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As a teenager, Maguy Le Coze and her brother Gilbert were introduced to the culinary life while helping their parents in their hotel restaurant in Brittany, France. But staying in the French countryside was not for her. Maguy and Gilbert opened Le Bernardin first in Paris, and later in New York City in 1986. Le Bernardin is considered one of the finest restaurants in the world, earning three Michelin stars and four stars from The New York Times since it opened. Celebrity chef Eric Ripert is the restaurant’s co-owner and chef.
Dr. Langer is a chemical engineer who has pioneered the fields of drug delivery and tissue engineering. His 
Gary is a serial entrepreneur who launched 
Luis is an inventor and computer science professor at 
Essie started her eponymous brand in 1981 with $10,000 after working in the hosiery business. When 
Robert Stephens started making computer tech-support house calls on his dirt bike while he was a college student at the University of Minnesota in 1994. He’d arrive to a customer’s house on time, take off his shoes, wear a clean uniform, and fix the problem. His cheeky “law enforcement” marketing theme caught people’s attention, and the company grew from one employee to now over 20,000. Geek Squad was acquired by Best Buy in 2002, and there are over 1,000 Geek Squad “precincts” across the United States, Canada and China. Robert tells Jessica Harris how he turned his tiny tech support business into a customer service giant, from scratch.
Martine is a pioneer in the satellite industry, launching companies including Geostar, PanAmSat, and 
Andrew launched 
Sometimes the company you start looks a lot different from the company you end up with; Azim Premji turned his cooking fat company into one of India’s largest technology companies. With over 70,000 employees and $3Bn in sales, Wipro provides software solutions, research and development, and information technology outsourcing to multinational corporations. Azim is the Chairman of Wipro, and one of India’s five wealthiest men.
AuthenTec makes fingerprint sensors that could unlock mobile phones and computers. AuthenTec was sold to 
Jo Malone is a fragrance entrepreneur. She launched 
One third of the world population does not have access to reliable electricity. 
Gary Goldberg was a producer and writer for television and film. His TV sitcoms included the 1982 hit show 
Fadi Ghandour is one of the leading entrepreneurs of the Middle East. Fadi and his family moved from Lebanon to Jordan where his father eventually became head of Royal Jordanian Airlines. Adopting his father’s business sense and knowledge of the aviation space, Fadi recognized and filled the need for dependable logistics transportation and delivery services in the Arab world. Aramex has been referred to as “the Fedex of the Middle East.”
Since the 1970s, The Children’s Television Workshop—now called the Sesame Workshop—intended to help low-income children become better prepared for school by using television as a tool. The Sesame Workshop’s shows—including Sesame Street, The Electric Company, 3-2-1 Contact—ended up being much more far reaching, teaching and entertaining children from all backgrounds, internationally.
Nolan is considered one of the pioneers of the video game industry. Nolan developed the first coin operated game (Computer Space), as well as Atari’s popular debut game, Pong. Nolan also founded Chuck E. Cheese’s, a game centric restaurant chain. He is the author of Finding the Next Steve Jobs. He and his partner Al Alcorn gave Steve his first job at Atari before Steve started Apple Inc. in 1976.
Friends of the High Line is the organization that pioneered the transformation of an abandoned elevated train line into a public space about 1.5 miles long on Manhattan’s west side in New York City.
Peter Manning launched his eponymous clothing company to focus on men 5’8″ and under. Prior to starting the company in 2012, Peter was a Tony Award winning theatrical producer.
Mark started the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) in 1980. Headquartered in Fort Green, Brooklyn, the company is on tour more than 20 weeks per year. MMDG collaborates with leading artists, including the cellist Yo Yo Ma, the pianist Emanuel Ax, the designer Isaac Mizrahi, and the dancer Baryshnikov.
The 
Naif is the creator of The 99, a comic series that features superheroes based on Islamic archetypes. Coming from a background in clinical psychology, Naif earned his PhD and aided war victims with post traumatic stress disorder. Deciding to take a different path, Naif went to business school and developed an idea that would eventually take shape as The 99. These comics, while not overtly alluding to Islam, aim to promote values of tolerance and peace outside of and within the Muslim world.
