Michael Baum (BS, computer science ’85), chairman & CEO of
FOUNDER.org, was recently among 14 distinguished alumni who were inducted into Drexel University’s alumni hall of fame, known as the
Drexel 100.
Baum is an innovator, entrepreneur and investor in early stage companies with the potential for positive impact. He supports young innovators around the world through FOUNDER.org, an investment fund for university students with world changing ideas in industrial automation, transportation, healthcare, sustainability, food and agriculture and space technology. More than 100 new ventures from 15 countries and 50 universities have benefited from FOUNDER.org’s funding and street smart Silicon Valley experience.
Baum has
credited Drexel’s co-op program with giving him exposure to the corporate world and kick-starting his entrepreneurial career. As a student, he completed a co-op at IBM as a software engineer.
His own entrepreneurial journey spans 25 years and six startups, including the IPO of Splunk (well known as an innovator in log and IT data search) and acquisitions by AT&T Disney, IBM, Reuters and Yahoo!. Along with his computer science degree from Drexel, Baum has an MBA from Wharton and is the inventor of several patents in big data machine learning and transaction management.
To be included among the talented individuals that make up the Drexel 100 is to be celebrated for making a significant difference in the world and, in turn, bringing honor to the University. New members are elected once every two years by the current Drexel 100 members and are recognized with a medallion at the Drexel 100 induction ceremony. For more information and to view past inductees, please visit the
Drexel 100 website.