Read our latest insights

At Olo, everything we do revolves around the belief that personal interactions make people feel valued. We aim to lift up, grow, challenge, and learn from the talented team members whose hard work, savviness, and intelligence keep us inspired and pushing to build an even greater company.

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One of the ways we do that is through our Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Olo Women’s Network (OWN), for example, seeks to bring together individuals who identify as women, and allies, for the purpose of empowering women in the areas of leadership, community, professional development, and equality within Olo and beyond.

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In honor of International Women's Day, we asked a few of our women leaders to share some of the wisdom they’ve acquired on their career path so far—from helpful tips to hard lessons learned to what motivates them.

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Read their stories and sage advice.

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“A mentor once shared with me that sharing and learning from experiences at work is incredibly important for personal and professional growth. When we share our experiences with others, we create opportunities for learning and collaboration. We can gain new perspectives and insights that we may not have otherwise considered. That is why I took the initiative to establish the Olo Women's Network, which is now the largest Employee Resource Group at Olo. My goal is to foster a safe environment where we can share our experiences, collaborate, learn from one another, and form meaningful connections. Creating these opportunities for connection and growth is essential for supporting women in the workplace and promoting a culture of inclusivity and support.”

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– Priyanka Mehra, Director of Product Management, Payments

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“Take the time to build and invest in a community of people you admire and are inspired by. Not only is it way more fun to celebrate successes with others, but your peers are the ones that will push and challenge you along the way (and also keep you sane!).”

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– Janna Sheng, Director of Product Management

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“As I've grown in my career, I've learned to really evaluate my priorities and how I can get as much energy and satisfaction out of my work as possible. I am thankful for all of the mentorship, advice, and tough love I received from colleagues, managers, and leaders that helped me uncover how to maximize my joy at work and supported me through difficult transitions. My biggest piece of advice is that each person brings something special to the table, and it's up to each person to figure out what that is and how to incorporate it into their professional lives, even when it's difficult. Stay true to yourself, stay open to feedback, and enjoy the journey!”

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– Rachel Nasatka, Head of Business Partners

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“The best advice I received was to try to improve something every day. It can be yourself, another person, a problem, or a process. Even if it's a slight improvement, each day is an opportunity to make something better than how you found it.”

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– Dominique Streeter, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

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“Never forget how capable you are. Just because you haven't done the exact task you may be asked to do, doesn't mean you don't have all the tools in your tool belt to rise to the occasion. You've probably heard this stat from a Hewlett-Packard Report years ago: Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them. In other words, as Forbes put it, ‘Men are confident about their ability at 60%, but women don’t feel confident until they’ve checked off each item on the list.’ The advice we can take away as women: Be more confident in yourself and your abilities. You've got this!”

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– Alayna Sullivan, Director of Corporate Communications

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“I consider myself very lucky to have had incredible women leaders who have generously gifted me with their time and mentorship throughout my career. One of the best pieces of advice I’ve received is that you are your own best advocate. Law school taught me how to negotiate on behalf of my clients, but not necessarily for myself—which research has shown to be a struggle shared by many women in traditionally male-dominated industries such as law and finance. With the support and advocacy of my mentors, I’ve learned how to confidently speak up for myself whether it be for new opportunities and projects, better resources, higher compensation, or just sharing my impact and contributions. As I advance in my career, it’s not only my goal but also my responsibility, to pass on this wisdom and to support and amplify other women as my mentors did for me.”

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– Jen Wong, Deputy General Counsel

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“Stop. Take a deep breath. Realize that you can't do it all and ask for help! It doesn't make you any less of a person. Utilize your circle and gain different perspectives in the process.”

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– Ashveen Singh, Director, Compensation

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“Make time to focus on your own professional development, no matter what your title or role. It's so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of the day-to-day if you don't intentionally carve out time to learn a new skill, take stock of your accomplishments, and gain a fresh perspective. Don't hesitate to advocate for yourself. Celebrate your wins! This ability does not come naturally to many of us; it takes time and practice to develop this skill. Cultivate a network of mentors and mentees—both in your line of work as well as in other industries. They don't have to be super formal; you never know where the next inspiration or support you need will come from.”

