Alumni Spotlight is pleased to announce The Top 100 Yale Alumni in Technology of 2021. Yale University was founded in 1701, and since then has remained dedicated to its mission to expand and share knowledge, inspire innovation, and preserve cultural and scientific information for future generations. This year’s awardees have taken that mission to heart by producing cutting-edge technology solutions that advance business and society. They have consistently pushed boundaries, drawing on an ingenuity, which their alma mater helped them develop. Across key areas such as information management, software development, artificial intelligence, social media, eCommerce, financial services, biotechnology, and more, these leaders demonstrate impressive boldness in their pursuits.

The alumni represented on this year’s awards list were selected not only for their ability to produce innovative technologies, but also for their ability to apply their expertise to better their communities and the world at large. Whether they are volunteering with non-profit organizations, advising other startups, serving in industry organizations, or participating in government initiatives, Yale’s top alumni are demonstrating their commitment to social impact and to their alma mater’s values. Please join us in recognizing the accomplishments of The Top 100 Yale Alumni in Technology of 2021.

 

1. Emmett Shear
Twitch

Emmett Shear is the CEO of Twitch, which he founded in 2011. Twitch is a one-of-a-kind collision of subcultures, games, communities, and streamers co-creating content around their interests.

Emmett is currently a Part-time Partner at Y Combinator, advising startups on everything from fundraising strategy to technology. He was previously the Founder and CEO of Justin.TV Inc. and Founder of Kiko Software Inc. Emmett earned an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Yale University.

 

3. Matt Wallach
Veeva Systems Inc.

Matt Wallach began his professional career over 27 years ago. He was President of Veeva Systems, which he co-founded, from 2007–2019, and currently serves on the Board of Directors. Veeva Systems is a leader in cloud-based software for the global life sciences industry, committed to innovation, product excellence, and customer success.

Matt began his career in1994 as a lead consultant at Booz & Company. From there, he went on to Siebel Systems as General Manager of Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology, before eventually rising to Chief Marketing Officer at Health Market Science, his most recent position before founding Veeva Systems. A former varsity soccer player, he is one of the owners of the Philadelphia Union soccer club. Matt graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA and from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in Economics.

 

4. Ben Silbermann
Pinterest

Ben Silbermann is the CEO of Pinterest, which he co-founded in 2009. Pinterest is an image sharing and social media service that allows users to save and discover information and ideas, with the mission of bringing everyone the inspiration to create a life they love.

Previously, Ben was a Product Specialist at Google and a Consultant at CEB (now Gartner). Ben earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Yale University.

 

13. Ted Bailey
Dataminr

Ted Bailey is the CEO of Dataminr, which he founded in 2009. Dataminr puts real-time AI and public data to work for its clients, generating relevant and actionable alerts for global corporations, public sector agencies, newsrooms, and NGOs.

Ted has been recognized as a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer, a Business Insider’s 40 under 40 Tech Entrepreneur, a Crain’s 40 under 40 honoree, and was named to the New York City & State Tech Power 50. Ted earned an undergraduate degree in American Studies from Yale University.

 

14. Paul Gu
Upstart

Paul Gu is the Co-Founder and Head of Product of Upstart, a leading AI lending platform partnering with banks to expand borrowers’ access to affordable credit. Upstart is the first lender to underwrite borrowers based on financial potential rather than their financial history.

Paul studied Economics and Computer Science at Yale University before dropping out to pursue entrepreneurship in the Thiel Fellowship’s 20 Under 20 Program. Since founding Upstart, he has been named on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 and the Silicon Valley Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 lists.

 

15. Michal Tsur
Kaltura, Inc.

Michal Tsur is the President of Kaltura, Inc., which she co-founded in 2006. Kaltura’s products are used by thousands of global enterprises, media companies, service providers, and educational institutions, engaging hundreds of millions of viewers at home, at work, and at school.

Previously, Michal was a Co-Founder and Vice President at Cyota, a cybersecurity company later acquired by RSA Security. Michal earned a PhD from New York University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Yale University.

