Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Video Series

Latest Episodes:

Brit Morin (Brit + Co) - Inspiring Creativity with Great Content Nov 18, 2015

Show notes

Brit Morin, founder and CEO of Brit + Co, describes her path and motivation for launching a platform that aims to inspire women and girls to be creative through compelling content such as videos, online classes and do-it-yourself kits. Morin explains how creativity is sparked by rekindling that playful spirit from our youth and stems from the primal instinct to make things.

Rebecca Lynn (Canvas Venture Fund) - Creating Your Own Canvas Nov 11, 2015

Show notes

Rebecca Lynn, partner and founder at Canvas Ventures, shares her unlikely journey from the humble farming town of her childhood to the hotbed of technology innovation, fueled by engineering talent, entrepreneurial drive and solid guidance from mentors. Lynn describes her strategy for investing and observations about the world of venture capital.

Scott Cook (Intuit) - Accounting for Intuit's Success Nov 04, 2015

Show notes

Intuit Co-Founder Scott Cook describes how the financial software company went from struggling startup to runaway market leader by staying focused on the customer and iterating and embracing surprises along the way. In a free-form talk guided by audience questions, Cook shares advice on leadership, perseverance and professional growth.

Lyndon Rive (Solar City) - The Science and Incentives Behind Solar Oct 28, 2015

Show notes

Lyndon Rive, Co-Founder and CEO of SolarCity, and Tim Draper, founding parter of the venture capital firm DFJ, discuss the clean-energy company's mission to save the planet while exploring the many aspects of its business, from the science of solar power to the need for better government incentives and policies.

Jeff Seibert (Twitter) - Acquisitions: Lessons from All Sides Oct 14, 2015

Show notes

Jeff Seibert, senior director of product at Twitter, describes what went well and what didn't during the acquisition of his earlier startups by big-name technology companies, stressing the importance of culture fit, maintaining your team's trust throughout, and continued investment in growth after being acquired. Seibert also explains how an acquisition isn't always the best exit strategy for a promising startup.

Steve Jurvetson (Draper Fisher Jurvetson), Astro Teller (X), Christina Smolke (Stanford University School of Medicine) - Forecasting the Future of Technology Oct 07, 2015

Show notes

A special panel of highly scientific minds discusses what the future holds for tech innovation, education and entrepreneurship. Panelists include Google's "captain of moonshots," Astro Teller, Stanford bioengineer Christina Smolke, an associate professor at the university's medical school, and DFJ General Partner Steve Jurvetson. Persis Drell, dean of the Stanford School of Engineering, moderates the discussion, with introductions by Stanford Professor Kathleen Eisenhardt.

Elon Musk (SpaceX) - Elon Musk's Vision for the Future Oct 07, 2015

Show notes

The iconic entrepreneur behind SpaceX, Tesla Motors and Paypal shares his predictions for artificial intelligence, renewable energy and space exploration, in conversation with DFJ General Partner Steve Jurvetson at Stanford on Oct. 7, 2015. University President John Hennessy introduces the future-focused discussion, which follows Musk's journey from his first Internet startup in the mid-nineties to his dream of a Mars colony in the next 20 years.

Stewart Butterfield (Slack) - Serendipity in Design and Entrepreneurship Sep 30, 2015

Show notes

Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack and Flickr, shares lessons from his entrepreneurial journey from philosophy student to creator of hugely popular platforms for sharing and communicating, and how they began as minor features embedded in online games that were otherwise flops. Butterfield speaks with Andrew Braccia of the venture capital firm Accel Partners.

Susan Koger (ModCloth) - Find Your Venture's Emotional Core May 27, 2015

Show notes

Susan Koger, co-founder and chief creative officer of the online retailer ModCloth, shares lessons that transcend the fashion industry. Reflecting on her startup's early years and challenges along the way, Koger explains how emotion not only connects customers to a brand, it connects a team to the work.

William Marshall (Planet Labs) - Entrepreneurship Takes Flight May 20, 2015

Show notes

Founder and CEO William Marshall takes us inside how Planet Labs seeks to benefit humanity by leveraging continuous imaging to understand the challenges facing the planet. Marshall discusses founding ventures with purpose, the opportunities possible from open access to data, and the novel technologies that bring their "dove" satellites to life in space.