Startups > Awardco

Awardco

Awardco helps enterprises build scalable employee recognition programs tied to real rewards.

Series B $235M total Founded 2012 Lindon, Utah 598 employees

Awardco is an employee recognition and rewards platform that helps organizations build culture, drive engagement, and reduce attrition through customizable recognition programs. The platform integrates five core modules—Recognition, Celebrations, Incentives, Benefits & Perks, and Rewards—with direct access to Amazon Business and other retailers, eliminating traditional vendor markups. Trusted by 3,000+ organizations including AT&T, Adobe, and Hertz, Awardco was the first in its category to integrate with Amazon Business API, setting new standards for transparency and scalability.

Problem solved

Organizations struggle with inconsistent, low-impact employee recognition programs that use limited redemption options, charge hidden fees, lack visibility, and fail to move the needle on engagement and retention.

Target customer

Mid-market to enterprise organizations with 500+ employees seeking to modernize employee recognition, reduce attrition, and drive engagement. Particularly strong among organizations with deskless workforces or multiple locations.

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Founders

Steve Sonnenberg

Founder & CEO

Influenced by his father's career in employee recognition (created championship rings for Chicago Bulls). Started developing the platform in 2011 to modernize the recognition industry.

Mike Sonnenberg

Chief Technology Officer

Steve's cousin. Built the company's technological infrastructure and led key integrations with Amazon Business API.

Tanner Runia

President

Operations and strategic planning background. Led company expansion and operational efficiency scaling.

Funding history

Series A $65M 2021 Led by General Catalyst, Ryan Smith (Qualtrics co-founder, Utah Jazz majority owner) · Unknown

Series B $165M May 2025 Led by Sixth Street Growth, Spectrum Equity · General Catalyst, Ryan Smith (HXCO Partner)

Total raised: $235M

Industries

Employee Benefits B2B Human Resources SaaS

Pricing

Per active user per year with volume discounts at 500, 1,000, and 2,500+ user thresholds. Multi-year commitments (2-3 years) unlock lower pricing. Implementation costs range from $5,000 to $75,000+ depending on HRIS integration, custom workflows, and setup complexity. Not publicly available; contact sales for quotes.

Notable customers

AT&T, Adobe, Hertz, Pacific Life, PMG, Lineage, Citizens Business Bank, Children's Nebraska, Southern Oregon Head Start, America First Credit Union

Integrations

Amazon Business, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Workday, ADP, BambooHR, Lazada, Salesforce, Google Analytics, DocuSign, Stripe

Tech stack

Tippy.js (JavaScript libraries) Select2 (JavaScript libraries) Lightbox (JavaScript libraries) jQuery (JavaScript libraries) YouTube (Video players) Plyr (Video players) Popper HTTP/3 DocuSign Google Analytics (Analytics) Ahrefs (SEO) HSTS (Security) Apple iCloud Mail (Webmail) Unpkg (CDN) jsDelivr (CDN) Cloudflare (CDN) Salesforce Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Marketing automation) DoubleClick Floodlight (Advertising) Stripe (Payment processors) Google Tag Manager (Tag managers) Wized Webflow (Page builders) Intellimize (A/B Testing) GoDaddy (Hosting)

Website

awardco.com/

Competitors

Perkbox

Larger market share (30.49%) but Awardco differentiates through direct Amazon Business integration and lower-cost transparent pricing model.

Sodexo

Traditional rewards vendor with significant market share (26.14%) but known for markups and limited scalability; Awardco built to eliminate these pain points.

AchievaSUITE

Smaller competitor (5.41% market share) focused on incentive management; Awardco offers broader employee experience with recognition, celebrations, and perks integrated.

Kudos

Recognition-focused competitor; Awardco's advantage is the five-module ecosystem and real-time integration with Slack/Teams plus retail redemption at scale.

Motivosity

Lighter-weight recognition tool; Awardco serves larger enterprises with more complex, multi-location programs and higher integration requirements.

Why this matters: Awardco achieved unicorn status in May 2025 ($1B+ valuation) as the first to crack transparent, scalable employee recognition by eliminating traditional vendor markups through Amazon Business integration. The company demonstrated strong unit economics—bootstrapped to profitability for 9+ years while doubling revenue annually—making it one of the fastest-growing HR tech companies.

Best for: Enterprise and mid-market organizations with 500+ employees seeking to reduce attrition, boost engagement, and modernize employee recognition without vendor markups or limited redemption options.

Use cases

Reducing Attrition at Scale Across Multiple Locations

Southern Oregon Head Start deployed Awardco across 25 locations and reduced attrition from 45% to 8% in two years. The mobile-friendly platform enabled 80-85% adoption among field staff, boosted morale, and delivered an estimated 8X ROI by reducing costly turnover.

Real-Time Recognition in Deskless Workforces

Lineage, with 26,000+ mostly deskless employees, implemented Awardco for front-line recognition. The platform drove a 20-30% reduction in attrition, a 133% increase in recognitions year-over-year, and enabled global expansion of the program.

Values-Based Recognition Programs

Citizens Business Bank launched 'High Five' using Awardco to celebrate specific organizational values. Within months, the program achieved 25% attrition reduction for recognized employees, 88% login rates, and a 17% productivity boost.

Automating Bonus and Incentive Administration

America First Credit Union automated their bonus program using Awardco's workflows, reducing administrative burden by 92.5% (37 days of manual work) while improving transparency and employee satisfaction.

Alternatives

Perkbox Market leader with 30.49% share; choose Awardco if you want transparent pricing without traditional vendor markups and direct Amazon Business integration.

Sodexo Established enterprise rewards vendor; choose Awardco for modern, scalable tech stack and lower total cost of ownership, especially for digital-first organizations.

Kudos Pure-play recognition platform; choose Awardco if you need an integrated ecosystem including celebrations, incentives, benefits, and real-time Slack/Teams integration.

FAQ

What does Awardco do? +

Awardco is an employee recognition and rewards platform that helps organizations build culture, drive engagement, and reduce attrition. The platform offers five integrated modules—Recognition, Celebrations, Incentives, Benefits & Perks, and Rewards—with direct access to Amazon Business and other retailers for transparent, scalable redemption.

How much does Awardco cost? +

Awardco uses per-user-per-year pricing with volume discounts at 500, 1,000, and 2,500+ user thresholds. Multi-year commitments unlock lower rates. Implementation costs range from $5,000 to $75,000+ depending on HRIS integration and customization. Contact sales for a quote.

What are alternatives to Awardco? +

Top alternatives include Perkbox (broader market share but higher costs), Sodexo (traditional enterprise vendor), Kudos (recognition-only focus), Motivosity (lighter-weight solution), and AchievaSUITE (incentive-focused). Awardco differentiates through integrated modules, Amazon Business integration, and transparent pricing.

Who uses Awardco? +

Awardco serves 3,000+ organizations including enterprise clients like AT&T, Adobe, Hertz, Pacific Life, and mid-market companies. It's particularly strong with large deskless workforces and multi-location organizations seeking to reduce attrition and boost engagement.

How does Awardco compare to Perkbox? +

Perkbox has larger market share (30.49% vs. Awardco's 15.56%) but Awardco leads on innovation and cost: it was the first to integrate directly with Amazon Business API, eliminating vendor markups that traditional competitors charge. Awardco also offers tighter Slack/Teams integration for real-time recognition at scale.