 

17. Andrew Myers
RippleMatch

Andrew Myers is the CEO of RippleMatch, which he co-founded in 2016. RippleMatch is a tech-based startup that uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to match college students from underrepresented racial, gender, and socioeconomic backgrounds to career opportunities across nearly 100 companies, including Amazon, eBay, and Samsung. Andrew studied History and Political Science at Yale University before dropping out to co-found RippleMatch, which was originally launched out of his dorm room.

View the complete list of awardees.

 

20. Joel Spolsky
Stack Overflow

Joel Spolsky is the Chairman of Stack Overflow, which he co-founded in 2008, and served as CEO until 2019. Stack Overflow is the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers.

Joel has also been Chairman and Co-Founder of Glitch (previously Fog Creek Software) since 2000; while there he was also Chairman and Co-Founder of Trello, which was acquired by Atlassian. Before that, he was a Software Team Lead at Juno. Earlier in his career, he worked with Microsoft as a Program Manager. Joel graduated from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in Computer Science.

 

23. Bay Gross
Cityblock Health

Bay Gross is a co-founder at Cityblock Health, the multi-billion dollar healthcare and technology startup based out of Brooklyn and dedicated to underserved Medicaid populations. Cityblock provides home-based and tele- primary care alongside comprehensive behavioral health support, substance use counseling, specialist care coordination, benefits coordination, and medication management.

The business model partners with state governments and focuses on serving the most medically complex and socially vulnerable sub-populations in any given metropolitan area. Prior to founding Cityblock, Bay worked in technology investing and at Google in the Product organization. Bay earned an undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Yale University.

 

26. Aleksandr Yampolskiy
SecurityScorecard

Aleksandr Yampolskiy is Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of SecurityScorecard. SecurityScorecard is the leading cybersecurity platform used for predicting and remediating potential security risks.

Aleksandr first got his start in 2006 as a Senior Member of Technical Staff at Oracle Corporation. From there, he went on to Goldman Sachs and Gilt Groupe, before eventually becoming CTO at Cinchcast, his most recent position prior to founding SecurityScorecard. Aleksandr received a PhD in Cryptography from Yale University, as well as an MS and MPhil, and an undergraduate degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from New York University.

 

31. Aaron Feuer
Panorama Education

Aaron Feuer is the Co-Founder and CEO of Panorama Education. Panorama Education partners with K-12 schools and districts across the country to collect and analyze data about social-emotional learning, school climate, family engagement, and more.

Aaron has spent his entire professional career at Panorama Education. While in school, he was a Tour Guide at Yale University, an Intern for the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Head Page for the U.S. Senate. Aaron graduated from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in Political Science.

 

37. Sean Mehra
HealthTap

Sean Mehra is the Chief Operating Officer of HealthTap, which he co-founded in 2011. He served as Chief Product Officer until 2018 and Chief Strategy Officer until 2020. HealthTap makes affordable virtual healthcare accessible to everyone — offering immediate, trusted information from real doctors at the first moment of concern, triaging them, and treating them with virtual doctor visits with wait times of one minute or less — for all ages across all specialties.

Previously, Sean was Founder and Chief Executive Officer at PayoutHub and before that Founder and Chief Operating Officer at GXStudios. Sean earned an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Engineering from Yale University.

 

38. Barrie Seidenberg
Notonthehighstreet

Barrie Seidenberg is the former CEO and Advisor of notonthehighstreet. Notonthehighstreet is a curated online marketplace that enables consumers to browse through and purchase items from more than 5,000 of the U.K.’s best small creative businesses.

Before joining notonthehighstreet, Barrie was CEO of Viator and served as a member of the TripAdvisor senior management team since the company’s acquisition in 2014. Earlier in her career, she was Chief Marketing Officer at Preview Travel and held senior-level positions at American Express and Williams-Sonoma. Barrie received an MBA from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and an undergraduate degree from Yale University.

 

39. Alexandra Cavoulacos
The Muse

Alexandra Cavoulacos is President of The Muse, which she co-founded in 2011 as COO. The Muse helps people navigate their entire career journey, offering expert advice alongside an engaging job search experience, and helping companies recruit top talent from a diverse pool of qualified candidates.

