ECE Alumni Named to Forbes 30 Under 30
13 Carnegie Mellon alumni were named in the 2026 Forbes 30 under 30 cohort, four of whom majored in electrical and computer engineering. This annual list celebrates the achievements of young entrepreneurs, artists, inventors and more who are making an impact.
The CMU ECE alumni who were selected are listed below with their full Forbes biographies.
Matt Spettel (ENG 2019), CEO of Trainwell
Matt Spettel is CEO of Trainwell, a tech-enabled personal training company that has raised $18.5 million in funding. Users complete their workouts on their own time, with an app to guide them through the custom programming and wearable software analyzing their motion to provide live feedback. Trainers receive salaries, health benefits and 401(k) matches, notable in an industry where they are almost universally forced to work as independent contractors. Matt shared the recognition with Trainwell CTO Gabe Madonna.
Jeffrey Li (ENG 2020), cofounder of Paraform
Paraform is an AI-based platform that connects companies like Cursor, Ramp, Rippling and Palantir to a network of specialized freelance recruiters. Jeffery Li and cofounder John Kim launched Paraform after the two tried to recruit each other and realized how inefficient the process was, with more time spent on menial tasks than with candidates. That's why Paraform offers its recruiters AI tools like transcription services and candidate matching to help automate the busywork. Recruiters don't need to waste time finding clients: they can simply apply for the roles posted on Paraform. The company has expanded from 5 to 45 employees in the last 8 months and recently raised a $20 million Series A led by Felicis, with participation from A*, BOND and Liquid 2.
Sarika Bajaj (ENG 2018, 2019; CMU 2020) and Tushita Gupta (ENG 2018, 2018), cofounders of Refiberd
Sarika Bajaj and Tushita Gupta cofounded Refiberd, a startup that has developed novel AI technology to sort textiles for resale and recycling applications, in 2020. The duo decided to launch the company after learning that the lack of accurate information about the materials used to make clothing costs billions of dollars, affecting brands, resellers and recyclers. Their technology, which is able to detect the fabric’s actual composition within 1% to 2%, is critical for sorting waste for textile recycling, resale authentication and textile supply chain transparency. They have active partnerships with eBay, GANNI and others. To date, they have received $4.7 million in funding.
Haowen Shi (ENG 2019; SCS 2021), cofounder of Mach9
Haowen Shi, along with CMU alumni Alexander Baikovitz, Zachary Sussman, and Michael Mong founded Mach9 in 2021. Mach9 is building geospatial CAD software that uses AI to turn raw 3D data into precise digital maps so surveyors, engineers and infrastructure owners can plan, design and maintain critical assets more efficiently. They raised $15 million from Quiet Capital, Overmatch Ventures, Y Combinator and Tiger Global, among others.
The complete listing of Carnegie Mellon alumni named to Forbes 30 Under 30 can be found here.