Runpod
Runpod provides cloud infrastructure for AI development, offering GPU access, serverless deployment, and storage tools. The 111-person company has raised $122M in Series A funding.
The growth story
Runpod grew from 4 to 111 employees between 2022 and 2026, raising $122M along the way, most recently a Series A in June 2026.
About
Runpod sells cloud computing services tailored for AI developers, including GPU clusters, serverless endpoints, and storage solutions. Its platform aims to simplify the process of building and scaling AI applications by handling infrastructure management.
The company has grown rapidly since its 2022 founding, securing $122M in Series A funding in 2026. Its engineering team makes up nearly 30% of its workforce, reflecting its technical focus.
Founders and leadership
Engineering is Runpod's largest function, accounting for 31 of its 111 employees. The company's leadership includes investors from Dell Technologies Capital and Intel Capital, suggesting strong industry connections.
The Runpod org chart
Zhen Lu (Co-founder & CEO) leads 32 mapped leaders with 3 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Engineering 32 (+19% YoY), Information Technology 19 (+27% YoY), Sales 8 (+60% YoY), Marketing 6 (+20% YoY), Business Development 6 (+100% YoY), Operations 6 (+50% YoY).
Talent flow
Runpod recruits heavily from tech giants like Ookla, AWS, and Google, with 9 hires from Ookla alone. Alumni have founded startups including MadeThis and Atlas Discovery, showing entrepreneurial tendencies.
Most common previous employers of Runpod staff: Ookla (9), Amazon Web Services (AWS) (7), Google (6), Comcast (6), Amazon (6), Microsoft (6). Former Runpod employees most often moved to Shadeform (2), iHeartMedia (2), Together AI (2), Daso (2), Visual Layer (acquired by CAMTEK) (1), Bitwarden (1).
Alumni worth knowing
The Runpod mafia
Runpod alumni have founded 5 companies, including MadeThis (YC F25) and Atlas Discovery. These startups collectively employ 11 people, indicating early-stage ventures.
6Jacob Wright, was Head of Forward Deployed Engineering until 2025Shaamil Karim, was Post-training research & writer until 2024Justin Merrell, was Chief of Staff until 2025Max Forsey, was Head of Developer Relations until 2026Tim Pietrusky, was dx engineer until 2026Carlson Cheng, was AI Operations Engineer until 2025Hiring now
Web traffic
Traffic mix: 58% direct, 17% search, 4% social, 1% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at Runpod: Python (Programming Language) (41), Leadership (41), SQL (38), Microsoft Office (30), Management (30), Project Management (30), Communication (27), Cloud Computing (26).
Where the team actually sits
Runpod people are concentrated in United States (14), California, United States (10), Washington, United States (10), San Francisco Bay Area (5).
Search footprint
Runpod attracts about 2,506 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $42K a month if bought through ads. It gained 1,322 ranking keywords and lost 1,122 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 3.80 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 3.90 / 5
- Senior management
- 3.60 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 3.30 / 5
Frequently asked
Runpod has 111 employees as of September 2026.
Runpod has raised $122M in total, most recently a Series A round in June 2026.
Runpod was founded in 2022 by Zhen Lu.
Zhen Lu (Co-founder & CEO) sits at the top of Runpod's reporting structure, with 3 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current Runpod staff are Ookla (9 people), Amazon Web Services (AWS) (7 people), Google (6 people).
Former Runpod employees most often move to Shadeform (2), iHeartMedia (2), Together AI (2).
At least 5 companies have a founder who previously worked at Runpod, including MadeThis (YC F25), Atlas Discovery, Agentflare.
Runpod attracts about 2,506 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $42K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among Runpod staff are Python (Programming Language), Leadership, SQL, Microsoft Office, Management.
Runpod staff are concentrated in United States (14), California, United States (10), Washington, United States (10).
Runpod has about 32 people in Engineering, up 19% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Runpod has about 19 people in Information Technology, up 27% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 92 current and 44 former Runpod profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
Build this for any company
Every number on this page came from the Crustdata API. Point the MCP at a company and get the same org chart, alumni list and talent flow in one prompt.