oxic culture, excessive overtime, poor management — not family-friendly - Anonymous employee Spear Bio Employee Review

1.0
22 Aug 2025
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

1. Reasonable Series A funding for a company of this size, which provides some financial runway. 2. Many younger colleagues are energetic and fun to work with.

Cons

1. Unprofessional management: Leadership consists mostly of former postdocs with little industry experience. Examples include: - CEO yelling at employees in open meetings. - CEO undermining prior work experience to pressure people into accepting lower titles. - Poor hiring decisions — candidates are brought in, “tested” for months, and dismissed arbitrarily. - No effective project or timeline management; leadership obsesses over individuals’ daily tasks instead. 2. Micromanagement: Senior leaders treat experienced PhD-level scientists like junior associates. Mandatory daily meetings leave little flexibility or trust, and consume valuable time. 3. Excessive overtime: The workload during standard hours is already overwhelming, and employees are expected to analyze data and prepare summaries at night to be “ready” for the next day’s meeting. Leadership models this behavior, equating long hours with commitment. This environment is especially unsustainable for employees with families. 3. Lack of career development & job security: Employees are treated as expendable assets. Management focuses on short-term “value” rather than investing in long-term growth, leading to frequent turnover and terminations.

Spear Bio Response
8mo
It is unfortunate to read this review. Although Glassdoor reviews are anonymous, the comments clearly indicate that it was written by a disgruntled former employee. We provide multiple development, career growth, and promotion opportunities across all of our areas. Unfortunately, this employee was consistently unable to perform at the level expected despite their years of experience. In spite of poor performance, his manager and our CEO spent considerable time over several months mentoring and trying to develop him, and he expressed great appreciation to them, which is why this review is so disappointing. Ultimately, he was simply unable to meet expectations. We wish this person the best of luck, but it is important that readers recognize this is a false and inaccurate review from an angry former employee.

Explore other reviews about Spear Bio

5.0
28 Oct 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

In a team of less than 50 people, your work is always on display. You’re able to work on impactful projects and see your contributions make a real difference. Because of this, there’s a lot of room to learn quickly and take on new responsibilities. The environment at Spear Bio rewards initiative and ownership.

Cons

Being a startup, there are often tight deadlines to meet in order to continue growing at a rapid rate. Processes can change frequently as new discoveries are made, which requires adaptability. However, if you’re someone who wants to make an impact, your work can shine through and be implemented as early as the next day.

5.0
15 Sept 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

This is one of the top biotech start-ups in the industry today. It is well-funded. The platform is creating new standards for detection of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, with greater sensitivity and specificity, achieving unprecedented accuracy beyond other platforms in this space. Leadership is dedicated, passionate, and committed to developing their employees. Overall, some of the best people I have ever worked with in my career. They've done a great job hiring top scientists and engineers with diverse backgrounds who are eager to teach, share info, and collaborate and everyone is dedicated to creating a great work environment. Do not believe the few negative reviews, these were isolated cases posted by former employees who couldn't meet expectations, handle the pace, or were not interested in collaborating with others. By far the best company I have worked at since getting my Ph.D. Definitely check out the open jobs - if you are lucky to get an interview, this is a company you will want to be a part of.

Cons

Not a con, but the pace is fast and priorities can change quickly - typical of a growing and successful start-up environment. Not everyone is suited for this type of environment so make sure you specifically want to work at a start-up.

2
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