The Facebook Mafia

ivelina

Published

October 10, 2024

In our weekly tech mafia series we cover the biggest tech mafias in Silicon Valley and beyond, taking a closer look at what companies former employees have started, how much money they’ve raised, and who their investors are.

What is a tech mafia group?

Disruptive startups like PayPal have produced a line of ex employees who go on to start their own influential startups. For example, employees who worked at PayPal went on to found companies like LinkedIn and YouTube.

The Facebook Mafia

We were wondering whether to call it the "Facebook" or "Meta" Mafia, but Facebook is the original iconic name and we actually found more founder data under that name rather than Meta. So this week, we're presenting you with the best of the best from Facebook!

Quick stats on the Facebook Mafia:‍

Total number of companies founded: 707
Total amount of money raised: $17.4 billion

We've selected 36 of the top most notable companies, followed by the rising stars of the Facebook Mafia. Some big names include OpenAI, BitGo, EatStreet, Yugabyte, and more!

Companies Covered:

‍Plai
Tortoise
Helika
Transform
EatStreet
Archy
Immi
Gem
Ancana
BitGo
CyberConnect
Zero Zero Robotics
SingleStore
Shef
Dada Group
Welkin Health
Heirloom
ZEN Rooms
Women.com
HeadsUp
Gatheround
Saber Labs
Run The World
Hologram Labs
Curated
Whatnot
Disco
Bungalow
SPICYEST
OpenAI
Yugabyte
Connectly.ai
Harvey
Moveworks
Refuel.AI
Swoop

Curated

Founder: Kyle Johnson
Facebook Role: Client Solutions Manager, Mobile Games & Apps
Capital Raised: $141.5M
Investors: Greylock
Stage: Series C

Curated is a San Francisco-based internet marketplace platform that humanizes online shopping.

Whatnot

Founder: Grant LaFontaine
Facebook Role: Product Manager - AR / VR
Capital Raised: $484.7M
Investors: Y Combinator
Stage: Series D

Whatnot is a live stream platform and marketplace that enables collectors and enthusiasts to connect, buy, and sell verified products. Backed by Andreessen Horowitz, YC Continuity, and CapitalG.

Disco

Founder: Conner Sherline
Facebook Role: Global Product Marketing Lead, Global Accounts
Capital Raised: $25.8M
Investors: Bessemer Venture Partners
Stage: Series A

Disco is a collaborative network of brands that leverage advanced AI-driven partnership software to enhance customer insights, expand merchandising reach, and reduce customer acquisition expenses.

Bungalow

Founder: Andrew Collins
Facebook Role: Global Marketing Solutions
Capital Raised: $171M
Investors: Founders Fund
Stage: Series C

Bungalow, headquartered in Miami, Florida, provides home rental services.

SPICYEST

Founder: Liezl Puzon
Facebook Role: Software Engineer
Capital Raised: $12.1M
Investors: Dragonfly
Stage: Seed

SPICYEST is a financial services company based in New York specializing in data infrastructure and analytics for the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) market

OpenAI

Founder: Wojciech Zaremba
Facebook Role: Research Scientist at Facebook AI Research
Capital Raised: $11.3B
Investors: Thrive Capital
Stage: Series C

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company that conducts research and implements machine learning.

Yugabyte

Founder: Kannan Muthukkaruppan, Karthik Ranganathan, Mikhail Bautin
Facebook Role: Technical Leads, Software Engineer
Capital Raised: $291M
Investors: Sapphire Ventures
Stage: Series C

Yugabyte is the company behind YugabyteDB, an open-source distributed SQL database designed for cloud-native applications.

‍Run The World

Founder: Xiaoyin Qu, Xuan Jiang
Facebook Role: Senior Product Manager, Software Engineer
Capital Raised: $14.8M
Investors: GGV Capital
Stage: Series A

Run The World is a digital event platform that is designed to host all types of events from cocktail parties to global conferences.

