In the tech industry, certain groups of former employees from influential companies have gone on to create a wave of successful startups. These successful alumni founder groups are called "tech mafias".
One of the earliest and most famous examples is the PayPal Mafia. This group includes notable figures such as Elon Musk, who went on to lead Tesla and SpaceX; Reid Hoffman, who founded LinkedIn; and Peter Thiel, a prominent venture capitalist. This group has collectively shaped the tech ecosystem, demonstrating how powerful these alumni networks can be.
Below is the most popular OG graphic showing the ex employees of PayPal and the iconic companies they went on to start after leaving PayPal.
In partnership with Power in Numbers, we've put together the data on the top 11 tech mafia groups (excluding PayPal).
Let's dive in!
The Google Mafia stands out as the most prolific and impactful. With over 2,300 companies founded and a staggering $114 billion raised in funding, the Google Mafia has produced some of the most notable names in tech today.
Founded by Annie Feiwen Tao, a former Google Business Analyst, Horizon Robotics has raised $2.2 billion. The company focuses on developing AI solutions for smart devices, with major investments from Sequoia Capital.
Led by Dario Amodei, a former Senior Research Scientist at Google, Anthropic has secured $1.3 billion in funding. This AI safety and research company is dedicated to creating reliable and interpretable AI systems, with backing from Spark Capital.
Founded by Zack Anderson, an ex-Google Software Intern, ClearMotion has raised $317.8 million. The company aims to enhance the quality of transportation through advanced automotive technology, supported by NEA.
Founded by Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu, former Google engineers, Nuro has raised $2.1 billion. Nuro develops self-driving electric vehicles designed for local goods delivery, with significant investment from Tiger Global.
Founded by Anuj Srivastava, previously the Global Head of Product Marketing & Growth at Google, Livspace has secured $431.6 million in funding. Livspace connects homeowners with designers and renovation services, with Bessemer Venture Partners as a key investor.
Jack Lu, a former Product Manager at Google, founded Magic Eden, an NFT platform that has raised $170 million. The company aims to be the leading destination for NFT discovery, with investments from Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Braden Hancock, who worked on Google Search, founded Snorkel AI, which has raised $135.3 million. The company helps data scientists and developers turn data into AI applications quickly, with Lightspeed Venture Partners as a major backer.
The McKinsey alumni network, often referred to as the McKinsey Mafia, has significantly impacted the startup world, founding various unicorns (startups valued at over $1 billion) across diverse sectors.
These companies demonstrate the widespread influence and entrepreneurial success of McKinsey alumni in shaping contemporary business landscapes. With $88 billion in funding raised and 1,397 companies started, McKinsey alumni form the second most affluent tech mafia group after Google.
Here are some of the top companies founded by members of the McKinsey Mafia.
Founded by Hooi Ling Tan, a former Associate at McKinsey, Grab is a leading mobile application offering services such as taxi rides, payments, lending, and insurance. With $16.5 billion in capital raised from investors like Lightspeed Venture Partners, Grab has grown into a public company and a major player in Southeast Asia's tech ecosystem.
John Oyler, a former McKinsey Consultant, founded BeiGene, a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative cancer treatments. The company has raised $6.8 billion, with significant investment from T. Rowe Price, and is now publicly traded.
BeiGene's cutting-edge research and development in life sciences have made it a key player in the biopharmaceutical industry.
Sterling Anderson, who served as an Engagement Manager at McKinsey, founded Aurora, a company dedicated to building self-driving technology for a variety of vehicle types, including freight-hauling trucks and passenger cars.
Aurora has raised $3.7 billion from investors such as Index Ventures and is publicly traded. The company's advancements in autonomous driving technology are transforming the future of transportation.
Carlos Garcia Ottati and Loreanne Garcia, former Engagement Manager and Associate at McKinsey, respectively, founded Kavak, an online platform for buying and selling used cars.
Kavak has secured $2.4 billion in funding from General Catalyst and is at the Series E stage. The platform's innovative approach to the used car market has disrupted traditional automotive sales, making it a leader in its field.
