“In 2010, MIT launched its iPhone app to much fanfare from people on campus and beyond. Designed by a team led by Andrew Yu, then mobile platform manager and architect for MIT Information Services and Technology, the app provides access to the Institute’s news, campus maps, directory, shuttle tracker, emergency contacts, class locations, dining menus, and other information. Shortly following the app’s release — and inspired by its wide popularity — Yu left MIT and founded Modo Labs to commercialize the core platform, then called Kurogo, that simplifies app-building. The platform provides quick and easy access to back-end data and a simple mobile app-assembly interface, so people without programming skills can build apps and app modules. Today, Modo Labs’ platform is being used by 200 universities and colleges, as well as Fortune 500 companies and hospitals worldwide, reaching millions of users. In the near future, Yu wants the platform to be adopted by 1,000 higher education institutions and other organizations. “It’s spreading globally,” Yu says. “We’ve grown 100 percent over the last year, so we’re excited to expand.””