Michael Serbinis

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Michael Serbinis
Born (1973-10-28) 28 October 1973 (age 49)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Alma materQueen's University (BS)
University of Toronto (MS)
Occupation(s)Founder 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]

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.[2] Along with being a co-founder, he also serves as Chief Executive Officer.

Career[edit]

At age 19, Serbinis entered the Ontario Engineering Competition.[1] His entry in the competition was a frictionless[clarification needed] 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[clarification needed] 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[edit]

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.[edit]

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]

Perimeter Institute[edit]

In 2021 when Mike Lazaridis stepped down from his role as chairman of the board of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, Serbinis (a long-time existing member of the board) became the chair.

Personal life[edit]

Serbinis lives in Toronto with his family[citation needed].

References[edit]

  1. ^ 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.
  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 (17 February 1999). "Compaq Buys Zip2 to Enhance Altavista". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Kobo Corporate Background" (PDF).[better source needed]
  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[edit]

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