Jeff Huber, who worked as a Technology Consultant at McKinsey, founded Grail, a company focused on developing a pan-cancer screening test designed to detect cancers at an early stage. With $2 billion raised from investors like Sequoia China, Grail is at the Series D stage.
The company's pioneering work in early cancer detection has the potential to revolutionize healthcare and save countless lives.
Mario Schlosser, a former Fellow Senior Associate at McKinsey, founded Oscar Health, a health insurance company offering individual and family plans, Medicare Advantage, and small group products.
Oscar Health has raised $1.6 billion from Tiger Global and is publicly traded. The company's innovative approach to health insurance, focusing on technology and customer experience, has positioned it as a disruptive force in the insurance industry.
Microsoft, founded in 1975 by Bill Gates and Paul Allen, has long been a powerhouse in the tech industry. From the early days of its iconic software like Microsoft Office, which made its debut on the Mac, to its rapid growth and innovative products, Microsoft has shaped the digital landscape.
Not only has Microsoft been instrumental in technological advancements, but its alumni network, known as the Microsoft Mafia, has also significantly impacted the startup world. With 2,495 companies founded and $69 billion in total funding raised, the Microsoft Mafia is one of the most prolific and influential tech mafia groups. Here are some of the top companies founded by former Microsoft employees.
Founded by Zhe Zhang, a former SDE II at Microsoft, Trifo is an AI home robot company dedicated to improving people's lives by performing household tasks. The company has raised $41.5 million from investors like Samsung Ventures. Zhe's journey from a robotics enthusiast to an entrepreneur exemplifies the innovative spirit cultivated at Microsoft.
Kai Yu, who interned at Microsoft, founded Horizon Robotics, which provides energy-efficient computing solutions for smart vehicles. With $2.2 billion raised from investors such as Sequoia Capital, Horizon Robotics is a leader in intelligent systems, driven by Kai's expertise and vision.
Abhay Parasnis, a former General Manager for Microsoft Azure, founded Typeface, a generative AI application that offers personalized content creation for enterprises. With $165 million in funding from Menlo Ventures, Abhay leads the company with a strong background in AI and innovation, having held significant roles at Adobe and authored numerous patents.
David Luan, who served as a Program Manager at Microsoft, founded Adept AI, a machine learning research and product lab focused on building general artificial intelligence. The company has secured $415 million in funding from investors like General Catalyst, highlighting David's commitment to advancing AI technology.
Founded by Daniel Dines, a former SDE at Microsoft, UiPath is a software company specializing in robotic process automation and artificial intelligence software. With $2 billion raised and support from Sequoia Capital, UiPath is transforming the automation industry, leveraging Daniel's deep technical expertise.
Zenoti, founded by Dheeraj Koneru, Anand Arvind, and Sudheer Koneru, all former Microsoft employees, provides cloud-based software for the spa and salon industries.
The company has raised $331 million from investors such as Norwest Venture Partners. Their combined experience at Microsoft has driven Zenoti's growth and innovation in the wellness sector.
Founded by Benn Stancil and Derek Steer, both of whom held analytical roles at Microsoft, Mode Analytics develops a collaborative analytics platform for data-informed decision-making.
With $81 million in funding from Foundation Capital, Mode Analytics benefits from Benn and Derek's strong analytical backgrounds and product development skills.
The "Twitter Mafia" has emerged as another powerhouse, with ex-Twitter employees founding numerous impactful startups.
Here are the key players in the Twitter Mafia:
Founded by Ori Allon, who served as Director of Engineering at Twitter, Compass is a leading proptech company providing an online platform for buying, renting, and selling real estate assets.
With $1.5 billion in capital raised from investors like Thrive Capital and Founders Fund, Compass became a publicly traded company in April 2021 with a valuation of $8.2 billion. The company has significantly expanded its agent count and continues to revolutionize the real estate industry.
Jack Dorsey, the founder and former CEO of Twitter, co-founded Block, Inc. (previously known as Square) and Cash App. Block helps businesses of all sizes accept contactless payments, while Cash App is a popular mobile money transfer service with 70 million annual transacting users and $1.8 billion in gross profit.