Tortoise

Founder: Dmitry Shevelenko
Facebook Role: Product Management
Capital Raised: $11.1M
Investors: TA Ventures
Stage: Series A

Tortoise is a retail automation startup based in Mountain View, CA. Their mobile "smart stores" are remotely controlled containers that enable customers to purchase items without human interaction.

Transform

Founder: Paul Yang, James Mayfield
Facebook Role: Software Engineer, Product Manager
Capital Raised: $24.5M
Investors: Index Ventures
Stage: Series A

The Transform App is a unique business intelligence product that prioritizes metrics and offers advanced analytics capabilities.

EatStreet

Founder: Alex Wyler
Facebook Role: Software Engineer
Capital Raised: $44.9M
Investors: Great Oaks
Stage: Series C

Founded in 2010 by three undergraduate students, EatStreet was created to provide a convenient way to order food. Headquartered in Madison, WI, EatStreet is the largest independent food ordering service in the United States.

Immi

Founder: Kevin Chanthasiriphan
Facebook Role: Product Manager
Capital Raised: $13.8M
Investors: Collaborative Fund
Stage: Series A

Immi is revolutionizing the world of Asian-American cuisine by offering a healthier twist.

Gem

Founder: Steven Bartel, Nick Bushak
Facebook Role: Software Engineering Intern, Engineering Manager
Capital Raised: $148M
Investors: Greylock
Stage: Series C

Gem is a talent engagement platform that empowers talent acquisition teams to streamline their recruitment processes.

BitGo

Founder: Ben Davenport
Facebook Role: Software Engineer
Capital Raised: $69.5M
Investors: Redpoint
Stage: Series B

By leveraging multi-signature technology, BitGo enables companies to eliminate vulnerabilities, manage wallets with multiple users, and enforce specific policies for coin movement through their API.

CyberConnect

Founder: Zhimao Liu
Facebook Role: Software Engineer Internship
Capital Raised: $25M
Investors: GGV Capital
Stage: Series A

CyberConnect is a pioneering decentralized social network within the web3 ecosystem.

Zero Zero Robotics

Founder: Mengqiu (MQ) Wang
Facebook Role: Data Scientist Intern
Capital Raised: $25.2M
Investors: GSR Ventures
Stage: Series B

Zero Zero Robotics specializes in smart robotics and embedded AI technology.

SingleStore

Founder: Eric Velasquez Frenkiel, Nikita Shamgunov
Facebook Role: Partner Engineer, Software Engineer
Capital Raised: $464.1M
Investors: Goldman Sachs
Stage: Series F

SingleStore offers SingleStoreDB, the fastest distributed SQL database, to simplify and scale data-intensive applications.

Shef

Founder: Joey Grassia
Facebook Role: Strategic Client Services, Global Marketing Solutions
Capital Raised: $102.3M
Investors: CRV
Stage: Series B

Shef is a homemade food marketplace that helps cooks make an income by cooking and selling food to their communities.

Dada Group

Founder: Jun Yang
Facebook Role: Engineering Manager, Ads
Capital Raised: $1.3B
Investors: Sequoia Capital
Stage: Public

Dada Group is a leading platform of local on-demand retail and delivery in China.

Welkin Health

Founder: Gideon Wald
Facebook Role: Software Engineering Intern
Capital Raised: $29M
Investors: Thrive Capital
Stage: Series B

Welkin Health is a care management platform designed to support innovative healthcare programs. Based in San Francisco, California, Welkin Health offers an automated platform that enables a team-based approach to caring for individuals with preventative, follow-up, and chronic conditions.

Heirloom

Founder: Sri (Vaishnavi) Bodanapu
Facebook Role: Account Manager
Capital Raised: $54.3M
Investors: Seven Seven Six
Stage: Series A

Heirloom, a direct air capture company permanently removing CO2 from the atmosphere

ZEN Rooms

Founder: Madhur Yadav
Facebook Role: SMB Marketing Head - Asia Pacific
Capital Raised: $23M
Investors: Redbadge Pacific
Stage: Series B

ZEN Rooms is a leading provider of technology solutions to thousands of hoteliers in Asia.

