Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (ETL)

Latest Episodes:

Brad Bao (Lime) - Innovation Driven By Sustainability Nov 28, 2018

Show notes

Brad Bao, co-founder and executive chairman of Lime, shares his mission to create close-knit neighborhoods through mobility. Highlighting Lime’s achievements, he challenges the notion that companies cannot succeed if they are socially responsible.

Emily Melton (Threshold) - Focus On Forward Momentum Nov 14, 2018

Show notes

Emily Melton, partner at the venture capital firm Threshold (formerly DFJ), shares her experience growing from a humanities student to tech investor. Melton shares advice for how to sustain startup momentum, navigate uncertainty and forge the honest, supportive relationships that lead to success.

Adam Pisoni (Abl Schools) - Let Your Customers Educate You Nov 07, 2018

Show notes

Adam Pisoni, founder and CEO of Abl Schools, shares how he tackles complex challenges, like modernizing the education system. Pisoni describes how he listens first, addresses today’s known issues and builds pathways to new possibilities. He breaks down how to identify scalable solutions, validate ideas and prioritize needs.

Tina Seelig with Steve Garrity (Hearsay Systems) and Juliet Rothenberg (DeepMind) - Find Your Superpower, Launch Your Career Oct 31, 2018

Show notes

Professor of the Practice Tina Seelig sits down with Steve Garrity, founder of Hearsay Systems and Juliet Rothenberg, product manager at DeepMind for a new podcast called LEAP!. This series will take a deep dive into how to grow your career by unpacking some of the often overlooked and under-taught soft skills critical to the success of every entrepreneur. Each episode invites alumni at different stages in their career to discuss real-life scenarios, focused around a particular skill. In this episode, Steve and Juliet talk with Tina about identifying, shaping and developing your superpower at work.

Puneet Agarwal (True Ventures) - Strike the EQ/IQ Balance in Venture Capital Oct 24, 2018

Show notes

Puneet Agarwal, partner at True Ventures, describes the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) within venture capital and its implications on the business functions of companies. He shares scenarios where EQ sets the tone for open communication, helping to build a community of safety for their founders and investors.

Manish Chandra (Poshmark) - Channeling an Adaptive Mindset Oct 17, 2018

Show notes

Throughout his career, Manish Chandra, founder and CEO at Poshmark, learned to evolve, grow and adapt to the economical and career changes he faced. His vision for a mobile shopping platform was ahead of its time. Chandra shares his thoughts on how to persevere in the face of doubt, how to partner with founders that share a common goal and why focusing on engagement and community is critical for scaling successfully.

Maureen Fan (Baobab Studios) - Animating Against the Grain Oct 10, 2018

Show notes

Maureen Fan, co-founder and CEO at Baobab Studios, shares how she blended her creativity and technical savvy in founding her virtual reality animation company. Undeterred by naysayers and an unforged path ahead, she encourages those with big imaginations to buck traditional career paths and to be persistent in asking for what you want.

Nancy Koehn (Harvard Business School), Bob Sutton (Stanford University) - Tenacious Compassion: Leading Through the Storm Jun 13, 2018

Show notes

Get a taste of season 2 of the FRICTION podcast. The best leaders cultivate empathy, patience and an awareness of their own vulnerabilities, says Nancy F. Koehn, a historian at the Harvard Business School. She’s the author of Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times, about the zigzagging paths of five historical figures, from Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass to environmentalist Rachel Carson. In this episode, Koehn speaks with Stanford Professor Bob Sutton about how transformational leaders slow down and harness their humanity to overcome significant challenges.

Steve Vassallo (Foundation Capital) - Focus on Users to Solve Problems Jun 06, 2018

Show notes

Throughout life, Steve Vassallo has advanced his career through design thinking, from the slick flyer he created on his parents' computer to get him more work as a boy, to his five years at IDEO, and now as a startup investor at Foundation Capital. Vassallo explains how strategies like user observation and asking the right questions will get you to the heart of any problem that needs solving.

Lisa Alderson (Genome Medical) - Dare to Stretch Your Boundaries May 30, 2018

Show notes

Serial entrepreneur Lisa Alderson, co-founder and CEO of Genome Medical, shares her vision for the future of medicine, along with real-world advice for those seeking to start their own company: Discover and follow your passion to ensure you stay driven through the highs and lows. Above all, venture into unfamiliar territory in order to build the confidence to embrace change.