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– Carrie Drstvensek, Director of Product Management

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‍To learn more about the Olo Women’s Network and our DEI efforts, visit our DEI page. And check out our careers page to view all of our open positions.

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In an effort to integrate social responsibility and impact into our business, Olo joined the Pledge 1% movement and created Olo For Good in March 2021. Since then we’ve committed one percent of Olo’s time, product, and equity to foster sustainable contributions to the communities in which we live, work, and serve.

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Olo For Good supports organizations that are aligned with our mission and values, including those focused on:

• Advancing all aspects of racial, ethnic, and gender diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Providing relief for the restaurant industry and its front-line workers
• Ending childhood hunger and increasing access to food
• Protecting natural resources and reducing waste and emissions

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As part of that commitment, we intend to donate one percent of Olo shares over 10 years to an independent donor-advised fund sponsor, Tides Foundation, in conjunction with our Olo For Good initiative. So far, a total of $7 million in grants has been donated to the following organizations:

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• American Forests
• Appalachian Trail Conservancy
• Black Girls Code
• Clean Air Task Force
• Emma’s Torch
• Feeding America
• FoodCorps
• Girls Who Code
• Giving Kitchen
• Heart of Dinner
• The LEE Initiative
• Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
• Okra Project
• Partnership with Native Americans
• World Central Kitchen

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These nonprofits are focused on diversity, supporting restaurant workers, environmental initiatives, and the fight against hunger. We are committed to working closely with each organization to ensure continued success.

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Here are a few examples:

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Emma’s Torch

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Emma’s Torch is a nonprofit social enterprise that provides paid culinary training to refugees, asylees, and survivors of human trafficking and helps them find meaningful careers in the food industry.

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When the pandemic forced Emma’s Torch to halt in-person dining, the organization needed a way to scale its business, including adding pick-up options for guests. And so, in addition to a grant, we donated our time and resources to get them set up with Online Ordering and Dispatch for restaurant delivery, and waived the usage fees.

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Since then, Olo has helped Emma’s Torch streamline operations by eliminating manual work, improve order accuracy, and increase its reach throughout New York.

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We remain committed to increasing online ordering capabilities for Emma’s Torch, assisting the organization as it expands to new locations, and leveraging each team’s strengths within the culinary industry to build a stronger community.

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Giving Kitchen

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Giving Kitchen supplies emergency assistance to food service workers through financial aid and a network of low or no-cost community resources. 

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When a food service worker experiences an injury, illness, housing disaster, or other trauma, they can apply for financial assistance to cover living expenses. Additionally, Giving Kitchen’s Stability Network connects people to resources related to mental health and substance misuse, employment, housing, social services, and more.

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Formed out of an overwhelming community response to the terminal cancer diagnosis of Chef Ryan Hidinger, the nonprofit has provided over 6.7 million dollars to food service workers in crisis since 2013.

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The pandemic underscored the value of Giving Kitchen, with 2,500 individuals served in 2020 alone, and set its intentions for the future. We’re proud to help the organization in its efforts to increase awareness within the restaurant industry and expand beyond Georgia and Tennessee to serve food service workers in need throughout the United States.

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Partnership with Native Americans

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Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA) provides consistent material aid, educational support, and community-based services to Native Americans living on remote, isolated, and impoverished reservations.

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After an Olo employee nominated the nonprofit, PWNA received a grant to support its first-ever ancestral foods distribution to Tribal communities in the Northern Plains and Southwest regions of the U.S. Alongside PWNA’s Native-led, peer-to-peer ancestral foods training that teaches individuals how to prepare traditional Indigenous meals, this distribution will complement the organization’s food sovereignty efforts.

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PWNA will also use a small portion of the grant to purchase and distribute portable solar lights from Watts of Love to Tribal communities that lack sufficient electricity and lighting infrastructure to be safe and productive.

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We’re grateful to partner with an organization that is working to eliminate food insecurity and increase safety among the Native American population.