Alexandra is co-author of The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating Your Career. Before founding The Muse, she was Manager of Professional Development at McKinsey & Company, where she had previously been a Senior Associate and Business Analyst. Alexandra earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from Yale University.

View the complete list of awardees.

 

40. Bill Bellissimo
CrunchTime

Bill Bellissimo is the President of CrunchTime Information Systems, which he founded in 1995. CrunchTime is the leading operations platform for the world's best restaurants and foodservice companies.

Before founding CrunchTime, Bill was the President of a large restaurant chain in the northeastern United States. Before working in the food services industry, Bill was a banker on Wall Street. Bill graduated from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in Economics and Political Science.

 

41. Chad Rigetti
Rigetti Quantum Computing

Chad Rigetti is the Founder and CEO of Rigetti Quantum Computing. Rigetti Computing is a full-stack quantum computing company that designs and manufactures integrated circuits.

Chad first got his start in 2008 as Vice President of Business Development at Intrade. From there, he went on to IBM as a Research Staff Member in the quantum computing group before leaving to found Rigetti Quantum Computing. Chad graduated from Yale University with a PhD in Applied Physics and from the University of Regina with an undergraduate degree in Physics.

 

42. David Friend
Wasabi Technologies

David Friend began his professional career over 16 years ago. He is the President, Co-Founder, and CEO of Wasabi Technologies. Wasabi, named after the hot Japanese horseradish, is a cloud storage provider offering a service called Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage. Hot storage is fast to write, low-cost, and reliable.

Before founding Wasabi, David was Co-Founder and CEO of Carbonite, which was later acquired by OpenText. A self-named “serial entrepreneur,” David has co-founded more than seven companies. David studied Electrical Engineering at Princeton University Graduate School of Engineering and received undergraduate degrees in Engineering and Music Composition from Yale University.

 

43. Lisa Marrone
Revel

Lisa Marrone is the CEO and Co-Founder of Revel Gatherings. Revel is a new community for women over 50 to host and attend small, local gatherings on topics of their choice.

Before founding Revel, Lisa was a Principal at August Capital and a Senior Associate Consultant at Bain & Company. While in graduate school she was a Summer Fellow at the Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, where she served as Director of Strategic Marketing at Lyndra. Lisa received an MBA from Harvard Business School, a JD from Harvard Law School, and an undergraduate degree in Biology and Economics from Yale University.

 

49. Laura Schewel
StreetLight Data

Laura Schewel is the CEO of StreetLight Data. StreetLight Data collects, refines, and contextualizes data to provide actionable information for the transportation industry. Laura has spent her entire career working in the advanced transportation sector.

Before founding StreetLight Data, Laura was an Energy Innovations Analyst for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and before that a Consultant at the Rocky Mountain Institute as program manager for vehicle electrification. Laura received a PhD and MS in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley, and an undergraduate degree in Literature from Yale University.

 

52. Tim Parsa
AirTM

Tim Parsa is the Co-Founder and Chairman of AirTM. AirTM connects banking and e-money networks all over the world via its technology platform and peer-to-peer network, enabling peer-to-peer correspondent banking and remittance.

A longtime entrepreneur, Tim has founded several businesses, including Slyk IO, Cadoo, Cloud Money Ventures, and Uphold. He was Director of Air Protocol Foundation and CEO of Grupo Salinas. Earlier in his career, he worked with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton as an Associate. Tim graduated from NYU School of Law with a JD in International Law and Legal Studies and from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in Biology.

 

56. Alexander Garcia-Tobar
Valimail

Alexander Garcia-Tobar began his professional career over 30 years ago. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of Valimail, a pioneering, identity-based, anti-phishing company that has been ensuring the global trustworthiness of digital communications since 2015.

Alexander first got his start in 1991 as an Associate and Associate Training Manager at The Boston Consulting Group. From there, he went on to senior roles at Individual, Inc., Forrest Research, and ValiCert. He was CEO of the startups Lattice 3D and Meta Interfaces before becoming Vice President of Business and Corporate Development at Agari, his most recent position before founding Valimail. Alexander also serves as a Principal at AGT Group and a Mentor at the Founder Institute and the Berkeley Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology. Alexander graduated from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in International Economics.

