# Founder and CEO, WorkOS

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/experts/michael-grinich/
Last updated: 2026-09-20
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

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## Bio

Michael Grinich founded WorkOS in 2018. The idea came from a problem he hit at his previous company, Nylas: a product that developers liked could not close enterprise deals without SAML SSO, directory sync, and audit logging, and building those took quarters that a startup does not have.

Profile built from public company and press records.

## Where their work shows up

WorkOS turned "enterprise readiness" from a roadmap epic into an API call. That reframing, [SSO](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/saml-vs-oidc/) and [SCIM](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-scim/) as infrastructure a B2B product buys rather than builds, now shapes how early-stage SaaS companies approach identity at all. See [B2B SaaS enterprise readiness](https://startwithidentity.com/articles/b2b-saas-enterprise-readiness/), the [WorkOS profile](https://startwithidentity.com/vendors/ciam/workos/), and the [best CIAM for B2B SaaS](https://startwithidentity.com/rankings/best-ciam-for-b2b-saas/) ranking.