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How to Get Involved

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Individuals or nonprofit organizations that want to get involved with Olo For Good or explore potential partnership opportunities are encouraged to reach out to [email protected].

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Stay tuned for the announcement of our next batch of Olo For Good grant recipients in April 2023.

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For more information about how Olo supports nonprofits via Olo For Good, and our ESG work, visit www.olo.com/esg.

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Main photo credit: Emma's Torch

While workplace diversity training first emerged in the mid-1960s, many businesses have recently made diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) a priority by rethinking hiring practices and company culture and even enlisting the help of specialists to lead the effort. At Olo, we recognize that meaningful change takes time and dedication.

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That’s why our team regularly analyzes company data, surveys employees, and creates policies and resource groups that celebrate our differences, support underrepresented individuals, and foster a community of belonging.

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Before we provide specific examples of how we put DEI into action at Olo, let's break down the acronym:

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Diversity

Diversity refers to acknowledging, understanding, and appreciating individual and social differences (age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, physical abilities, socioeconomics, etc.). In the workplace, it means giving everyone a seat at the table and celebrating differences.

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Equity

While equality ensures each person or group receives the same resources or opportunities, equity recognizes that each person has different circumstances and provides the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. In the workplace, this means ensuring every employee can succeed.

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Inclusion

In the words of Vernā Myers, “Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance.” In other words, inclusion is the extent to which each person in an organization feels welcomed, respected, supported, and valued as a team member. This type of environment requires people from diverse backgrounds to communicate and work together, and to understand one another's needs and perspectives.

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Olo’s Journey To Becoming a DEI-Focused Organization

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Olo has made DEI a core component of our business. To foster a culture of inclusivity, we believe it’s important to look inward, listen, and take concrete action. We started with these three steps:

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1. Commit

To become a DEI-focused organization, Olo’s leadership first made the commitment. Our team recognized that only if leadership set the tone and clearly communicated expectations and goals, could the rest of the company engage and help see it through.

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2. Understand

Next, we needed to evaluate the current state of DEI at Olo, from a qualitative and quantitative perspective. To establish a baseline for measuring progress and to identify areas of improvement, we had to do a bit of self-reflection.

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For one, we had to find out how employees viewed the company. Do they feel like they belong? Do they feel like there’s a safe place for conversation between teammates and leaders? Understanding the core data (e.g. the breakdown of men and women, race, and ethnicities at the company) was key.

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3. Act

Finally, we had to be willing and able to take action. Reporting data and taking the pulse of employees is great, but unless we were prepared to take concrete steps to address areas of improvement, the rest wouldn’t really matter. 

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How Olo Puts DEI Into Action

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The work began with the creation of our Diversity Statement and the enhancement of our recruiting efforts. We created a dedicated DEI function within the People + Culture team, expanded our Talent Acquisition team to actively source diverse candidates, implemented ongoing DEI training for all employees, helped launch Employee Resource Groups, and more.

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By the end of 2024, Olo aims to have a team composed of at least 42% women and 18% underrepresented ethnicities (employees who voluntarily self-identify as Black/African American, Hispanic/Latinx, Two or More Races, Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander). And thereafter, we hope to set additional targets to continue our efforts.

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Here are some of the ways we’re moving toward our goal:

Annual DEI Survey

We have an annual DEI survey that asks employees questions like, “Do you feel like you belong?” and “Do you feel like your voice matters?”, in addition to capturing demographic information like age, ethnicity, department, and gender identity. By analyzing the responses, we can compare the experience of different groups and develop a plan to address areas in need of improvement. 

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DEI Committee

Composed of a group of diverse employees from across the company, the DEI Committee’s role is to raise a voice for all Oloites, advise the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director, and create and facilitate events and initiatives to increase DEI at Olo.

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Hiring Practices

To increase representation across the company, we’ve taken a number of steps, including: 

• Pre-screening all job descriptions to ensure we’re using inclusive language
• Posting on diversity job boards
• Proactively sourcing diverse candidates
• Including our diversity statement in our job descriptions
• Anonymizing profiles when reviewing assessments
• Removing college degree requirements where possible
• Training hiring managers on interview strategies to reduce bias
• Forming a diversity hiring committee to evaluate every step of the process and identify areas for improvement

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We’ve also expanded our recruitment efforts at diversity-focused events, such as the National Society of Black Engineers and the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing, to hire more junior engineers and interns.

