BuildOps, the only all-in-one software platform built for commercial specialty contractors, has been named to Forbes' America's Best Startup Employers 2026 list for the fourth year in a row.
BuildOps ranked #54 out of 500 nationally and #1 in Santa Monica, California. The annual ranking, produced by Forbes in partnership with market research firm Statista, analyzed more than 7 million data points across 20,000 eligible companies to identify the top 500 startup employers in the United States.
Companies were evaluated on employer reputation, employee satisfaction, and company growth with only 2,700 qualifying for in-depth analysis and 500 making the final list.
The recognition caps a transformative year for BuildOps. In 2025, the company raised a $127 million Series C round led by Meritech Capital Partners, reaching a $1 billion valuation. It opened new offices in Raleigh, expanded its Los Angeles headquarters, and grew the team across engineering, product, sales, and customer success. The company also earned a No. 93 ranking on the Inc. 5000, was named No. 9 on the Vet 100, and made Built In's Best Places to Work list.
"The trades built this country's hospitals, airports, and data centers, and they keep them running at 3 a.m. when something goes wrong," said BuildOps Co-Founder & CEO Alok Chanani. "The people at BuildOps understand that. It's why they're here. Making this list four years in a row while scaling the way we did says something about who we've hired and what they care about. You can't fake culture at this pace. It either holds or it doesn't. Ours held."
Founded in 2018 by U.S. Army veteran Alok Chanani, BuildOps has built its culture around the values of the trades it serves accountability, craftsmanship, and showing up for each other. The company serves commercial MEP contractors across HVAC, plumbing, electrical, fire/life safety, and other specialty trades, providing a unified platform for service management, project management, dispatching, and financial operations.
BuildOps is backed by Founders Fund, Meritech Capital Partners, N47, Global Founders Capital, and other institutional investors.
