for my first interview, I was taken aback. Everyone was working together side by side, surge protectors serving as the only real divider between people. It was so different from the large cubicles I was used to. After carefully examining the size of each person’s table, I saw that I would still have enough space for a laptop, monitor, keyboard, mouse and writing area, so I thought, “Okay, I can make this work.” What excited me about BrightEdge, and continues to excite me today, is how everyone operates with such an intense sense of urgency and commitment toward innovating and building the best technology.

The "go-to" girl... My reputation at BrightEdge is the “hill-taker.” If there is a challenging, cross-functional, high impact project that needs tackling, I’m often the go-to person. I’ve had the great opportunity to program, manage and lead content development for our website relaunch, launch the BrightEdge Training & Certification program, lead messaging and the press announcement for our Series D financing and collaborate with our CEO on his keynote presentation for our industry event, Share.

Outgrowing offices left and right... BrightEdge is all about innovating ahead of the curve, and as a result, we outgrew all of our offices. We moved our headquarters to a beautiful, sleek new multi-level space in San Mateo, Calif., moved into great new offices in New York and London and recently opened a Chicago office. Since I joined the company two years ago, we’ve had more than 20 major product releases. In that time, we have developed technology to address Google’s shift to 100% Secure Search with our Page Reporting technology and released innovations around local and mobile SEO, to name a few. Our product has evolved from an SEO platform focused on sites, search and social, to advanced content marketing technology.

Relentless commitment... The culture is fast-paced, and people operate with an intense sense of urgency. Every single person has a relentless commitment to customer success, technological innovation, growth and continued market leadership. Teams are cross-functional, with people across all levels and departments working together to do whatever it takes to accomplish our goals and succeed. That sense of team is also fostered by our Friday lunches, which rotate each week and give each team the opportunity to present what they are working on. BrightEdge really exemplifies what Silicon Valley is all about: A meritocracy. One of our core values is 'People Success,' and that rings true. Twenty three people were promoted in Q1 alone. I really appreciate the opportunities I’ve been given to take on challenging projects and grow professionally.

Today, BrightEdge has 225 employees.

76. Matt Yasgar, Ajax Union, LLC

Image: Matt Yasgar

Launching a career... Being new to the New York City job market and really wanting to land a position in online marketing, I jumped at the opportunity to get started. Overall, I like the excitement and ownership that comes with being at a small company, but your boss or the management team make a huge difference on how the job will turn out. I definitely used the interview process to get as much of a feel for the managers’ and owners’ personalities as they did for me. I also knew that structure and roles can be loose, so I wanted to make sure they had clear objectives.

The "big break"... The thing that excited me most about Ajax Union was that it was my "big break" in the city. I had finally found a job in the industry I wanted to work in — since it was a smaller company, they were open to taking on employees that might not have the exact resume or qualifications they were looking for on paper; they were planning on investing in their employees' training and skills to help them grow with the company.

The "Yes Man"... Within three months [of joining the company], I had completed a few training certification courses and said "yes" to every project given to me, learning what I didn't know along the way. As a result, I was added to one of the agency teams as a contributor on every kind of project they had — from social media to technical SEO, paid search and blogging. I decided early-on that my goal would be to advance as much as I could in order to gain as much experience as possible and put myself into a challenging and rewarding position. [With this mentality], in less than a year I found myself in the role of an agency manager and was in charge of my own client list and a small team of specialists.

A place of learning... The culture is fairly loose and entrepreneurial. We hold individuals to a high level of accountability and set high expectations to work toward specific goals. Since the company is a relatively new and small organization, it's a great environment for learning — something that is promoted at every level of the organization so that we stay on top of industry trends.

Today, Ajax Union, LLC has 32 employees.

77. Jason Hayward, Science, Inc.

Image: Jason Hayward

Dynamic and driven... The thing that excited me so much about joining Science was that I would be able to more directly influence the success and innovation of the companies and clients. The offices here are filled with dynamic and driven people, and the evolution of my role reflects it. There is now more cross-discipline collaboration and development of new search-marketing-style products. Additionally, I have taken a more active role in client pre-screening and strategy to make sure that we are focusing our efforts on partnerships with the highest potential.

High-growth impact... Obviously, since we are in a high-growth phase, there is considerable evolution across many parts of the business; but the most impactful to me is the emphasis we are placing on the direct delivery side of the business. We have successfully made a few key hires that have taken our delivery capabilities to a whole new level. This is easily the strongest cross-discipline online marketing team I have ever been a part of.

On morale and collaboration... [The culture is] driven, serious, intelligent and very innovative. It’s the result of putting a group of very smart and accomplished people in an office that doesn’t promote the political game that is so damaging to morale and creativity. People freely collaborate and don’t worry about taking credit for a success or assigning blame if things don’t work out as planned. Our great morale here is a direct reflection of our management. They understand and promote this powerful and often overlooked aspect of office culture.