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Training

We have a robust training curriculum that includes guest speakers, panel discussions, and leading inclusively training specifically targeting managers and leaders.

Mentoring Program

We launched Olo Ties, a mentoring pilot program that gives women and underrepresented minorities at Olo an opportunity to work with mentors at the company and get help in their career paths.

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Employee Resource Groups

We encourage employees to create Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and provide support when they want to bring in guest speakers and hold events. We currently have six: Olo Women’s Network, Oloites of Color, Olo Pride, Olo Green, Vets @ Olo, and Olo Parents.

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Job Leveling and Compensation Calibration

We regularly review our job leveling—the systematic method of objectively and actively assigning value to positions—and compensation across the company to ensure that we’re being equitable and consistent across all departments and positions.

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Data Tracking

Every month we look at our statistics across gender, ethnicity, and racial demographics across the company and track our progress with consideration to hiring, acquisitions, and attrition.

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Publishing DEI Data

Many businesses are hesitant to publish DEI data because the numbers aren’t ideal. To help hold ourselves accountable for improving our stats, we publish our DEI data on our website.

Encouraging Allyship

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Allies play an important role in building an inclusive workplace by recognizing their own privilege and using their skills, knowledge, and position to drive real change.

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At Olo, we encourage individuals who want to show support for underrepresented groups to demonstrate their allyship by listening, being receptive to feedback, having a willingness to change behavior to be respectful and inclusive, challenging inequities and attempts to marginalize individuals, as well as letting them know that they care and stand by them.

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Final Thoughts

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Companies don’t become DEI-focused organizations overnight. But, everyone wins when leadership makes a public commitment to positive change and actively works to build a culture that promotes growth and equity for underrepresented groups. The key is empowering employees to take action and help move the company forward. 

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Learn more about how Olo puts DEI into action and apply to one of our open positions today.

As a remote-first company, we work hard to keep our distributed team connected and provide an environment where employees can grow, learn, and celebrate their authentic selves. Our employee resource groups (ERGs) play an essential role in that effort by expanding our culture to be more inclusive.

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[email protected] was one of the first ERGs to be formed, with the goal of connecting employees who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, their families, and nonveteran colleagues to foster a culture of camaraderie, offer support, and advocate for veteran recruitment, retention, and promotion.

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In honor of Veterans Day, we sat down with the ERG’s leader, Zach West, Director of Customer Success Management and former Green Beret in the U.S. Army Special Forces, to get the inside scoop on [email protected], why veterans are an asset to companies, and the importance of celebrating service members.

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Tell us a bit about [email protected]

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We have about 20 members, including 11 or so veterans. In addition to being a community and support forum, we’ve done a few events over the years, including interviewing a veteran business owner about his journey from the Armed Forces to running Southern Pines Brewing Company, and hosting a donation drive to benefit Razom, a nonprofit sending emergency supplies to Ukraine.

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Why are veterans an asset to companies?

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People who are involved in civic organizations are doing something that's greater than themselves. They tend to walk away with a better understanding of how to operate as a team and stay focused on their work. That type of selflessness benefits businesses as a whole because people are committed to the cause and will look out for one another. Veterans come from a mission-first background, so we will do whatever it takes to accomplish the end goal, leading to more efficient and productive companies.

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What are some challenges facing veterans in the workplace?

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Companies often overlook veterans as an underrepresented community. In reality, veterans are a diverse and vibrant group whose members intersect lines of gender, sexuality, and ability. What ties us together is a shared commitment to service, patriotism, and volunteerism. Companies should lean in and learn from their veteran community through inclusive practices, celebration, and recognition.

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How is [email protected] working to change that?