With major investments from Sequoia Capital and GGV Capital, Block and Cash App have become essential tools for modern financial transactions.
Founded by Evan Reiser and Sanjay Jeyakumar, former Product & Machine Learning Lead and Systems Architect at Twitter respectively, Abnormal Security is a cybersecurity company protecting enterprises from targeted email attacks.
With $284 million raised from Insight Partners, Greylock, and Menlo Ventures, Abnormal Security serves notable clients including Xerox and Urban Outfitters, safeguarding over 5% of the Fortune 1000.
Jeff Seibert and Wayne Chang, who held senior product roles at Twitter, founded Digits, a fintech company building AI-powered accounting tools. With $97 million in funding from Benchmark and GGV, Digits helps accountants automate their work and gain deeper insights into financial data, demonstrating the founders' impressive backgrounds and investment portfolios.
Raghav Chandra, a former Software Engineer at Twitter, co-founded Urban Company, a marketplace for professional home services like salon and spa, plumbing, and repairs. The company has raised $446 million from investors such as Tiger Global and Dragoneer Investment Group, enabling clients to access affordable, high-quality services from the comfort of their homes.
Founded by Elad Gil, who served as Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Twitter, Color offers healthcare services that bypass traditional healthcare infrastructure. With $482 million raised from General Catalyst and Initialized Capital, Color provides innovative healthcare solutions, reflecting Elad's strategic vision and leadership.
Florian Leibert, a former Tech Lead at Twitter, founded D2iQ, a company developing software for simplifying Kubernetes lifecycle management and deployment to hybrid, multi-cloud, and edge environments.
With $247 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz and Foundation Capital, D2iQ supports advanced application use cases, leveraging Florian's extensive experience in tech leadership.
The Tesla Mafia is one of the most influential, with previous engineers and executives founding numerous impactful companies.
Here’s a look at some of the most notable startups born from the talent pool at Tesla.
Founded by Sterling Anderson, who was the Director of Autopilot Programs at Tesla, Aurora is a leader in self-driving technology. The company has raised $2.1 billion from investors like Index Ventures and provides a platform that brings software and data services to operate passenger vehicles. Anderson’s expertise from Tesla has been crucial in developing autonomous vehicle solutions.
Gene Berdichevsky, former Tech Lead and Battery Systems Architect at Tesla, founded Sila Nanotechnologies. The company focuses on manufacturing higher energy density lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, raising $980.5 million from investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners. Berdichevsky’s work at Tesla laid the groundwork for innovations in battery technology.
Suleman Khan, who worked in Stationary Energy Storage at Tesla, founded Swell Energy. This company provides smart grid and energy management solutions for homes and businesses, and has secured $582 million in funding from the SoftBank Vision Fund. Swell Energy leverages Khan’s experience in energy storage to offer renewable energy solutions.
Hamish McKenzie, a former Lead Writer at Tesla, co-founded Substack, a platform that allows independent writers to publish subscription-based newsletters. With $82.4 million raised from Y Combinator, Substack has become a significant player in digital publishing, enabling writers to monetize their content directly.
OpenAI's ChatGPT language model is currently making waves across the tech industry. Founded in San Francisco in 2015 by a group of visionaries including Sam Altman, Reid Hoffman, Jessica Livingston, Elon Musk, Ilya Sutskever, and Peter Thiel, OpenAI started with a $1 billion investment.
Since then, it has grown into a powerhouse of AI innovation, and its alumni have gone on to create remarkable companies across various sectors.
Here are some of the most notable startups founded by former OpenAI employees.
Founded by Sam McCandlish, Jack Clark, Tom Brown, Dario Amodei, Benjamin Mann, and Daniela Amodei, Anthropic focuses on increasing the safety of large-scale AI systems. With $1.3 billion raised from Spark Capital, Anthropic's research covers natural language processing, human feedback, scaling laws, reinforcement learning, code generation, and interpretability.
Maddie Hall, who worked on special projects at OpenAI, founded Living Carbon. This public benefit company aims to combat climate change by genetically enhancing trees to capture and store more CO2. Living Carbon has raised $36 million from Felicis.