View the complete list of awardees.

 

59. Ronghui Gu
CertiK

Ronghui Gu is the Co-Founder of CertiK. CertiK is a pioneering blockchain cybersecurity start-up founded by Computer Science professors from Yale University and Columbia University. Unlike traditional security audits, CertiK’s Formal Verification technology mathematically proves program correctness and hacker resistance.

Ronghui is the Tang Family Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. He was previously a Software Engineer at Google. Ronghui graduated from Yale University with a PhD in Computer Science and from Tsinghua University with an undergraduate degree in Computer Science.

 

61. Mitch Thrower
Events.com

Mitch Thrower is the Chairman of Events.com, which he founded in 2010. Events.com is a leading provider of cloud-based applications for event and participant management that includes Activity Registration, Ticketing, Affinity Management, Content Management, Business Analytics, and Customer Outreach.

Previously, Mitch was Co-Founder and Chief Strategist of The Active Network and Co-Founder of its sister company, Active Europe. He was the Founder and CEO of The College Connection, Inc., a travel guidebook publishing company, and Owner and Chairman of Triathlete Magazine. Mitch earned an MBA from the University of San Diego, an undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Saint Lawrence University, and completed additional studies at Yale University.

 

63. Matthew Roche
Extole

Matthew Roche has over 27 years of experience in the Computer Software industry and is the CEO of Extole. Extole helps marketers create a complete, efficient, and reliable acquisition channel by encouraging their customers to refer new customers. Extole has launched referral marketing programs for more than 300 innovative brands.

Before joining Extole, Matthew was Co-Founder and CEO of Boltnet, Offermatica, and Fort Point Partners, and before that an Advisor at Dapper, Inc. Earlier in his career he worked for Parcplace Digitalk as a Product Manager. Matthew graduated from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in English.

 

66. Alex Klein
Kano Computing

Alex Klein is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Kano Computing. Kano provides a system of kits and coding platforms that enables users to develop apps, games, and music.

Before founding Kano, Alex was a writer and reporter for Newsweek, the Daily Beast, New York Magazine, and The New Republic. Alex graduated from Cambridge University with an MPhil in Politics and from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in Ethics, Politics, and Economics.

 

72. Steph Speirs
Solstice

Steph Speirs is the CEO of Solstice, which she co-founded in 2014. Solstice is dedicated to bringing affordable solar power to the 80% of Americans who cannot install a rooftop system.

No stranger to the renewable energy field, Steph was a Global Fellow at Acumen, leading sales and marketing initiatives as the Innovation Manager in India at d.light, a global company delivering affordable solar solutions for people without access to reliable energy. She began her career on President Obama’s 2008 election campaign, leading to positions at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Council. Steph earned an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an MPA in Development Economics and International Development from Princeton University, and an undergraduate degree in History and International Studies from Yale University.

 

77. Hakan Bas
Ace Games

Hakan Bas is the Founder and CEO of Ace Games. Ace Games is a startup dedicated to making top-tier mobile games.

Before founding Ace Games, Hakan co-founded SuperMassive E-Sports Club; Lidyana.com, where he was also CEO; and Peak, where he was COO. He began his career in corporate finance at Merrill Lynch and Raymond James. Hakan graduated from Yale University with an MBA and from Cornell University with an undergraduate degree in Economics.

 

79. Paul Joo
Summer

Paul Joo is the Co-Founder and COO of Summer. Summer is a next-generation student loan management and repayment platform helping borrowers unlock thousands of dollars in loan savings.

Paul began his career as an Associate at The Boston Consulting Group. While in graduate school, he clerked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of California and was a summer associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. Paul received a JD from Yale Law School, an MBA from the Yale School of Management, and an undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science and International Studies from Yale University.

View the complete list of awardees.

 

80. JP Thieriot
Uphold

JP Thieriot is the CEO of Uphold, a globally leading digital wallet and leader in the crypto space. With more than 7 million users, the company provides an easy and cost-effective way to trade cryptos, local currencies, metals and more, plus send funds to friends and family.

