Aerohive Networks, founded by Changming Liu, wants to make it easier for large companies and organizations to install Wi-Fi. The company created a Wi-Fi network that can be managed through the cloud, reducing the need for physical controllers, which take up space and can be costly. Currently, the majority of Aerohive's customers are businesses in the health care and education sectors. But to turn around its history of losing money, Aerohive needs to attract customers that represent a broader variety of markets. To do so, the company plans to increase its sales team. Note: employee count as of Dec. 31, 2015

It's easy to miss given all the trouble plaguing Jack Dorsey's other company, Twitter, but Square has had a remarkably good run of late. When Dorsey launched Square eight years ago with co-founder Jim McKelvey, the San Francisco company focused on selling credit card payment systems to small businesses. But now, Square's ever-popular gadget is just one of its many products. "Today, sellers come to Square for much more than payments and hardware," Dorsey told investors earlier this year.

Square is becoming, in other words, a one-stop shop for small businesses: You can get invoices and payroll services there, or even speedy cash through its lending program, Square Capital, which has extended $1.3 billion since its 2014 launch. And Square has even gotten into the on-demand food-delivery business by buying Caviar. New products launched since 2014 now account for a full quarter of the company's adjusted revenue. As John T. Williams, an analyst at Compass Point Research & Trading, puts it, "A lot of the business lines they've added tie in very nicely with Square's original product." --Victoria Finkle

Houston banking company Allegiance Bancshares may have burst onto the national stage with an IPO in 2015, but founders George Martinez and Steve Retzloff want the company to focus on doing business in Texas. Allegiance operates almost exclusively in the Houston metropolitan area. The company deals primarily with small and medium-size businesses and consumers. Staying local has worked out well so far, but should Houston’s economy take a hit (as it has in early 2016 from falling oil prices), the company could find itself in trouble. To grow its community footprint, Allegiance is directing its efforts toward identifying and acquiring other banks in Houston. Note: employee count as of Dec. 31, 2015

This eleven-year-old file-sharing and content-management company was Inc.'s 2013 Company of the Year--and now it's made the 2017 Founders 10 list by keeping its focus narrow. With more than 71,000 enterprise customers, the Redwood City, California-based company innovates by carefully picking its targets and listening to a select group of customers. "We have a very fast feedback loop with that small set of customers," says co-founder and CEO Aaron Levie. "And as they adopt the next innovation, it will ripple through the customer base."

In 2005, Frank Sorrentino III founded North Jersey Community Bank (now known as ConnectOne Bank), which provides a variety of commericial and consumer banking services. The company emphasizes its community roots, billing itself as "a better place to be" for its local customers, who are predominantly in New Jersey. However, doing business primarily in one state has its drawbacks--especially when the state is hit hard. For example, after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the company saw an increase in loan delinquencies. But the company believes that by continuing to emphasize high-quality service, it will maintain a strong and loyal relationship with its customers.