Aravind Srinivas, a former research scientist at OpenAI, co-founded Perplexity AI, an AI-chat-based conversational search engine. Perplexity AI has raised $29 million from NEA and is revolutionizing the way we interact with search engines using advanced language models.
Ludwig Pettersson, who served as a technical staff member at OpenAI, founded Quill, a productivity-focused messaging software company. Quill has raised $14.5 million from Index Ventures and aims to enhance communication efficiency in the workplace.
Peter Chen and Pieter Abbeel, both former research scientists at OpenAI, founded Covariant, an AI robotics company. Covariant has raised $147 million from Index Ventures and is developing universal AI to enable robots to see, reason, and act in the world around them.
Jeff Arnold, who was the Head of Operations at OpenAI, co-founded Pilot, a company providing reliable accounting, CFO, and tax services for startups and small businesses. Pilot has raised $161.3 million from Index Ventures and partners with thousands of companies to support sustainable growth and operational efficiency.
Founded in 1977 by Larry Ellison, Bob Miner, and Ed Oates, Oracle Corporation quickly emerged as a global leader in database software and technology. Originally named Software Development Laboratories (SDL), Oracle revolutionized data management for businesses by introducing the first commercially available SQL-based relational database management system.
Larry Ellison's visionary leadership propelled Oracle to expand into cloud computing, enterprise software, and hardware systems, maintaining its commitment to innovation despite regulatory and competitive challenges.
The Oracle Mafia, a group of former Oracle employees, has founded 892 companies and raised $42 billion in funding, significantly impacting various industries.
Here are some of the most notable companies founded by Oracle alumni.
Founded by Sam Weng, who served as Sr. Director of Marketing & Alliance at Oracle, Lucid Motors specializes in electric cars. The company has raised $10.4 billion from investors like Venrock and has become a prominent name in the automotive industry. Lucid Motors focuses on producing luxury electric vehicles known for their high performance and efficiency.
Vikram Kapoor, a former Senior Development Manager at Oracle, founded Lacework, a cloud security services provider. The company has raised $1.9 billion from Tiger Global Management. Lacework automates cloud security at scale, allowing customers to innovate rapidly and securely.
Nutanix was co-founded by Ajeet Singh and Dheeraj Pandey, who held positions such as Principal Product Manager and Software Development Senior Manager at Oracle. Nutanix has raised $1.1 billion from Battery Ventures. The company provides a platform that simplifies the management of applications and data across different cloud services, making it easier for businesses to operate efficiently.
Founded by Rodrigo Liang and Aleksandr Yampolskiy, former Sr. Vice President and Sr. Member of Technical Staff at Oracle, SambaNova Systems focuses on AI hardware and integrated systems. With $1.1 billion in funding from BlackRock, SambaNova Systems develops solutions to run AI applications from the data center to the cloud, pushing the boundaries of AI technology.
Hayes Barnard, who worked as an Account Manager at Oracle, founded GoodLeap, a point-of-sale platform for sustainable home solutions. The company has raised $800 million from MSD Partners. GoodLeap's platform facilitates financing for sustainable home improvements, contributing to the growth of green technology in the residential sector.
Justin Luo, a former Sales Manager at Oracle, founded Tujia, a leading global homestay booking platform in China. Tujia has raised $755 million from GGV Capital. The platform offers diverse lodging options and ensures quality and security through local inspections, providing a seamless booking experience for travelers.
The Amazon Mafia is one of the most formidable groups of former employees who have ventured into the startup world, collectively raising over $34 billion in funding and founding more than 755 companies across various industries.
Here are some of the most notable companies founded by ex-Amazon employees, highlighting their founders, roles at Amazon, and the capital they’ve raised.
Founded by Apoorva Mehta, who worked as a Fulfillment Optimization SDE at Amazon, Instacart is one of the leading online grocery platforms in the US, offering same-day delivery and pickup services. Instacart has raised $2.9 billion from investors like Sequoia Capital, making it a dominant player in the online grocery market.