Ian is the author and illustrator of Olivia, a children’s book series about a pig. His first book, initially a gift for his niece Olivia, was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 2000. Ian is a set and costumer designer for opera and dance, as well as the creator of more than 30 covers for The New Yorker Magazine.
From joining gyms to taking Yoga classes, finding a workout that was both effective and satisfying did not come easily to Elizabeth and Julie. Unable to discover a cardio program that motivated and inspired (as well as burned calories), Julie and Elizabeth set out to create a new kind of routine. Fusing elements of indoor cycling with upper body workouts, the two opened a
Arianna launched the 
Despite his elite background in India, Bunker Roy chose an unconventional path dedicating his life to educating India’s impoverished population. Influenced by Ghandi’s approach toward self reliance at the village level, the Barefoot College is an organization that teaches practical skills including solar engineering, architecture and water purification, to mostly illiterate women and men. Upon completion of their six month education at the Barefoot College, students bring their newly
Zainab Salbi grew up in Iraq with close ties to Saddam Hussein. Her father was Saddam’s personal pilot, causing her family to be victims of psychological abuse by the dictator. When Zainab was living in the United States as a young adult, she was again involved in an abusive relationship. Her understanding of women in extremely harsh conditions eventually led her to start 
Jack is a serial entrepreneur who has started two companies — 
Nest Labs is focused on helping to create the next-generation home by making energy-saving smart digital assistants. Tony calls Nest’s first product, the Nest Learning Thermostat, “a smartphone in disguise.” Prior to launching Nest, Tony worked at Apple where he led the team that developed the iPod and iPhone. He was a special advisor to Steve Jobs until late 2009. Nest was sold to Google in January, 2014 for $3.2 Billion.
Marc and Vinnie have been close friends since they were elementary school classmates in New Jersey. Mark and Vinnie spent their earlier careers in finance and law respectively, before becoming business partners in their late twenties. In addition to 
Chef and restaurateur Thomas Keller bought the French Laundry, a restaurant in Napa Valley California, and turned it into one of the leading fine dining establishments in the world. The French Laundry and Per Se, located in the Time Warner Center in New York City, have both been awarded three Michelin Stars. Thomas has won consecutive “Best Chef” awards from the James Beard Foundation and “Chef of the Year” award by the Culinary Institute of America, among other accolades. He is the author of multiple cookbooks, including The French Laundry, Bouchon, Under Pressure, and Ad Hoc at Home. 
Have you ever had a creative project you were eager to get off the ground but you didn’t have the funding to make it happen? Yancey Strickler, co-founder of 
“Hands which help are better than the lips that pray” are the words that hang in Dr. Devi Shetty’s office with a picture of Mother Theresa, a former patient of his. Dr. Shetty is a cardiac surgeon who pioneered low cost cardiac surgery for India’s poor population. Dr. Shetty founded the Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in Bangalore India in 2001. Doctors at Narayana Hrudayalaya perform over 7,000 heart surgeries per year without comprising quality. Through its scalable, low cost model, the hospital is able to treat patients who otherwise could not afford health care. Dr. Shetty is now expanding his vision globally– through another low cost hospital in the Cayman Islands.
Rob Kalin initially started Etsy—the online marketplace for handmade goods—as a way to sell his own furniture in 2005. The company has become a vehicle for more than one million artisans who sell their products—ranging from knit-wear to musical instruments to clocks—through the site.
Dr. Rodney Brooks is the co-founder of Rethink Robotics, a company that makes robots for the manufacturing industry. Rethink’s first robot, Baxter, was introduced in October 2012 with the goal of increasing US manufacturing productivity. Prior to Rethink, Dr. Brooks co-founded iRobot, which makes robots for the consumer and defense industries. iRobot’s first consumer product was the Roomba, a vacuum robot, introduced in 2002. Dr. Brooks is professor emeritus at MIT, where he was on the faculty from 1984 to 2010.
David developed an interest in computer programming when he was 11 years old. Instead of finishing high school he started working, and innovating, in the online community. 
