PIN (Power in Numbers)

Columbia University, one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the U.S., has produced some of the most successful founders and startups in recent years. With alumni behind unicorns like Warby Parker and Casper, the university’s startup ecosystem is thriving. Some key facts about Colombia's entrepreneurial community: ➡ Alumni have founded 3,232 companies & raised $93B  ➡ Columbia Startup Lab is one of the oldest incubators in the U.S. ➡ The university ranks among the top for producing venture-backed entrepreneurs We dug deeper to highlight some of the founders and companies emerging from Columbia’s Mafia. This is Part 1, and we will share Part 2 of the Columbia series next week! Here are 10 companies founded by Columbia alumni: 📌 1. Compass Founder: Robert Reffkin Columbia University: B.A., Economics-Philosophy and History (1997-1999) 📌 2. Pinterest Founder: Evan Sharp Columbia University: Architecture (2007-2009) 📌 3. Zymergen Founder: Zach Serber Columbia University: B.A., Biophysics (1992-1996) 📌 4. AvantStay Founder: Reuben Doetsch Columbia University: B.S., Computer Science & Philosophy (2007-2011) 📌 5. BuzzFeed Founder: John S. Johnson Columbia University: M.A., Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods (2011-2013) 📌 6. Shutterstock Founder: Jon Oringer Columbia University: M.S., Computer Science (1996-1998) 📌 7. Thumbtack Founder: Marco Zappacosta Columbia University: (2003-2007) 📌 8. Knotel Founder: Amol Sarva Columbia University: B.A., Economics and Philosophy (1994-1998) 📌 9. FogPharma Founder: Greg Verdine Columbia University: PhD, Chemistry (1981-1986) 📌 10. Spring Health Founder: April Koh Columbia University: Advanced French Language (2011) If there's anyone we've missed, please tag them below! ❗Quick plug: Are you a Columbia alumni member interested in bringing your community together to invest in innovative ventures (and enjoy potential profits and other perks along the way)? Or perhaps you're part of another dynamic group that could be a fantastic source of startup investments? 😉 Then sign up to our waitlist & newsletter for investors. https://www.getpin.xyz/  #columbiaalumni #startups #techmafia

This week in tech mafia news we have a plot twist! We're taking a look at a university alumni group...presenting the Columbia University Mafia. Here's a sneak peak: 📌 3,232 companies founded 📌 $93 billion raised Stay tuned for the breakdown 👀

One of the most underrated startup stories of all time: how Niels Hoven turned a viral Twitter post from a hater into enough waitlist sign-ups for his company Mentava to become cash flow positive (and launch its product a year ahead of schedule!) Something New with Leeor Mushin is back with Season 2 (and will have new episode drops every Tuesday)! On this episode with Niels, we talk about: - why having haters is a good thing for your startup (and how you can productively channel it into positive results for your company) - how he was able to successfully raise from 50+ high-profile angels including amazing folks like Garry Tan, Tim Ferriss, Eric Ries, Balaji, and more as a solo founder with little pre-existing network. (Spoiler alert: it was all about iterating on storytelling/the fundraising process) - challenges of building a startup in EdTech, and what mindset differentiates successes vs failures Links to listen to the full episode in the comments:

Michael B. Tannenbaum, ex COO of Brex, is a prominent leader in the fintech space. Previously, he served as CFO and Chief Business Officer at Brex and played a crucial role at SoFi as Chief Revenue Officer. He actively invests in early-stage startups, focusing on fintech innovation. Michael has also made some great startup investments, some of which are: 🚀 Slope (raised $30M) 🚀 Accrue Savings (raised $29M) 🚀 Tenet(raised $18M) 🚀 Checkmate (raised $15M) 🚀 Adaptive (raised $7.25M) 🚀 Repool (raised $3.6M) Those are some 🔥 investments right there!

