Six MIT Sloan alumnus-founded companies make Poets & Quants top MBA startups list

Zach Church

Jan 25, 2017

Six companies founded by MIT Sloan alumni were named to the “Poets & Quants” top MBA startups of 2017 list this week. Three of those startups were in the top 10 spots on the list, which chronicles 100 MBA-led startups with the most venture capital funding.

While the startups operate in a variety of industries — from pharmaceuticals to e-commerce to market research — all six were founded between 2012 and 2014. And all six have a technology-driven innovation at their core.

Financing figures below are as reported by “Poets & Quants.”

#2: Linio

Mexican e-commerce giant Linio was founded in 2012 by graduates of MIT Sloan, Harvard Business School, and the New York University Stern School of Business. The company operates in eight Latin American countries and boasts a catalog of more than three million products offered by more than 50,000 sellers. With a $55 million private equity round in 2016, the company brought its total funding haul to $231 million. Ulrick Noel, MBA ’09, serves as a venture partner and helped to launch the company, according to his LinkedIn profile.

#3 Beepi

Founded in 2013, Beepi connected people selling used cars with people buying used cars. The company inspected the cars itself and delivered them to the buyer. The goal: disrupt the used car dealer model. The company merged with Fair.com in December. Beepi was founded by Alejandro Resnik, MBA ’13, and Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus Owen Savir. It raised $149 million in funding.

Read our 2014 article about Beepi.

#7: PillPack

A pharmacy specializing in home delivery and custom packaging to help customers take the right medication at the right time, PillPack now offers shipments to 49 states (sorry, Hawaii). The company, founded by Elliot Cohen, MBA ’13, and pharmacist/CEO TJ Parker, raised a $55 million Series D round in September, bringing its funding total to $118 million.

Read our 2015 article about PillPack.

#34: Nima

Is that meal really gluten-free? With Nima, 2013 MBA graduate Shireen Yates developed a portable gluten sensor that helps people with celiac disease eat safely. The company, founded in 2013, raised $9 million in 2016. It has raised $13 million so far. Read a 2016 MIT News article about Nima.

#55: TVision Insights

A new approach to TV ratings, TVision Insights uses computer vision software to measure not only whether TVs are on, but also whether anyone is watching and whether people are distracted or engaged as they watch. The company, whose founders include Yan Liu, Pongpun Laosettanun, and Dan Schiffman, all MBA ’15, raised $7 million in October, bringing its funding total to $10 million.

#87: Ready4

Founded in 2013 by Elad Shoushan, MBA ’14, Ready4 makes a test prep app that uses adaptive learning to provide specialized lessons for each user. The company’s apps prepare users for the GMAT business school admissions test, GRE graduate school entry exam, SAT, and other tests. The company raised $5 million in Series A funding in 2016.