We spoke with Kendra Mitchell, VP of People at Chainguard, to learn about how her team uses GoProfiles to celebrate wins, elevate peer contributions, and nurture a strong sense of belonging across teams.

About Chainguard

Chainguard, a fast-growing company securing the open source supply chain, has seen remarkable momentum over the past year. With a team of over 300 employees and growing, culture and connection remain a top priority—especially as the company continues to scale at breakneck speed.

At the heart of that cultural fabric? A commitment to employee connection and peer recognition. One tool helping foster that culture is GoProfiles, which Chainguard adopted early in its journey and continues to use to this day.

Engineering-Led, Company-Wide Recognition

When Kendra joined Chainguard in mid-2024, GoProfiles was already in place—particularly popular among the company’s engineering teams, who were among the earliest hires.

Though the initial use case was tied to employee directories and profile management, over time, GoProfiles became most valuable for peer recognition. Chainguard employees frequently use the Bravos feature to give shoutouts in Slack, helping cultivate a positive and appreciative environment.

“Bravos are embedded in our culture at Chainguard. From marketing and sales to engineering, employees across the company actively use them to recognize and celebrate each other’s contributions. It’s a tool that truly brings our team together.”

—Kendra Mitchell, VP of People @ Chainguard

Even as Chainguard has grown in size and added more systems and tools, GoProfiles has retained its place as a lightweight and accessible way for employees to celebrate one another.

Supporting a Fast-Paced, High-Impact Culture

Chainguard’s rapid expansion means employees are constantly stepping up—whether working late nights, taking on extra projects, or solving complex problems for customers.

Peer appreciation, Kendra says, helps ensure those contributions don’t go unnoticed. Bravos not only boost morale—they help employees feel seen by their peers and leadership alike. That peer-to-peer dynamic is what makes GoProfiles especially effective.

“There’s a deep culture of appreciation across the company. In a high-growth environment like this, every person matters. We’ve built a culture of shouting people out and recognizing them publicly, particularly peers. Bravos really work for that.”

—Kendra Mitchell, VP of People @ Chainguard

Building for Scale Without Losing Culture

As Chainguard prepares to scale from 300 employees this year, maintaining the tight-knit, connected culture it has today is a major focus. GoProfiles continues to play a key role in supporting that effort—especially because it’s easy to use and employee-friendly.

“Using GoProfiles to look up reporting chains is more intuitive for our teams in tech and engineering.”

—Kendra Mitchell, VP of People @ Chainguard

With robust people data search and an intuitive, AI-powered employee directory, GoProfiles has been universally adopted by Chainguard’s tech-first culture. 

Looking Ahead

Chainguard is a company on a rocket ship trajectory—and while many things are in flux, a commitment to recognition and connection is here to stay.

Whether it’s the simplicity of Bravos, the seamless Slack integration, or the intuitive employee profiles and directory, GoProfiles remains a core component of Chainguard’s people strategy.

GoProfiles is loved across the business from Chainguard’s VP of People to its VP of Engineering. Echoing a similar sentiment to Kendra, Dustin Kirkland, VP of Engineering, is a fan of GoProfiles and the GoLinks suite. He notes increased productivity and improved connectivity from leveraging these two AI-powered solutions.

“GoLinks and GoProfiles have transformed how I work—boosting productivity, strengthening connections, and even turning business trips into reunions. The best workplace tools don’t just make work easier; they make it more meaningful.“

—Dustin Kirkland, VP of Engineering @ Chainguard

About GoProfiles

GoProfiles, from the makers of GoLinks, is an AI-powered employee hub and directory featuring rich employee profiles, peer recognition, org chart software, and an AI-powered company directory. Syncing people data from any HRIS and encompassing employee achievements, skills, and interests, GoProfiles makes it possible to ask questions like “who can help me design a pitch deck?” or even “who likes basketball?” to foster stronger employee connections, improve collaboration, and build a thriving culture.