Jeffrey Hollender set out to build a company that was both profitable and environmentally sustainable. Seventh Generation makes cleaning and sanitary products that focus on resource conservation and eco-friendly business practices. Jeffrey is the author of several books and an advocate of corporate and environmental responsibility.
The 
Some sculptors work with materials like bronze or marble, which last forever; but others build sculptures made of ice or snow, which last only a few moments. Who are some of the sculptors producing ephemeral art? Jessica speaks with one such pioneer, Andy Goldsworthy.
Gazelle is a company that resells used electronic equipment including iPhones, BlackBerries, iPads, and recent Apple computers, among other items. Prior to starting Gazelle, Israel was at eBay where he helped to build the international business and worked with eBay’s M&A team to acquire PayPal, which he subsequently joined. He was formerly a research analyst at Goldman Sachs.
Jessica speaks with Jim Barton, co-founder of Tivo, a product that allows users to digitally record television to a hard drive that can be recalled and watched at anytime. Through the invention of the Digital Video Recorder, or DVR, Tivo effectively changed the business model of television, handing over control from the TV executives to consumers.
The idea for Paperless Post developed while Alexa was an assistant to Katie Couric at CBS and her brother and co-founder James was still a student at Harvard College.
Infosys is a leading global information, technology and consulting company with more than 150,000 employees and $7 Billion in revenue. Nandan started Infosys in 1981 in Bangalore, India with 6 colleagues. Nandan then served as the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which through its project Aadhaar is seeking to provide unique identification numbers to close to a billion Indian residents. This biometric ID system aims to revolutionize the distribution of social benefits and financial services. In March, 2014 Nandan resigned from UIDAI to join the Indian National Congress. 
Babies are discriminating about the food they eat. Peas and carrots out of a jar don’t taste as good as the ‘real thing.’ Organic baby food companies are emerging to offer more tasty and nutritious options for babies. HappyBaby, founded by Jessica Rolph and Shazi Visram, is one such company.
Some people might look at a wooden chair as a functional piece of furniture, but others might see it as a work of art, the result of careful craftsmanship. Who are some of the country’s leading woodworkers who emphasize form as well as function? Jessica speaks with one such entrepreneur, Thomas Moser.
Since growing up on an American compound in Saudi Arabia, Fadi Jaber developed a sweet tooth for American desserts. He later moved to New York City where he enjoyed gourmet cupcakes from shops such as Magnolia Bakery and Crumbs. Fadi opened his first American-inspired cupcake shop in Jordan, his home country, and has since expanded to other locations throughout the Middle East.
“Turning life into a game” has always been of interest to Dennis Crowley. Dennis applies game dynamics to Foursquare, a popular social networking application that helps users get to know their city better. Foursquare was launched at South by Southwest in 2009 and has a following of approximately 10 million users. 
Ballerinas started wearing point shoes in the late 19th century. Despite advancements in the dance world, the construction of toe shoes has remained pretty much unchanged. The same materials– paste, cardboard, paper and leather– are still used today, and the result is a dancer prone to excess pain and injury. Eliza Gaynor Minden, a former dancer, designed a more modern, longer lasting point shoe to address this stress.
Jules is the founder of Kroll, the leading risk consulting firm. Jules is considered one of the pioneers of the modern day corporate investigative and security industry, investigating individuals, governments and corporations. Kroll’s work includes restructuring Enron after its bankruptcy and uncovering Ferdinand Marcos’ secret wealth in the mid 1980s.
Some entrepreneurs start companies, but others pioneer whole industries. Jake Burton, founder of Burton Snowboards, both built an international snowboard company and helped to turn snowboarding from an underground activity to a more widely acceptable sport. He convinced ski resorts one by one to allow snowboarders on the mountains, and, with his help, snowboarding became an Olympic sport in 1998.
The ancient practice of swaddling, or wrapping a baby in a tight blanket, proves to have benefits for a baby’s health and development. Growing up in Australia, Raegan Moya-Jones was exposed to mothers swaddling their babies with muslin, a type of cotton. Years later, after a move to the United States and the birth of her first daughter, Raegan could not find the muslin blankets her family used back home. As a result, Raegan started Aden and Anais to fill this need, and the wraps are now increasingly popular among new families across the United States.