Some founders don’t just build companies—they also invest in the future. Swipe to see 11 founders who became VCs >>> Any others? Tell us in the comments ✍

Top 5 funding rounds of the week: 📌 1. Protégé - connects data holders with AI developers who need high-quality training data Founded by: Samuels and Travis May Raised: $10 million in seed funding. Investors included CRV, SV Angel, Liquid 2 Ventures, Bloomberg Beta, and Flex Capital. 📌 2. PIN AI - decentralized, on-device AI platform designed to give users control over their personal data Founded by: Davide Crapis Raised: $10 million in pre-seed funding. Investors included Andreessen Horowitz, Hack VC, Anagram Ventures, Symbolic Capital Partners etc. 📌 3. Drip - platform enabling creators to release and distribute NFT content directly to fans for free on blockchain networks like Solana Founded by: Mark Linao Raised: $8 million in seed funding. Investors included NFX, Coinbase Ventures, Progression, and 6th Man Ventures. 📌 4. Cercli (YC S23) - platform for managing payroll, HR, and finance operations in companies across the Middle East and North Africa Founded by: Akeed Azmi and David Reche Raised: $4 million in seed funding. Investors included Afore Capital, COTU Ventures, Y Combinator, and Rebel Fund. 📌 5. Ammalgam - allows users to lend digital assets to earn interest or provide liquidity to decentralized exchanges Founded by: William Fey Raised: $2.5 million in seed funding. Investors included Lightspeed Faction, Framework Ventures, Robot Ventures, Bodhi Ventures, NGC Ventures, DeWhales, and Blockchain Founders Fund. Congrats to all on their funding success! 👏

Gusto, an HR and payroll software company worth $9.5B, was founded in 2011 by Josh Reeves , Tomer London and Edward Kim. The company has a fast-growing alumni founder network, with 34 companies founded and $422M raised. We looked into who are some of the founders & startups from this tech mafia group. Here are 10 companies founded by the Gusto Mafia: 📌 1. StretchDollar Founder: Marshall Darr, Kaiza Molina Gusto Role: Head of Lifecycle Marketing, Customer Marketing 📌 2. UnitX Founder: Weixiong (Max) Zheng Gusto Role: Software Engineering 📌 3. Aura Bora Founder: Paul Voge, Madeleine Voge Gusto Role: Business Development, Copywriter 📌 4. Mutiny Founder: Jaleh Rezaei, Nikhil Mathew Gusto Role: Head of Marketing & BD, Software Engineering Manager, Tech Lead 📌 5. Niva Founder: Akhil Naini Gusto Role: Software Engineering 📌 6. Trez Founder: Arthur Garcia Gusto Role: Ambassador 📌 7. Kept Founder: Topher Reynoso Gusto Role: Health & Insurance Product Innovation 📌 8. The Mintable Founder: Melissa Miller, Lauren Humphrey Gusto Role: SVP of Operations, Insurance 📌 9. Scholarly Software Founder: Kelly Sutton Gusto Role: Software Engineering 📌 10. Decent Founder: Nick Soman Gusto Role: Growth Product Lead If there's anyone we've missed, please tag them below! ❗Quick plug: Are you a Gusto alumni member interested in bringing your community together to invest in innovative ventures (and enjoy potential profits and other perks along the way)? Or perhaps you're part of another dynamic group that could be a fantastic source of startup investments? 😉 Then sign up to our waitlist. https://www.getpin.xyz/ #startups #techmafia #gusto

This week in tech mafia news: Gusto's alumni group. Quick overview: 📌 Money raised: $422M 📌 Companies founded: 34 Stay tuned as we reveal the top startups and founders emerging from this tech mafia group!

Meet Zach Coelius, a seasoned entrepreneur and investor. As the co-founder of Triggit, he played a significant role in the evolution of programmatic advertising. After successfully exiting Triggit, Zach shifted focus to investing and advising startups, and founded Coelius Capital. Zach Coelius has also made some great startup investments, some of which are: 🚀 Mercury (valued at $1.6B) 🚀 OneSignal(valued at $775M) 🚀 SkySafe (valued at $150M) 🚀 Cruise (acquired by GM for $1B) 🚀 HelloSign (acquired by Dropbox for $230M) Those are some 🔥 investments right there!

Venture fellowships are great for gaining real VC experience, while also receiving mentorship, access to events, and a network of peers. Here are our top 10 ones >>>> swipe to learn more about each one >>> Any others you'd add to the list? Drop them in the comments 👇 #venturefellowship #VC #investor #entrepreneur #startups