About Us

Riff is the result of more than twenty years of research from Professor Sandy Pentland at the MIT Media Lab. That’s where he teamed up with Riff’s cofounder, Beth Porter, who had spent her career at Pearson and edX developing products that enhance online teaching and learning. Together with a team of researchers, they studied how groups of people interacted in the workplace and in learning environments. Using physical instruments like mics and proximity devices, the team could measure people’s interactions with one another to understand group dynamics, conversational balance, and ultimately improve team performance. The team extended that idea — the ability to coach people to success by understanding their interactions — into the virtual space with video, chat, and AI coaching, which is how Riff was born.