Vitamin consumption is often taken for granted in prosperous nations. In contrast, populations in developed countries often do not have access to essential vitamins or minerals. Especially pregnant women in developing countries run the risk of denying their fetuses proper nutrition because basic foods are not fortified with micronutrients like folic acid, iron, iodine, and vitamin A.
During the New York newspaper strike of 1963, people missed reading the New York Times Book Review. A literary group of friends—including New York Review of Books founding editors Bob Silvers and Barbara Epstein—decided to start a book review of their own. With essays on politics, science, art, and books, the 
Bob Moore founded Bob’s Red Mill in 1978 after an earlier career in the auto mechanics business. The company produces all natural whole-grain products that are prepared in the age-old tradition of quartz stone grinding. Based in Portland Oregon, Bob’s Red Mill provides roughly 400 natural grain products to natural food stores across the United States. In 2010, at 81 years old Bob turned the company over to his more than 200 employees through an ESOP (Employee Stock Option Plan).
A successful restaurant is more than a dining establishment; it is a form of entertainment. Danny Meyer, with his emphasis on hospitality, has become one of New York’s most successful restaurateurs. His restaurants include the Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, and The Modern, at the Museum of Modern Art.
When we see a painting hanging on the hallowed walls of a museum, we get a sense of an artist’s technique and imagination, but we don’t get a sense of the process and hurdles that artist faced on the way to critical acclaim. What goes on behind the scenes, or behind the canvas? How does a starving artist becoming a financially secure cultural icon?
Growing up in the middle of a civil war in Lebanon, Khalil Nasrallah and his family made their way to Egypt where they founded a leading natural foods company in the middle of the desert. Their company, Wadi Foods, pioneered the production of high quality, healthy food products in the Middle East.
Photo: Quentin Bacon Ina Garten is a cookbook author and the star of Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics, which airs on the Food Network.
Artisanal chocolate has experienced a revolution, especially in the United States; but only a handful of producers actually go through the entire process of producing chocolate from the bean. Michael and Rick Mast were the first culinary craft men in New York City to make the “bean to bar” unchartered chocolate journey. The two brothers from Iowa decided to walk away from their respective careers in film and music to start a simple, nostalgic chocolate company in Brooklyn dedicated to American Craft Chocolate.
During his senior year in college, David discovered that building literacy skills in a child’s early years was vitally influential to their future success. Seeking a way to address this, he co-founded 
Microfinance lending, the practice of making small loans to individuals who would otherwise not qualify for traditional loans, has been a proven method of nurturing entrepreneurship in developing countries. As a college student, Alex read about the work of Noble Prize winning Dr. Muhammad Yunus and his efforts in microfinance. Eager to contribute, he moved to Bangladesh soon after graduating and worked under Dr. Yunus to learn the intricacies of microfinance lending. In 1997, Alex branched off and founded the Grameen Foundation in order to expand microfinance efforts globally.
Jessica meets Stephen McDonnell, the founder of Applegate Farms. Applegate is a natural meat company that has been a leader in the natural meat movement since the mid 1980s. Applegate supports over 200 family farms, dedicated to the humane treatment of animals, and the company’s meat is sold in delis and markets such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s across the United States.
Andy Levine connects music bands to their fans in an unlikely venue: at sea. Since 2001 Andy has been creating and marketing musical experiences for music fans, working with artists like John Mayer, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Barenaked Ladies, among others. 
The ability to buy and sell products online was one of the internet’s key innovations, but how do you convince people who are not used to e-commerce to trust that their money is arriving into the right hands? There were several companies in the late 1990s working to make online buying and selling easy and secure. PayPal was the most successful among them. Co-founded by Peter Thiel, PayPal enabled people to transact simply by using their email accounts. In 2002 eBay bought PayPal for $1.5Billion.
Imagine if every citizen in the United States didn’t know how to read. That’s 300MM people. That’s about the number of illiterate citizens in India, a nation of over a billion people.