Today, Science, Inc. has 190 employees.

78. Michelle Gonzalez, Homejoy

Image: Michelle Gonzalez

Cultivating culture from the ground up... What made me choose Homejoy was the chance to build the human resources practice from the ground up. Some people view HR as a traditional function; what people often don't understand is that HR can create a lot of human capital growth, as well as bring significant value-add to the business by leveraging people in the organization to reach their full potential. At Homejoy, it was clear I would have the opportunity to cultivate culture and partner with management to accommodate significant growth.

Rapid expansion... I was actually an early user of Homejoy and a big ambassador of the service. There are a lot of reasons why I get excited about Homejoy, but overall I know there is a tremendous opportunity to be really impactful. [Over the course of my employment], I've watched the rapid expansion across North America, our Series A and Series B announcements, as well as the launch of the Homejoy Foundation, an independent non-profit organization. Culture is constantly evolving with each new addition to the Homejoy team.

Everyone brings something to the table... Each employee brings a unique blend of personality, heart and talent; it's important to recognize and value each unique contribution. Everyone here matters; everything we do has meaning behind it and is important for Homejoy's trajectory. We believe everyone deserves a happy home, and our social mission is critical to us. And we're always hiring!

Today, Homejoy has 115 employees.

79. Melissa Enbar, Birchbox

Image: Melissa Enbar

No regrets... Naturally, it was a bit nerve-wracking to leave my job at Harvard to move to another state and join a startup that was a little over a year old — but I knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I was so excited about the potential of the company and of being the first recruiter that the decision was a no-brainer. The only thing scarier than change is [monotony]; I knew I’d never regret it.

On teambuilding... My excitement about Birchbox was twofold. First, it was a chance to completely revolutionize the way consumers shop and the way brands interact with customers. Secondly, I would be the first person to work on recruiting — I was being given the opportunity to build a team and, in turn, to play a major role in building the company. When I came on board full-time, I was a recruiting team of one with about 30 open jobs to fill. I was mainly focused on building an employment brand, building a recruitment process, training managers on that process and, of course, finding awesome people to fill those jobs. We now have a recruiting team of four people, and a 'people and culture' team of seven (and growing)!

Playing a role in success... One of the biggest, most impactful evolutions has been international expansion. Having colleagues around the world changes the way you perceive your customers and your daily work. Now, when I create a program, I have to think, "Will this work with the European teams? How will we translate this? Will this scale as we grow?" Another huge evolution has been our customer base -– we now have over 800,000 subscribers, and 30% of our business is from ecommerce. This business’ success is more real than I ever could have imagined, and it’s been an incredible experience to play a role in that success.

Infectious energy... Birchbox is extraordinarily collaborative. We have four leadership principles, one of which is “one team," and we live by that principle every day. There are so many moving pieces, and every day our employees partner with members of other teams. Our culture is also incredibly positive and optimistic; we are always looking for new challenges, and we set high goals for ourselves. That undying optimism, partnered with some very strong leadership and talented people, creates this infectious energy that drives you to want to do your absolute best work every day.

Today, Birchbox has 250 employees.

80. Veronica Gage, Brand Networks

Image: Veronica Gage

Couldn't stay away... My story is pretty unique; I was actually the third employee at Brand Networks as well as the 80th. I originally joined the company as the first full-time employee — I did everything from maintaining client relationships, to project management, to managing the office and more. If it needed to get done, I did it. After a few years, I was offered another opportunity and left the company. Then, in October 2012, Jamie Tedford, the founder and CEO of Brand Networks, reached out to me looking to hire a director of marketing. Within two weeks, I was back at BN running marketing and PR.

The draw of a challenge... Between leaving Brand Networks and coming back, I was at Forrester Research running social media marketing and at Rue La La, where I managed digital PR efforts, like blogger relations and social media content. I had a great experience at both places, and learned valuable strategies that have served me well. When the opportunity presented itself, I was excited to come back to Brand Networks and establish a marketing practice; what marketer wouldn’t be motivated by that challenge? It was a lot to take on, but it has been an incredible experience.

Everyone on their "A game"... Even though we are split up across eight different offices, we’re still incredibly collaborative and supportive. I think it helps that we try to hire people that are kind, self-starting and hard-working; we call them “A-players." I know everyone says this –- but it's the people here that keep me going. I work with some amazing people, and I love going to work with them every day. The challenge of keeping up with an ever-changing and ever-evolving industry also keeps me going. It’s an exciting place to be.

Today, Brand Networks has 175 employees.

Were you one of the #First100? Tell us about your experience in the comments.