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I want to make sure that our group is not just a support forum, but also focused on celebration. We highlight veterans in our company by honoring their service, engaging in conversations around current events, assisting non-profits who benefit places like Ukraine, and ultimately doing the best we can to create a welcoming environment.
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Looking ahead, I’d love to see our company benefit the broader community, including hiring more veterans, partnering with other ERGs at Olo, and donating to a veterans-focused organization.

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How can nonveterans show their support on Veterans Day and year-round?

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Simply by being involved in different veterans organizations or nonprofits. There are a lot of awareness and support runs/charity races that exist out there. If there are local events going on, just showing up to support the cause is great.

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Head to our People & Culture page to learn more about our ERGs, what it’s like to work at Olo, and our current job openings.

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Photo Credit: Benjamin Faust from Unsplash

Inspired by Olo’s growth journey and steadfast commitment to helping restaurants do more with less, Priya Thinagar took on the role of Executive Vice President of Technology in late 2021.

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Since joining, she has led our Product, Engineering, and Design teams to create best-in-class digital ordering experiences for off-premise and dine-in guests.

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We recently sat down with Thinagar to find out why she chose to work at Olo, highlights from her first year on the job, the key to effective leadership, and more.

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Why did you join Olo?

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Restaurants are the stronghold of local communities. They act as impactful gathering places where people build relationships and make memories. But it's tough running a restaurant business—dealing with labor shortages, talent acquisition, and low margins. I thought of how cool it would be to help these local businesses thrive and do more with technology. Working in the intersection of two things I like the most, technology and food, is one of the reasons I chose Olo.

Additionally, as an aspiring entrepreneur, working in a founder-led organization meant learning from the best to focus on long-term guidance. A founder sees the company as their life’s work, so they are highly motivated to think about the long-term. I know from reading about successful founders that they have an owner’s mindset—speeding up decisions and a bias for action. Add a notch of purpose and you have this amazing formula that can drive individuals to impactful careers.

Lastly, when I started a year ago, Olo was going through a phase of intense scale. Having read “Blitzscaling” by Reid Hoffman and seeing the energy in fast-paced scaling to build sustainable organizations, I wanted to be at the center of the action-packed journey on this rocket ship.

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Tell us a little bit about what you do.

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I lead Product, Engineering, and Design for Olo’s core products and platform. Our mission is to remove any friction in the ordering experience, irrespective of the medium chosen to order. Our teams focus on reliability and scale, deeply embracing a data-driven culture to push our limits on being an elite organization.

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Looking back on your first year at Olo, what are you most proud of?

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First of all, I’m proud of the Omnivore acquisition, where we saw the potential of the data and sync with POS which unlocks new product opportunities and a strong technical team. In the last few months, bringing the Omnivore data together with Olo’s rich order data, and being able to drive insights for capacity, has been fun to watch. The best is yet to come.

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The second is Borderless Olo Pay—from ideation to minimum viable product (MVP) in less than two quarters of bringing together a team. We set a clear vision and focus for them and let them autonomously deliver. To see guests saving credit card information so they can checkout without friction across Olo’s network of restaurants has been rewarding.

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Looking ahead, what are you most excited about?

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I see the potential of bringing the best guest experiences and operational excellence for our brands through our data science initiatives. We have seen accuracy in order promise times with just the order and make-time data. The possibilities are limitless. 

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The next generation of guests is technologically savvy, prefers personalization, and expects brands to meet them where they are. With restaurants investing in digital enhancements to appeal to this hyper-connected guest population, I see a lot of opportunities for Olo to help our brands revolutionize their business through technology.

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Name three things you love about working at Olo.

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1. The problems we solve with a ground ball mentality—there is never a dull moment. 2. The pace at which we operate helps our brands solve complex problems in a timely manner. 3. And, most importantly, my team and the leadership on my teams.

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What makes a great leader?

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Great leaders make hard choices in order to enhance the lives of others around them. They also have a blend of humility and unparalleled will to lead others in service of a cause that is bigger than themselves.

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Any advice for aspiring women in tech?

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My favorite woman leader, Eleanor Roosevelt, said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Remain positively curious and remember that the future is what you make it to be, so dream big.

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To learn more about Olo and apply for one of our job openings, visit our careers page.