Pipelign Software, Inc.

Babson College, F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business

Industry:  AI/Technology

MBA Founding Student Name(s): Greg Van Aken

Brief Description of Solution: Pipelign builds software to support modern product development teams working on complex systems. Its flagship product is an agentic platform that helps teams design products, capture critical decisions across disciplines, and connect everything that matters across the development effort. By preserving shared context as work happens, Pipelign ensures knowledge isn’t lost between teams, phases, or handoffs. The result is durable, cross-functional alignment throughout product development, without slowing innovation or relying on last-minute scrambles to fill in the gaps.

Funding Dollars: $0 (bootstrapped)

What led you to launch this venture? Prior to getting my MBA, I worked as a software engineer and technical leader on product development teams building scientific instruments and medical devices. I saw firsthand how difficult it was to maintain alignment across the many disciplines required to bring complex products to market. Through countless conversations with engineers, product leaders, and quality teams, I realized this wasn’t an isolated problem. Instead, it was a shared frustration that many teams had come to accept as inevitable. AI and automation are challenging that inevitability and have opened the door to rethinking how alignment and shared understanding are maintained as products are built.

What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? One of my biggest accomplishments so far has been recognizing the need to change direction early and acting decisively on customer feedback. Based on what I was hearing from customers, I made the difficult decision to refocus the company around an entirely new initial product. In a few short months, I built a new MVP, rewrote the business plan, successfully pitched the new direction to prospective customers, and onboarded our first pilot user.

What has been the most significant challenge you’ve faced in creating your company and how did you solve it? One of the most significant challenges has been building Pipelign as a solo founder while carrying both the technical and business responsibilities. Wearing so many hats can be demanding, and I learned quickly that doing everything alone is neither sustainable nor effective. By intentionally leaning on the support of friends, family, Babson’s network, and the broader Boston startup ecosystem, I’ve been able to stay focused, grounded, and continue making consistent progress.

How has your MBA program helped you further this startup venture? Coming from a STEM background, my MBA program gave me the business context needed to turn technical ideas into a viable venture. It helped me pressure-test assumptions, think more clearly about customers and markets, and move from experimentation to execution. That learning extended well beyond the classroom through programs at the Blank Center, close collaboration with a world-class cohort, and connections with Babson’s alumni network.

Which MBA class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? I would be remiss if I did not highlight Babson’s Entrepreneurship Intensity Track (EIT). Without that class, I do not know if I would still be pursuing my startup. The biggest lesson I learned from EIT is that it is okay (and in fact required) to make mistakes, experiment, and change directions while building a company.

What professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? I would love to highlight both Prof. Andrew Corbett (EIT) and Prof. Anirudh Dhebar (Marketing High-Tech Products). I was lucky enough to have both of these classes in my last semester at Babson and these two professors pushed me to stay inspired, curious, and vulnerable as I took the plunge after graduation to continue working on my venture full-time.

How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success? The constant heartbeat of startup support in Boston is amazing. Especially as a solo-founder, having access to so many events, panels, and other networking opportunities a train-ride away has given me the energy, connections, and guidance to keep going.

What is your long-term goal with your startup? My long-term goal is to build a company that lets me keep doing what I love: working on hard, meaningful problems at the edge of technology, while helping customers bring impactful innovations to market more effectively. Just as importantly, I aspire to create a community and culture for my employees that rewards hard work, curiosity, humility, and genuine collaboration.

Looking back, what is the biggest lesson you wished you’d known before launching and scaling your venture? One of the biggest lessons I wish I’d learned earlier is how differently various parts of building a company affect your energy. Some work is deeply energizing, while other work is draining (and it varies person-to-person). Learning which is which for you and intentionally structuring your time so energy-draining tasks are balanced or buffered by energizing ones makes the journey far more sustainable.

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