A message from the founders

What does it mean to explore new models? 

That’s a question we set out to answer as we formed Verge 3 years ago. This was in the summer of 2020, against the backdrop of a global pandemic, a domestic reckoning around racial and social justice, and a far reaching conversation about workforce transformation. In the wake of all these things, a seed was planted for us. 

At the time, we were both individual consultants fortunate enough to be paired on an engagement, as well as managing our own individual clients. We discovered some almost too-good-to-be-true synergies in our working styles and values.

It dawned on us: we could see that leaders who genuinely considered their employees to be their most important asset were craving a more human centered approach to HR and People Operations. One that centers the employee experience and uses design thinking to bubble up pain points and appreciation points, and build new systems, together. Leaders and employees were craving these kinds of partnership models, but not readily finding it in the marketplace. We decided to build it.

We officially established Verge in October 2020. Ever since, we’ve operated using that central idea as a catalyst for our efforts with a roster of incredible clients. We are grateful for their partnership and their willingness to trust in an under the radar startup with a mission to help build and demonstrate new models. We’re equally grateful to our team. They joined our mission as trusted collaborators and worked side-by-side with us as Vergers, helping us grow in both size and reach. 

In the 3 years since our inception, we have seen further massive shifts: mass layoffs, the acceleration of A.I. (as both a threat and opportunity space), great and quiet resignations, go remote / now return to the office, and the cognitive load brought about by continuing economic, climate change, and political turbulence. 

As business partners to our clients, we bring multiple years of experience across a diverse range of industries. We have lots of tools in our toolbox. We’ve teamed to help navigate these shifts as long-term embedded team members operating, building and advising from within, or as short-term players / coaches who can deliver on an important and / or urgent need quickly.

As founders, these shifts have also presented us with numerous opportunities to reflect on, respond to, and further hone our methodologies and approaches. They have also provided an invaluable array of litmus tests for our own value set, helping us further ground ourselves to our initial vision. 

We believe organizations will need to continue to evolve to meet the moments that lie ahead. Verge has a lot to offer to organizations who are either thinking about, or are already in the work of adapting their people strategies to all of the challenges and opportunities that constant change presents. As an organization formed during unpredictable times we fully understand that the ground beneath our feet will continue to move in the coming days, months, and years. And in many ways, it always has. 

For Verge, as we endeavor to build sustainably and responsively, our north star will continue to harken back to this idea: If we want new models, it will be up to us to create them. 

– Jen and Abdul