Kevin is an internet entrepreneur who has led innovation in the online advertising and e-commerce space since the late 1990s. Kevin was the CEO of DoubleClick, the advertising serving company that was eventually sold to Google for $3.5 Billion. Kevin has since founded a number of internet companies including 
Connie Duckworth is the founder and President of Arzu, an organization that promotes economic independence among women in Afghanistan through the sale of rugs. Arzu sources rugs from weavers in Afghanistan, sells them in the United States, and compensates these women at above market rates.
Maurice’s creations include the D-Fuzz-It sweater comb, which removes lint from sweaters, the Safety Glide Hypodermic Needle Protector, a LED traffic Light, and SKYY Vodka, which was sold to Campari International for over $400 Million. Maurice founded the QUAD Cinemas in New York City in 1972, the first multiplex theater on the East Coast.
Interfaith Youth Core is an organization that promotes service and religious pluralism among youth on college campuses.
Albert cofounded Maysles Films with his brother David in the 1960s. Together they pioneered the documentary film genre cinema verite, which captures reality spontaneously as it unfolds in front of the camera. Albert has made more than three dozen films featuring the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Truman Capote. Other films include Salesman and Grey Gardens, which became a Broadway show and fiction feature film decades later. 
Paul has been committed to disease and poverty reduction since his early twenties. 
Uber is a re-imagined car service that consumers access via apps on their smart phones or SMS. Travis started Uber in 2010 in San Francisco, and the service is now available in cities ranging from New York City to Washington DC and Paris, among others.
SecondMarket is a private market place for buying and selling alternative assets including private company stock, bankruptcy claims, and restricted public stock. If you are an investor in a startup or an employee who wants to sell your company’s stock before the IPO, SecondMarket facilities this transaction. Companies trading on the SecondMarket exchange have included Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In.
Stephen Hannock is a contemporary painter whose works hang in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The National Gallery in Washington DC and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others. He is known mostly for his landscape paintings, and his collectors include the singer Sting and Tom Brokaw. Fortune Magazine called Stephen “probably the most accomplished and well connected painter you’ve never heard of.”
Yvon is one of the leading pioneers in the climbing and outdoor apparel field. Since his teens, Yvon has been an avid climber and adventure seeker. He innovated rock and ice climbing equipment, which he sold through his first company Chouinard Equipment (now Black Diamond). Yvon later started Patagonia, and the company has been a model of business and environmental responsibility since its inception in 1973.
Steven Alan is the owner of his eponymous line of clothing stores, Steven Alan, located in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. In addition to creating his own clothes, Steven is a curator and supporter of other independent clothing designers. Steven launched Steven Alan after working for his family’s jewelry business and managing a successful watch resale company.
Pastry chef and restaurateur Sarabeth Levine started her business by first selling marmalade, a family recipe, in a small cafe on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Prior to life in the culinary world, Sarabeth was a substitute teacher, a dental assistant, and sold health insurance.
Most people recycle due to a sense of moral obligation towards the environment. Ron Gonen also saw a business opportunity. RecycleBank partners with municipalities and encourages households to recycle by rewarding them with points and gift cards that can be used at stores. RecycleBank is able to reduce the amount of waste being sent to landfills and save cities money on waste transport and landfill costs.
Tim Westergren, a former jazz musician and film composer, founded the online radio station Pandora in 2000. Tim brought together a team of musicologists to analyze and classify hundreds of thousands of songs based on some 400 attributes. This project, called the Music Genome Project, is the backbone of Pandora. Pandora works like this: a user enters a song or artist, and Pandora plays songs that most resemble that entry. The company became profitable for the first time ten years after launch, and Pandora has become increasingly popular thanks, in part, to its availability as an app on Apple’s iPhone.
Mike Lazerow co-founded Buddy Media with his wife Kass in 2007. Buddy Media helps corporations connect with their customers using social media. Clients like IBM, Ford, Pepsi and Jet Blue use Buddy Media’s software to engage consumers through Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other platforms. Mike is a serial entrepreneur who formerly launched Golf.com (bought by Time Warner) and University Wire (an Associated Press-like service for the university community now owned by CBS).
