Jennifer Carolan, managing director of the NewSchools Seed Fund, talks about the opportunities for technology companies interested in contributing to the changing landscape of education. In conversation with Stanford Engineering Consulting Associate Professor Steve Blank, Carolan discusses common mistakes of ed-tech founders and the need for engineers and consumer technologists in creating innovation in education.
Nov 05, 2014•57 min•Season 10Ep. 6
Lew Cirne, founder and CEO of New Relic, discusses his experiences as a serial entrepreneur, in conversation with Stanford Engineering Professor Tom Byers. Cirne talks about finding one's strengths as a leader, the challenge of discovering a company's second act, and why the best engineers must possess real empathy for the users of their products.
Oct 29, 2014•46 min•Season 10Ep. 5
Nest Co-Founder Matt Rogers explains why careers can be made on taking on the challenges and projects unloved by others. Rogers discusses what he learned working at Apple on the original iPod and iPhone, the importance of not chasing the money when raising capital, and how he and Nest Co-Founder Tony Fadell went about building an innovative consumer electronics company.
Oct 22, 2014•57 min•Season 10Ep. 4
Tina Seelig, Professor of the Practice in Stanford's School of Engineering, describes how imagination leads to entrepreneurship, charting the course from rough ideas to polished ventures. Introducing a new framework called the "Inventure Cycle," Seelig captures the attitudes and actions necessary to foster innovation and bring breakthrough ideas to the world.
Oct 15, 2014•53 min•Season 10Ep. 3
Author and leadership educator Liz Wiseman shares why cultivating a "rookie mindset" is an advantage in a rapidly changing world. Wiseman presents insights from her books, Rookie Smarts and Multipliers, including frameworks and techniques for how entrepreneurs, leaders and employees can embrace a life of constant learning and build a passion for multiplying the genius of those around them.
Oct 08, 2014•57 min•Season 10Ep. 2
Kevin and Julia Hartz discuss what it really takes to be a thriving startup organism in challenging ecosystems. As well as sharing insights from the early founding days of Eventbrite, the husband and wife co-founders explain the importance of continual focus on cultivating talent, maintaining sustainable advantages, and driving relentless evolution inside a company.
Oct 01, 2014•58 min•Season 10Ep. 1
Heidi Roizen, operating partner at Threshold (formerly DFJ), shares personal and professional truths learned from her career as an entrepreneur, investor, and educator. Among other topics, Roizen examines the need for resiliency, the importance of valuing relationships over transactions, and why ethics should never be compromised.
May 28, 2014•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 24
TaskRabbit Founder and CEO Leah Busque tells how a need for dog food on a snowy night in Boston turned into a rapidly growing venture connecting people in neighborhoods around the country. Busque also explains the value of sharing your idea freely and the importance of cultivating an atmosphere of mentorship and collaboration.
May 21, 2014•1 hr 2 min•Season 9Ep. 23
Yelp COO Geoff Donaker steps through the big questions and challenges faced in taking a company public. Donaker discusses working with bankers, developing a road show for investors, and many of the issues of pricing and timing faced by Yelp in the run up to their public offering in 2012.
May 14, 2014•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 22
Linda Rottenberg, co-founder and CEO of Endeavor Global, shares smart lessons for cutting an entrepreneurial path in a turbulent world. Touching on elements from her upcoming book, Crazy is a Compliment, Rottenberg unpacks insights from Endeavor's work driving entrepreneurship in emerging markets around the world.
May 07, 2014•1 hr 1 min•Season 9Ep. 21
Ed Catmull, president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, shares some of his formative career experiences and offers a glimpse inside the working culture of Disney and Pixar. In conversation with Stanford Professor Bob Sutton, Catmull offers additional insights from his book, Creativity, Inc., including lessons learned from his longtime working relationship with the late Steve Jobs.
Apr 30, 2014•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 20
Morris Chang, founding chairman of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, reflects on his journey of bringing revolutionary changes to his industry, in conversation with Stanford President John Hennessy. Chang also touches on discovering new business models, his thoughts on leadership, and the importance of gratitude in one's career.
Apr 23, 2014•57 min•Season 9Ep. 19
Sal Khan, founder and executive director of Khan Academy, discusses elements for a new vision for education. While offering examples of how his organization is bringing disruptive approaches to traditional learning experiences, Khan touches on the early days starting Khan Academy and the power of collaboration in creating change around the world.
Apr 16, 2014•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 18
Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, describes living your authentic brand as an entrepreneur. Traveling from the housing projects of Queens, New York to working on Wall Street and experiences at Silicon Valley tech firms, Walker discusses creating context to see opportunities and the importance of being in the problems and solutions business, in conversation with Stanford Professor Tina Seelig.
Apr 09, 2014•58 min•Season 9Ep. 17
Venture inside StartX, an educational non-profit that supports the development of passionate Stanford entrepreneurs. In this panel discussion, current and former members of the StartX community describe their experiences inside the accelerator and the value they received through a culture of collective intelligence and mentorship.
