Hi, we’re Kindred Works! Powered by Communication, Culture, and Connection.

Three women smile warmly in front of a bookcase filled with decorative items, vibrant flowers and personal photographs, two are seated and one is standing.

We’re thrilled to launch the Kindred Works blog—and we’re even more excited you’re here. Whether you're a founder, operator, or startup enthusiast, we hope this space offers you valuable insights, practical strategies, and a fresh perspective on building and scaling early-stage companies.

Prelude: The Rise of Fractional

If you are already familiar with fractional leadership, you’ve likely noticed its growing popularity in the startup ecosystem.  Securing executive-level talent can be both costly and time-consuming—a challenge faced not only by founders, but also by companies experiencing stages of growth.  That’s where fractional leaders come in: a modern, flexible approach to leadership that helps startups thrive without the heavy overhead of full-time executive or leadership hires.  As Forbes notes in respect to hiring fractional leadership, “many companies are building robust operational foundations without the heavy overhead traditionally associated with full-time executive-level hires.”  Fractional leaders now have a well-earned seat at the table—and the results speak for themselves, with cost savings up to 40% compared to full-time hires, not to mention the additional benefit of flexibility.

Enter Kindred Works

At Kindred Works, we’re more than just startup enthusiasts—we’re seasoned operators who genuinely love helping early-stage companies succeed. We've been part of multiple fundraises and exits (each with its own unique set of challenges), learned valuable lessons along the way, and developed proven strategies and playbooks to support startup growth and resilience.

What sets us apart isn’t just our experience—it’s our alignment. While we each bring different areas of expertise to the table, we share one thing above all: our values. In a fast-moving tech world, we believe that prioritizing people is still the most effective way to grow and succeed.

We’re often asked how the name Kindred Works came to be. The idea came first, born from our time at GIPHY, where our similar traits helped charter the company through its pivotal growth moments. The name followed naturally.

Kin-dred: (adjective)  of similar nature or character 

That definition reflects not just who we are, but also the kinds of companies and founders we love to work with—mission-aligned, people-focused, and values-driven.

We’re also proud to call ourselves fierce operators. To borrow the words of a former colleague: “they can operate the $hit out of anything.” Behind-the-scenes execution is where we thrive—from cross-functional planning and internal communications to the details that keep fast-growing startups aligned and moving forward.

Why choose Kindred?

At Kindred, change management is at the heart of everything we do. We approach every project and long term strategy systematically to achieve your organizational goals.  Like many fractional leadership teams, we bring deep functional expertise to every commitment. But what makes Kindred Works unique is our holistic focus on three key disciplines: Product, People, and Process.

We specialize in helping early-stage startups through pivotal growth moments—bridging the gap between what they need and what they don’t yet have the time or internal capacity to manage. With a flexible, results-driven approach, we partner closely with founders to shape strategy, coach teams, and execute the work that drives momentum.

Think of us as a low-overhead bridge to full-time leadership and a catalyst for success. You don’t just get fractional support, you get a high-impact team of connectors who bring the right people, processes, and priorities into focus.

Our Founders

As of today, we are a small team, but a mighty one.  We were critical to the operations at GIPHY, which was acquired by Instagram for $400M in 2020.  GIPHY, a platform that has a daily user reach of 1+ billion and serves more than 100M GIFs across its platform, was required by Shutterstock in 2023.  There, we were the leadership team that spear-headed the integration as well as developed and executed the revenue strategies resulting in a multi-million dollar platform.  Here is a bit more about who we are individually:

Amanda Grant

A leader in People Operations and former Chief of Staff, Amanda brings extensive experience across the full employee lifecycle—from onboarding to offboarding, and everything in between. She excels in company planning, career path development, talent acquisition, and internal culture-building. When not working at Kindred Works, Amanda enjoys cooking, working out at Form50 Fitness, and sitting in the sun drinking a cool, crisp vino verde.

Rebekah Huber 

With a background in strategic partnerships and content operations, Rebekah is skilled in partner marketing, content strategy, and leading creative orgs. She is a versatile cross-functional manager with experience growing and supporting teams across disciplines and also brings a strong foundation in trust & safety and business operations. In her free time, Rebekah enjoys spending time with her two terribly behaved rescue dogs, eating various cheeses, and drinking light and crisp white wines while she sits poolside reading niche nonfiction.

Amanda Kaufmann

A skilled Product executive, Amanda has run and overseen teams for Search, Ads, Web, Mobile, Analytics, and SaaS products. She has successfully brought to market new products and managed revenue driving business units inclusive of Sales and Business Development teams.  A champion for DEAI in product management, Amanda knows that inclusive design leads to better, more impactful products. Outside of work, Amanda is a mom to three boys and two dogs. She enjoys making bone broth, practicing Pilates, summer days at the beach, and a glass of medium-bodied red wine.

You can read more about us here.

What to expect from this blog

The Kindred Works blog will be your go-to resource for best practices in People, Process, Product, and Operations. Expect real-world case studies, practical tips on building resilient company cultures, insights on emerging tech (like AI), and strategies to balance thoughtful processes with high productivity.

We’re excited to share what we’ve learned—and even more excited to hear from you. Have feedback or want to connect? Reach out here.