Harvey

Founder: Gabriel Pereyra
Meta Role: Large Language Model Research
Capital Raised: $26M
Investors: Sequoia Capital
Stage: Series A

Harvey is an artificial intelligence technology service provider for legal workers.

Moveworks

Founder: Varun Singh
Meta Role: Lead Product Manager
Capital Raised: $305M
Investors: Lightspeed Venture Partners
Stage: Series C

Moveworks is a leading generative AI platform that boosts employee productivity by automating tasks and providing information through natural language interactions.

Rising Stars

‍Gatheround

Founder: Lisa Conn
Facebook Role: Community Partnerships, Product Marketing Analyst Intern
Capital Raised: $4M
Investors: Bloomberg Beta
Stage: Seed

Gatheround, the team bonding and community engagement platform, revolutionizes virtual connections for people-focused organizations.

Saber Labs

Founder: Ian Macalinao
Facebook Role: Software Engineering Intern
Capital Raised: $7.7M
Investors: Race Capital
Stage: Seed

Saber Labs is an IT services and consulting company that actively contributes to Saber, the premier cross-chain stablecoin exchange built on the Solana blockchain.

Hologram Labs

Founder: Hongzi Mao
Facebook Role: Research Intern
Capital Raised: $6.5M
Investors: Polychain
Stage: Seed

Hologram Labs is revolutionizing the virtual creator space by providing an all-in-one platform for AI characters. Users can create digital personalities that understand and interact with humans, generating captivating content and boosting online presence.

Helika

Founder: Artem Germanov
Facebook Role: Engineer
Capital Raised: $4.5M
Investors: Diagram Ventures
Stage: Seed

Helika, a Web3 gaming and NFT analytics platform, has raised $4 million in seed funding to expand its product and marketing analytics capabilities for the Web3 ecosystem.

Women.com

Founder: Susan Johnson
Facebook Role: Global Marketing Solutions
Capital Raised: $1.8M
Investors: Y Combinator
Stage: Seed

Women a lifestyle destination and advice community that delivers inspiration and conversation around doing & having it all.

HeadsUp

Founder: Momo Ong
Facebook Role: Product Manager
Capital Raised: $8.5M
Investors: 645 Ventures
Stage: Seed

HeadsUp powers product-led growth for top companies like Contentful, Dialpad, and Matillion. Its AI conversion engine identifies elusive indicators, integrates with tools like Outreach, and measures pipeline lift.

Plai

Founder: Logan Welbaum
Facebook Role: Product Marketing
Capital Raised: $2.1M
Investors: Y Combinator
Stage: Seed

Plai is the ad tool designed for small teams and creators to effortlessly launch professional ad campaigns without prior experience.

Connectly.ai

Founder: Stefanos Loukakos
Facebook Role: Director, Blockchain
Capital Raised: $4M
Investors: Global Founders Capital
Stage: Seed

San Francisco-based Connectly.ai is a conversational commerce company that enables small and medium-sized businesses to generate revenue by automating customer messages.

Refuel.AI

Founder: Nihit Desai
Meta Role: Staff Software Engineer
Capital Raised: $10.5M
Investors: General Catalyst
Stage: Seed

Refuel.AI focuses on infrastructure and tooling for teams building ML applications on top of unstructured data.

Swoop

Founder: Ruben Schultz
Meta Role: Growth
Capital Raised: $3.2M
Investors: Signia Venture Partners
Stage: Seed

Swoop's mission is to make group transportation accessible, transparent, and affordable for everyone. (i.e. charter buses, limos and vans).

Ancana

Founder: Ryan Black
Facebook Role: Product Manager
Capital Raised: $3.3M
Investors: Y Combinator
Stage: Seed

Ancana is a fractional ownership marketplace for vacation homes.

Archy

Founder: Jonathan Rat
Facebook Role: Product Manager
Capital Raised: $10M
Investors: CRV
Stage: Seed

Archy's comprehensive practice management software streamlines operations for healthcare practices, eliminating the need for multiple expensive software packages.