Carolyn Childers, former Head of Soap.com at Amazon, co-founded Chief with Lindsey Kaplan. Chief is a private network designed for executive women leaders to strengthen their leadership and influence. The company has raised $140 million from General Catalyst, providing a platform for women in executive roles to connect and grow.
Armon Dadgar, a former Software Development Intern at Amazon, co-founded HashiCorp, a remote-first company addressing development, security, and operations challenges in infrastructure. With $350 million in funding from Redpoint, HashiCorp has become a key player in the infrastructure software industry.
Founded by Cate Khan, who was SVP and Head of Retail at Quidsi (an Amazon subsidiary), Verishop is a premium lifestyle company offering everyday luxury in fashion, beauty, home, and more. Verishop has raised $70 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners, bringing a curated shopping experience to consumers.
Stanley (Liangnan) W., a former Senior Software Engineer and Tech Lead at Amazon, co-founded Ankr, a Web3-native infrastructure platform specializing in blockchain development and decentralization. Ankr has raised $12.3 million from DHVC, supporting the growing Web3 ecosystem.
Alibaba Group, founded in 1999 by Jack Ma and a group of 17 friends and students, is a Chinese multinational conglomerate specializing in e-commerce, retail, internet, and technology.
Starting from humble beginnings in Jack Ma's Hangzhou apartment, the company launched Alibaba.com, a business-to-business marketplace that connected Chinese manufacturers with overseas buyers. This platform revolutionized how businesses operated and marked the beginning of Alibaba's rapid growth.
In 2003, Alibaba expanded into consumer-to-consumer (C2C) services with the launch of Taobao, which quickly became one of China's most popular online shopping websites.
To address the issue of consumer trust in online transactions, Alibaba introduced Alipay in 2004, a digital payment platform that has become integral to its ecosystem. Over the years, Alibaba continued to diversify its services into cloud computing (Alibaba Cloud), digital media, and entertainment sectors. The company's growth trajectory took a significant leap with its initial public offering (IPO) in 2014.
The Alibaba Mafia, comprising former employees who have ventured into entrepreneurship, has founded 32 companies and raised a collective $32 billion.
Here are some of the notable startups founded by ex-Alibaba employees.
Xpend Motors was founded by Xiaopeng He, who served as President of Mobile BG at Alibaba. Xpeng Motors designs and manufactures intelligent electric vehicles, leveraging advanced technology to provide innovative mobility solutions.
The company has raised $6.4 billion from investors like GGV Capital and is now publicly traded.
4Paradigm was founded by Yuqiang Chen, a former intern at Alibaba. This AI technology firm enhances enterprise efficiency, reduces risk, and drives commercial value through advanced AI solutions. 4Paradigm has raised $1.1 billion from Sequoia China and has reached Series D funding.
Ahana was founded by George Wang, who worked as a Senior Software Engineer at Alibaba. Ahana brings PrestoDB-based ad hoc analytics offerings to market, providing robust solutions for data analytics. The company has secured $32 million in funding from Lux Capital and is at the Series A stage.
Illumix was founded by Alex Fu, a former Software Engineer Intern at Alibaba. Illumix is an infrastructure solution company that develops augmented reality games, merging the physical and digital worlds for interactive experiences. The company has raised $26.6 million from Lightspeed Venture Partners at the Series A stage.
Moffett AI was founded by Zhibin Xiao, who served as a Research Scientist and Chip Architect at Alibaba. Moffett AI focuses on creating the next generation of AI computation platforms, driving advancements in AI hardware and software integration.
The company has raised $25.3 million from ZhenFund and is at the Series A stage.
IBM, or International Business Machines Corporation, was founded in 1911 by Charles Ranlett Flint. Originally named the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR), IBM emerged from the merger of four companies specializing in business equipment.
Flint's vision was to create a company that could provide innovative solutions for the growing demand in data processing and business efficiency.
IBM quickly evolved from focusing on tabulating equipment to becoming a leader in computer technology, playing a crucial role in the advancement of computing and information technology services. This adaptability and commitment to innovation have cemented IBM's status as a global technology leader.