Mar 05, 2014•59 min•Season 9Ep. 16
Hemant Shah, co-founder and CEO of RMS, takes students on a ride through the highs and lows of growing and changing a company. From early days in an apartment with co-founders, to making the tough calls as a market leader in risk and catastrophe modeling, Shah discusses lessons around culture, business models, and pivoting a value proposition.
Feb 26, 2014•1 hr 2 min•Season 9Ep. 15
Stanford Professor Tina Seelig discusses the creative process and music industry dynamics with Nate Ruess, lead singer of the band fun., and Cameron Strang, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Warner/Chappell Music. As a kick-off to Seelig's Stanford Online course, Creativity: Music to my Ears, the conversation explores issues of artist development, evolving business models and the shape and future of the music industry.
Feb 19, 2014•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 14
Stanford Professor Bob Sutton shares principles and colorful examples from his most recent book, Scaling Up Excellence, co-authored by Huggy Rao. Touching on concepts around emotion, complexity, and connecting people, Sutton explains why scaling is about spreading and sustaining a mindset, not just a footprint.
Feb 12, 2014•59 min•Season 9Ep. 13
Ayasdi Co-Founders Gunnar Carlsson and Gurjeet Singh discuss building a company based on technology developed inside a university, in conversation with Floodgate Partner Ann Miura-Ko. With deep insights on data visualization, Carlsson and Singh talk about developing technologies and the process for evaluating high-impact applications.
Feb 05, 2014•59 min•Season 9Ep. 12
MuckerLab Co-Founder William Hsu shares his professional journey from young, headstrong entrepreneur to experienced leader working to support a thriving startup environment in Los Angeles. Hsu focuses on why building a company is different than starting a company, the importance of getting as many "at-bats" as possible, and the immense value of a pay-it-forward culture.
Jan 29, 2014•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 11
Halle Tecco, co-founder and CEO of healthcare accelerator Rock Health, shares how technologists, designers and other professionals can play a role in bringing innovation to the healthcare industry. Tecco identifies systemic challenges facing healthcare in America and shares examples of companies working to address these opportunities for change.
Jan 15, 2014•57 min•Season 9Ep. 9
Astia CEO Sharon Vosmek shows how behavior shifts in entrepreneurial ecosystems can lead to more robust levels of inclusive innovation. Vosmek also highlights research on how access to business networks, expertise and capital play out across gender lines.
Nov 20, 2013•58 min•Season 9Ep. 8
Cloudera Co-Founder Mike Olson shares his insights on the present landscape and possible future of big data and the data management industry. In conversation with Ping Li of Accel Partners, Olson also discusses the advantages of building a business on top of open source technologies and the many surprising benefits of competition.
Nov 13, 2013•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 7
Scott Harrison, founder and CEO of charity: water, shares his entrepreneurial path from a life of pure self-interest to one driven by a desire to bring clean water to millions. In this compelling talk, Harrison shares his interest and approach in re-inventing the charity sector, along with the powerful stories of those affected by his organization's work.
Nov 06, 2013•1 hr 1 min•Season 9Ep. 6
Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton shares new ideas on how the world can transition to a place where everyone is a contributing change-maker. Drayton also sits down in conversation with Stanford Professor Tina Seelig to discuss critical skills for changemakers, the possibilities for collaborative entrepreneurship, and the importance of giving yourself permission to make change.
Oct 30, 2013•1 hr 4 min•Season 9Ep. 5
Steve Teig, president and CTO of Tabula, believes entrepreneurs get the most from life by committing fully to "making work you love." In this expansive talk, Teig shares how to turn fear into a superpower, and weaves together insights from his career to explain the importance of always striving and why life is too short to not work with nice people.
Oct 23, 2013•1 hr•Season 9Ep. 4
Cyriac Roeding, co-founder and CEO of mobile app company Shopkick, shares personal stories and insights on dealing with the essential questions facing entrepreneurs. He also provides unique perspectives on the nature of mobile interaction, and offers essential tips for building truly awesome teams.
Oct 16, 2013•59 min•Season 9Ep. 3
Padmasree Warrior, Cisco's chief technology and strategy officer, offers a vision of how value will be created as the magnitude of technology change rapidly increases. Warrior also touches on balancing analytical and empathetic leadership, cultivating a culture of innovation at enterprise scale, and how the Internet of Everything will shape the future of individuals and organizations.
Oct 09, 2013•55 min•Season 9Ep. 2
Serial entrepreneur Dr. Matthew Rabinowitz discusses how letting go of ego can empower entrepreneurs to solve problems that change the quality of life. As the founder of molecular diagnostics company Natera, Rabinowitz also shares unique financing insights, the value of being irreverent, and ways to manage your entrepreneurial destiny for as long possible.
Oct 02, 2013•58 min•Season 9Ep. 1
Magic experience designer Ferdinando Buscema brings an engineer's background and a performer's flair to this call to all entrepreneurs to think like a magician to achieve the impossible. Drawing from a rich variety of sources including psychology, the arts, and magic performance, Buscema illustrates a new leadership archetype for the 21st century.
May 29, 2013•54 min•Season 8Ep. 24