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Jellyvision cuts headcount by 15 percent – Crain’s Chicago Business


Jellyvision, a Chicago tech company that has made headlines in recent years for its rapid growth, has cut 65 jobs, or 15 percent of its headcount.

The company, which pivoted from making online games and advertising to human-resources software, added about 100 employees a year in recent years to reach 421 employees at the end of 2019.   

Jellyvision found success with software it calls Alex, which companies use to help employees understand health care benefits. Jellyvision has been looking to expand its product line to financial services, such as retirement benefits, but the evolution has been slower than expected. 

Jellyvision is the latest high-flying, growth-stage software company to trim staff. Software-ratings company G2 Crowd and Uptake Technologies recently announced job cuts.

CEO Amanda Lannert said Jellyvision had slower growth than expected in 2019 but is still growing at double-digit rates and hit its profitability targets.

Like other companies in the benefits space, Jellyvision’s business is seasonal, which can leave some employees under-utilized at other times. The bigger issue, Lannert says, was the company was developing a bureaucracy. Before Jellyvision launched Alex, a subscription-software product, it used its entertainment chops to do digital-advertising projects.

“We were still largely staffed like an agency that did independent projects,” she said. “We didn’t change the organization to reflect it. We had too many centralized departments. We’re working on more innovation, but we need to do things faster. I am responsible.”

The company deliberately forged its own path, from its digs on the near North Side, to its quirky, cerebral culture. It has been a perennial member of Crain’s Best Places to Work list.   

“We have great, talented employees. Our loss is Chicago tech’s win,” Lannert said. “Jellyvision is still a growth company.  We’re going to innovate with new chutzpah, vision and speed.”



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