The IBM Mafia, a group of former IBM employees, has founded 1,360 companies and raised a total of $31.4 billion.
Here are some of the most notable startups founded by ex-IBM employees.
Founded by Johnny Ayers, who was a Senior Consultant at IBM, Socure is a predictive analytics platform for digital identity verification of consumers. The company has raised $744.4 million from investors like Silicon Valley Bank and is currently in the debt financing stage.
Socure leverages advanced analytics to enhance identity verification processes, making digital interactions more secure.
Sergio Fogel, a former Research Staff Member at IBM, founded dLocal, a cross-border payment processor that connects global merchants to emerging markets.
dLocal has raised $357 million from investors such as Alkeon Capital and is now a publicly traded company. The company facilitates seamless payments across borders, enabling businesses to expand their reach globally.
Tope Awotona, who worked as a Tivoli Software Sales Rep at IBM, founded Calendly, a modern scheduling platform that helps individuals, teams, and organizations automate meeting scheduling by eliminating the back-and-forth communication.
Calendly has raised $350.6 million from ICONIQ Capital and is at the Series B stage, simplifying the scheduling process for millions of users worldwide.
Founded by Raymond Chu, who served as a Software Engineering Intern at IBM, Aleo develops a private application-building platform that enables privacy on blockchains.
The company has secured $298 million from investors like Andreessen Horowitz and is at the Series B stage. Aleo's platform enhances blockchain privacy, allowing for more secure and private transactions.
Don Mal, a former WW IBM Clarity & Cognos FSR Sales Leader, founded Vena Solutions, a company that connects people, existing systems, and data to power finance-led business planning and real-time reporting.
Vena Solutions has raised $272.8 million from Vista Equity Partners and is at the Series C stage, helping organizations streamline their financial processes.
Dave Link, who worked in Product Management at IBM, founded ScienceLogic, a provider of AI-driven monitoring solutions for hybrid cloud management. The company has raised $235.2 million from Goldman Sachs and is at the Series E stage. ScienceLogic's solutions enable businesses to manage and monitor their hybrid cloud environments effectively.
One of the oldest and most popular multinational corporations for designing and manufacturing semiconductors and telecommunications products - Qualcomm. The company IPO'd way back in 1991, it has since then consistently made billions in revenue every year.
Here is its epic tech mafia group.
Founded by James Mault, a former Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Qualcomm, BioIntelliSense revolutionizes Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) with its advanced platform. The company's FDA-cleared BioButton® wearable captures vital signs, biometrics, and symptoms. BioIntelliSense has raised $82 million from investors like Fresenius Medical Care and is in the Series B stage.
Samer L. Hijazi, a former Engineering Intern at Qualcomm, founded BabbleLabs, which enhances communication between humans and machines by improving speech quality. BabbleLabs was acquired by Cisco Labs in 2020 after raising $18 million from Intel Capital at the Series A stage.
Founded by Shankar Somasundaram, who worked as a Systems Engineer at Qualcomm, Asimily offers an IoMT risk remediation platform that secures mission-critical healthcare devices. The company has raised $14.9 million from Ridge Ventures and is at the Series A stage.
KG Ganapathi, a former VP of Technology at Qualcomm, founded VIMAAN, a computer vision and AI solution company. VIMAAN provides 3PLs, brands, and retailers with accurate warehouse inventory management. The company has raised $26 million from NEA and is in the Series A stage.
Anurupa Ganguly, who interned in Qualcomm's Corporate R&D division, founded Prisms VR to enhance math and science education through immersive virtual reality experiences. The company has raised $19.1 million from a16z and is in the Series A stage.
Founded by Ryan Tseng, a former Technical Lead for the Wireless Power Program at Qualcomm, Shield AI is dedicated to protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Shield AI has raised $573.1 million from investors like a16z and is at the Series E stage.
Ganesh Pattabiraman, Arun Raghupathy, and Subbu Meiyappan, who held various technical roles at Qualcomm, founded NextNav, a company that enhances geolocation services with highly accurate vertical positioning. NextNav has raised $533.4 million from Goldman Sachs and is now publicly traded.
That's a wrap!