Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (ETL)

Latest Episodes:

Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook) - Spotlight on Scalability Apr 22, 2009

Show notes

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg shares her trilogy of ideas for a successful start-up and a fulfilling career. Her thoughts include building an enterprise with scalable vision, building personalized, scalable products, and the ability to scale your own connections and capabilities.

Mari Baker (PlayFirst) - Building an Organization, Building a Team Apr 15, 2009

Show notes

After two decades in start-up entrepreneurship, Mari Baker, current CEO of PlayFirst, shares some of her lifelong strategies for long-lasting success. She stresses defining the relentless purpose of the enterprise, honing a focus, and building a conscious company culture, amongst other backbone-building tasks.

Jensen Huang (NVIDIA) - Vision Matters Apr 08, 2009

Show notes

Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of NVidia, discusses the importance of having a big vision when starting a new venture. He says that you should not be daunted when others, including early customers, don't share your vision because they don't share your world view. Huang's vision for NVidia involves building a culture of innovation, with the conviction that if you aren't reinventing yourself then you are slowly dying. This culture cultivates risk-taking and, therefore, fosters a tolerance for failure.

Tony Perkins (AlwaysOn) - What is the Next Big Thing? Feb 25, 2009

Show notes

Three Silicon Valley dealmakers - Tony Perkins, CEO of AlwaysOn; Tim Draper, Founder and Managing Director of Draper, Fisher Jurvetson; and Michael Moe, Founding Partner of ThinkEquity - discuss the evolutions in online media, the power of partnerships, and other next-generation opportunities for the global marketplace.

John Hennessy (Stanford University) - Innovation as the Crux of Entrepreneurship Feb 18, 2009

Show notes

In academia and the private sector, innovation is the most elusive element. And, adds Stanford University President John Hennessy, it's also needed to solve crucial local and global issues. In this address that launches the University's prestigious Entrepreneurship Week event, Hennessy discusses the evolving interplay between higher learning and commercial progress.

Tom Siebel (First Virtual Group) - Emerging Opportunities in a Post IT Marketplace Feb 11, 2009

Show notes

Tom Siebel, founder of Siebel Systems and current CEO of First Virtual Group, recaps a history of the information technology boom, and pronounces it a nearly stagnant sector. He focuses on the burgeoning interests in energy, healthcare, food and water, and other market possibilities to meet the needs of an expanding, aging, and more affluent global population.

Spencer E. Ante (BusinessWeek) - A History of Venture Capital Feb 04, 2009

Show notes

Spencer E. Ante, BusinessWeek editor and author, quotes excerpts from his book, Creative Capital: Georges Doriot and the Birth of Venture Capital, and offers a historical portal into the start and evolution of venture capital. He draws an investment timeline starting with the post-WWII economy, delves into the dominance of Silicon Valley, and discusses current recessionary activity.

Teresa Briggs (Deloitte Silicon Valley) - Making a Big Company Feel Small Jan 28, 2009

Show notes

What's it like to work inside Deloitte? Managing Partner Teresa Briggs offers insight into the organization and its community outreach programs, and focuses on strategies employed to create intimacy and accountability on a smaller scale.

Soujanya Bhumkar, Josh Schwarzapel and Austin Shoemaker (Cooliris) - The Growth and Bloom of Cooliris Jan 21, 2009

Show notes

The team behind Cooliris - CEO Soujanya Bhumkar, Product Manager Josh Schwarzapel, and CTO Austin Shoemaker - discuss in detail the launch and management of their innovative web-discovery business. Topics discussed include cultivating vigorous start-up energy, building monetization into the product, and building an effective and talented team.

Hugh Martin (Pacific Biosciences) - 13 Mistakes and 13 Brilliant Strokes Jan 14, 2009

Show notes

Hugh Martin, Chairman and CEO of Pacific Biosciences, looks back on the evolution of his career - from building computers to creating the future of medicine. Martin charts the lessons he learned working for large technology firms, as a leader in several successful start-ups, and while being courted by the VC community to launch a new wave in bioscience.