Uphold generates approximately $250 million in revenues and has annual growth rates in the triple digits. Before joining Uphold, Thieriot was a co-founder at Catalan Advisors. He graduated from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in history.

 

81. Michael Jansen
Cityzenith

Michael Jansen is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cityzenith, which he joined in 2010. Cityzenith helps city governments and businesses make sense of their data, big and small, by aggregating all of their data and software into a single tool: Smart World Pro.

Michael was Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Satellier, a CAD and BIM production services company. He previously worked for several years as an architect in India and China. Michael earned an undergraduate degree in Architecture from Yale University.

 

85. Tom Katis
Voxer

Tom Katis is the Chairman of Voxer, which he founded as CEO in 2007. Voxer is a high-performance messaging app that combines the power of live voice with text, photos, and videos.

Tom was a Founder and Board Member at Constellis and Founder and Co-Chairman of Triple Canopy, a global security company. Before that, he was Vice President of Business Development at Netcentives and a Vice President at Citigroup. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army Special Forces (Green Berets). Tom earned an undergraduate degree in Ethics, Politics, and Economics from Yale University.

 

88. Desiree Vargas Wrigley
Pearachute

Desiree Vargas is the Founder and CEO of Pearachute. Pearachute is the largest aggregator of family-friendly activities in the world, helping parents and children spend more meaningful time together, helping locally owned businesses thrive, and helping brands access their most important customers.

Desiree was the Founder and CEO of GiveForward, Inc., one of the world’s first crowdfunding sites. She is Vice President of P33 Chicago, a multi-stakeholder initiative designed to support Chicago’s Black and Latinx tech founders throughout the lifecycles of their businesses. Desiree graduated from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in Latin American Studies.

 

90. Peter Ginsberg
Onaroll

Pete is the Founder & CEO of Onaroll, an app that inspires shift workers to stay longer and to perform better.

Before founding Onaroll, Pete worked alongside the executive team at Starbucks to launch Siren Ideas, a group designed to bring innovation to customers and employees. Prior to Starbucks, Pete worked at several high growth startups. He graduated from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in American Studies, with a concentration in American Technology.

 

95. Tod Sacerdoti
Pipedream

Tod Sacerdoti is the CEO and Founder of Pipedream. Pipedream is a serverless integration and computing platform that is community-driven and built for developers.

Before founding Pipedream, Tod was the CEO and Founder at BrightRoll; after it was acquired by Yahoo!, he joined that company as Vice President of Display and Video Advertising Products. Earlier in his career, he was Director of Business Development for Plaxo, Inc. Tod graduated from Stanford Graduate School of Business with an MBA and from Yale University with an undergraduate degree in Economics.

 

96. Alexis Rovner
64x Bio

Alexis Rovner is the CEO of 64x Bio, which she co-founded in 2018. 64x Bio is transforming the future of cell and gene therapy manufacturing with high throughput discovery and design of enhanced cell lines for next-generation biomanufacturing and therapeutics.

Before founding 64x Bio, Alexis conducted postdoctoral research fellowships at Harvard Medical School at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering. She was previously a Research Assistant at the University of California, Berkeley. Alexis earned a PhD in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology from Yale University and an undergraduate degree in Molecular Environmental Biology from the University of California, Berkeley.

 

100. Dan Ram
MC | Speaker | Coach

Daniel Ramamoorthy (known more popularly as DanRam) is a tech igniter: A 3x entrepreneur, 5x TEDx speaker, and startup coach. As an Event MC to 250+ tech events globally, he curates conversations with presidents, billionaire investors, innovative founders and decision makers from Fortune 100 companies. Whether hosting fully-digital conferences or live events at convention centers, his energy is unmatched making him one of the most sought-after and trusted moderators and Event MCs in the tech world.

Some of DanRam's past work experience and recent accolades include the United Nations, KPMG, advising the Irish National Government on Entrepreneurship Policy, and receiving the "40 under 40 Influential People" by Europe India Centre. DanRam graduated with an Economics degree from Yale University, MBA from Trinity College, and is currently pursuing a PhD at RWTH.

View the complete list of awardees.