Michael Serbinis

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Michael Serbinis
Mike Serbinis.jpg
Born (1973-10-28) 28 October 1973 (age 48)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma materQueen's University (BS)
University of Toronto (MS)
OccupationFounder and CEO, League Inc.

Michael Serbinis (born 28 October 1973) is a Canadian entrepreneur, engineer and angel investor based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

While a student, Serbinis worked for Microsoft on advanced routing algorithms.[1] Early in his career he then worked alongside Elon Musk at Zip2.

He later helped found the cloud-based document storage network company DocSpace. DocSpace was sold to Critical Path Inc., for $530 million.[1] In December 2009, Serbinis co-founded Kobo Inc., a digital reading company. In January 2012, Kobo was bought by Japanese e-commerce conglomerate Rakuten for $315 million.[1]

In 2014, Serbinis launched League, a digital health and wellness benefits platform.[2] Along with being a co-founder, he also serves as Chief Executive Officer.

Early life and education[]

Serbinis was born in Hamilton, Ontario. While in high school Serbinis designed a high-temperature superconductor propulsion system that won Gold at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. That achievement would eventually lead him to opportunities to work with NASA, Rockwell Aerospace and Intel.

Serbinis attended Queen's University at Kingston and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree. While there, his research focused around quantum cryptography. He also has a Masters of Science in industrial engineering from the University of Toronto, where he researched neural networks and the use of artificial intelligence to price loans dynamically.

Career[]

At age 19, Serbinis entered the Ontario Engineering Competition.[1] His entry in the competition was a frictionless motor operated by a new generation of software code that mimicked genetic coding. Because the software constantly evolved, the motor was able to hover effortlessly above a magnetic bearing without crashing.[1] One of the judges, Ken Nickerson, who was an executive at Microsoft at the time decided to give Serbinis a summer job with the company.[1]

Zip2 and Kobo[]

Serbinis worked alongside Elon Musk at Zip2.[1] Zip2 primarily provided and licensed online city guide software to newspapers.[3] It was eventually sold to Altavista for $300 million.[4]

Serbinis then helped found a cloud-based document storage network company called DocSpace. Two years after DocSpace was launched, San Francisco-based Critical Path Inc. agreed to acquire it for $530 million.[1]

In 2001, Serbinis was appointed Chief Technology Officer of Critical Path.[1]

In 2009, Serbinis co-founded Kobo Inc., a digital reading company. In January 2012, Kobo was acquired by Japanese e-commerce conglomerate Rakuten for $315 million.[1] By 2014, Kobo had over 18 million users in 193 countries.[5]

League Inc.[]

In 2014 Serbinis launched League Inc., a digital health and wellness platform.[2] Along with being a co-founder, Serbinis also serves as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. In 2016, League raised a US$25 million Series A.[2] In June 2017, League expanded its platform into the US.[6] In July 2018, League raised a US$41.7 million Series B.[7]

Personal life[]

Serbinis lives in Toronto with his family.

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Inside the Kobo deal that netted Indigo $165-million". The Globe and Mail. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Mike Serbinis gives "all-in" lesson for startup founders at #TechTO". BetaKit. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  3. ^ "Zip2 Plays Up National Network Card – Editor & Publisher". www.editorandpublisher.com. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  4. ^ Napoli, Lisa. "Compaq Buys Zip2 to Enhance Altavista". Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Kobo Corporate Background" (PDF).
  6. ^ "Diversity, Balance and Big Dreams: Michael Serbinis is in a League of His Own". Techvibes. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  7. ^ "League raises $47.1M Series B to fix corporate health care benefits". TechCrunch. Retrieved 17 August 2018.

External links[]

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