LinkedIn Names Moda Operandi to List of Top Startups

The luxury goods and jewelry e-tailer, which is “redefining what it means to be a luxury shopper in a digital age,” appears at No. 43.

Brecken Branstrator brecken.branstrator@nationaljeweler.com

Moda Operandi has been recognized as a top startup by LinkedIn for its innovative way of bringing styles straight from the runway to shop online. Martin Katz sold for the first time online this spring through the e-tailer, including this pair of earrings.

New York--LinkedIn is calling attention to the startups it thinks people should know about, and Moda Operandi is one of them.

The business networking website released its “Top Companies: Startups” list last week.

To be eligible for the list, companies must have been around for 10 years or less, have at least 100 employees, remain independent and privately held, and have at least one round of venture-backed funding.

LinkedIn then looked at the actions of its more than 500 million members to determine employee growth, job seeker interest via views and applications, member engagement with the company and its employees, and how well these startups poached talent from top companies.

It worked with CB Insights to look through a global list of nearly 25,000 eligible companies, and beating out many others was luxury goods and accessories site Moda Operandi, which was at No. 43 on the list of 50.

LinkedIn said the e-tailer is “redefining what it means to be a luxury shopper in a digital age,” with its model that allows consumers to shop clothing and accessories straight from the runway online.

This year, the company has inked deals with a few high jewelry houses to sell online.

Earlier this week, for example, it was announced that Reza would expand beyond its Paris atelier for the first time by selling on Moda Operandi.

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And Martin Katz went digital for the first time this spring, also partnering with the e-tailer for the launch.

According to LinkedIn, Moda Operandi is valued at $330 million and has 200 employees globally.

Benefits and perks for employees, who have helped make the e-tailer of interest to job seekers, are: allowing dogs in the office at any time, weekly Friday happy hours, and bonus and equity at every level.

Other companies named to the list include some likely suspects, particularly at the top.

At No. 1 is Uber, followed by Airbnb at No. 2, WeWork at No. 3, Lyft at No. 4 and computer software company Slack at No. 5.

Others included are Shanghai-based NIO, which develops smart, electric and autonomous vehicles, Dropbox at No. 8, cosmetics company Glossier at No. 13, online styling service Stitch Fix at No. 32, and direct-to-consumer mattress maker Casper at No. 49, among many other internet and computer software companies, transportation and trucking startups, consumer goods companies and more.

For the full list of the top 50 startups in the U.S., visit LinkedIn.com.

Brecken Branstratoris the senior editor, gemstones at National Jeweler, covering sourcing, pricing and other developments in the colored stone sector.