Michael Serbinis

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Michael Serbinis
Born (1973-10-28) October 28, 1973 (age 50)
NationalityCanadian
Alma materQueen's University (BS)
University of Toronto (MS)
Occupation(s)Founder and CEO, League Inc.
Children3

Michael Serbinis (born October 28, 1973)[1] is a Canadian entrepreneur, engineer and angel investor based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

While a student, Serbinis worked for Microsoft on advanced 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 also serves as chief executive officer.

Personal life

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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

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Microsoft

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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

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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

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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

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in 2006, Serbinis joined Indigo, where he served as 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 to serve as the CEO until 2014.[6][7]

League Inc.

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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 also serves as 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

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  1. ^ a b c Davidson, Andrew (2 September 2012). "Looking for a fight, Amazon?". The Sunday Times.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ a b c "Mike Serbinis gives "all-in" lesson for startup founders at #TechTO". BetaKit. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  4. ^ "Zip2 Plays Up National Network Card – Editor & Publisher". www.editorandpublisher.com. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  5. ^ Napoli, Lisa (17 February 1999). "Compaq Buys Zip2 to Enhance Altavista". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "League's expansion to offering insurance was a 'bet-the-company' moment". The Globe and Mail. 16 October 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Diversity, Balance and Big Dreams: Michael Serbinis is in a League of His Own". Techvibes. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  9. ^ "League raises $47.1M Series B to fix corporate health care benefits". TechCrunch. Retrieved 17 August 2018.
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