Michael Serbinis
Michael Serbinis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 28, 1973 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | Queen's University (BS) University of Toronto (MS) |
| Occupation(s) | Founder and CEO, League Inc. |
| Children | 3 |
Michael Serbinis (born October 28, 1973)[1] is a Canadian businessman based in Toronto, Ontario.
While a student, Serbinis worked for Microsoft on routing algorithms.[2]
He later helped found the cloud-based document storage network company DocSpace. In December 2009, Serbinis co-founded Kobo Inc., a digital reading company. In 2014, Serbinis launched League, a digital health and wellness benefits platform.[3] Along with being a co-founder, he is chief executive officer.
Personal life
[edit]Serbinis was educated at Sherwood High School in Hamilton, Ontario. He did his bachelor's degree at the Queen's University at Kingston and master's at the University of Toronto.[1][additional citation(s) needed] He is married and has three children..[1]
Career
[edit]Microsoft
[edit]At age 19, Serbinis entered the Ontario Engineering Competition.[2] One of the judges, Ken Nickerson, who was an executive at Microsoft at the time hired him on a summer job at Microsoft, where he worked on genetic algorthims and neural networks to develop modern network routing technology.[2]
Zip2
[edit]Serbinis worked alongside Elon Musk at Zip2.[2] Zip2 primarily provided and licensed online city guide software to newspapers.[4] It was eventually sold to Altavista for $300 million.[5]
DocSpace and Critical Path
[edit]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.[2]
In 2001, Serbinis was appointed Chief Technology Officer of Critical Path. Critical Path was a provider of messaging services, working in partnerships with mobile operators, telecommunications companies, ISPs, and enterprises.[2]
Indigo and Kobo
[edit]in 2006, Serbinis joined Indigo, where he was the Chief Information Officer until 2008.[2]
In 2009, Serbinis co-founded Kobo Inc., a digital reading company based in Toronto, Canada. In January 2012, Kobo was acquired by Japanese e-commerce conglomerate Rakuten for $315 million.[2]Following the acquisition, Serbinis continued as CEO until 2014.[6][7]
League Inc.
[edit]In 2014 Serbinis launched League Inc., a digital health and wellness platform for advanced healthcare consumer experiences.[3] Along with being a co-founder, Serbinis is Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. In 2016, League raised a US$25 million Series A.[3] In June 2017, League expanded its platform into the US.[8] In July 2018, League raised a US$41.7 million Series B.[9] In February 2022, the company raised $95 million in Series C funding led by TDM Growth Partners and Workday Ventures.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Davidson, Andrew (2 September 2012). "Looking for a fight, Amazon?". The Sunday Times.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Inside the Kobo deal that netted Indigo $165-million". The Globe and Mail. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ a b c "Mike Serbinis gives "all-in" lesson for startup founders at #TechTO". BetaKit. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "Zip2 Plays Up National Network Card – Editor & Publisher". www.editorandpublisher.com. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ Napoli, Lisa (17 February 1999). "Compaq Buys Zip2 to Enhance Altavista". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ a b "Mike Serbinis locks in winning formula for digital health company League - and secures US$95-million funding led by global backers". The Globe and Mail. 1 February 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "League's expansion to offering insurance was a 'bet-the-company' moment". The Globe and Mail. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Diversity, Balance and Big Dreams: Michael Serbinis is in a League of His Own". Techvibes. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- ^ "League raises $47.1M Series B to fix corporate health care benefits". TechCrunch. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
External links
[edit]- "Kobo founder launches health-care start up". Toronto Star. 12 November 2014.
- 1973 births
- Businesspeople in online retailing
- Businesspeople from Ontario
- Canadian people of Greek descent
- Canadian technology chief executives
- Chief information officers
- Chief technology officers
- Indigo Books and Music people
- Kobo Inc.
- Living people
- People from Hamilton, Ontario
- Queen's University at Kingston alumni
- Rakuten
- University of Toronto alumni