Richard is the founder of the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Conference, TEDMED, and 19.20.21. He is also an architect and the author of over 80 books ranging from health care to travel. Throughout his career Richard has strived to make information easier to understand.
Jessica meets Simon Pearce, a glass blower, potter, and the founder of Simon Pearce, Inc. Simon started blowing glass in Ireland in the 1960s, and he moved the company to Quechee, Vermont in the early 1980s. His products are known around the world for their high quality and practical design. Jessica Harris speaks to Simon about his hands-on approach to turning his craft into a successful business, from scratch.
Jessica speaks with Sam Farber, founder of the leading kitchenware company OXO. OXO’s universal designs are appropriate for users of all ages, whether you’re 75 years old with arthritis, or a five year old who hasn’t yet mastered apple peeling. OXO’s Good Grips line has won worldwide acclaim, and has been selected for the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art, among others. Sam discusses how he launched–ironically after retirement–from scratch.
LinkedIn is an online network of professionals, founded by Reid Hoffman. LinkedIn helps people find and post jobs, reference check candidates, and create new trusted contacts. Jessica Harris speaks with Reid about how he has helped to connect professionals online, and from scratch.
Bikram Choudhury is the founder of Bikram Yoga, a series of 26 yoga postures practiced in a room that’s roughly 100 degrees. Bikram started practicing yoga in India when he was four years old, and there are now over 2000 Bikram Yoga centers across the globe, including in South Africa, China, England and the United States. Bikram refers to his class as a torture chamber but insists that 90 minutes of suffering is better than 90 years of suffering.
Prior to founding 
There are more and more students graduating from college looking to become entrepreneurs. But where do they start? What kind of business should it be? Where will they get the funding without a track record? Jessica speaks with two pioneers who launched their natural food company when they were recent college grads. Kelly and Brendan started Bear Naked, a line of granola and cereal that’s available across the United States. They explain how they managed to build a multi-million dollar food company, from scratch.
(Photo Courtesy of Nicole Haley Photography.) Phil and Erin Stead are husband and wife, and author and illustrator of A Sick Day for Amos McGee, an award winning children’s book. A Sick Day for Amos McGee received the Caldecott Medal in 2011 and was listed as one of the 10 Best Illustrated Childrens’ Books of 2010 by The New York Times.
Jessica Harris speaks with the founder of TUMI, Charlie Clifford. TUMI is a leading travel accessories company that has been making high-end, durable travel bags since 1975. The company has over 50 retail stores worldwide, with locations in Tokyo, London, NY, Paris and Chicago.
Cupcakes have been a staple of American culture for generations, but lately they’ve experienced a “gourmet renaissance.” They are over sized, stuffed with just about anything you can imagine, and are priced to match. Mia Bauer left her career as an attorney and started a bakery in Manhattan that made gourmet cupcakes. A few years later, she and her husband had a successful cupcake franchise on both coasts.
Pat Helding left her Wall Street job to start her brownie bakery in 1991, my pretty… Fat Witch is a mail order company with a retail shop in Manhattan’s Chelsea Market. The logo, packaging, and yummy treats make Fat Witch a favorite destination among tourists and locals. Pat tells Jessica the story behind Fat Witch, from scratch.
When you’re preparing for a job interview, you want to put your best foot forward. But sometimes there’s a catch 22 when it comes to what to wear: How do you afford a suit if you don’t have a job, and how do you get the job if you’re not wearing professional clothes? Jessica speaks with Nancy Lublin, founder of Dress for Success, an organization that provides clothes to unemployed women for job interviews.
Growing up in the shadow of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Greg Mortenson was raised by a family of humanitarians. After his sister died from a struggle with epilepsy, he decided to climb K2 in her memory. While descending K2 after a failed attempt at the summit, Greg accidentally stumbled into Korphe, a remote Pakistani village. Nurtured back to health by the community, he made a promise to return and build a school for the girls.
Baby bottles come in various shapes that aren’t necessarily “baby friendly.” But there is one company, Adiri, that makes a bottle that most closely simulates a mother’s breast and makes feeding easier for parents and baby. Jessica Harris speaks with Adiri CEO Jennifer Morrill, as we learn the inspiring story behind this innovative baby-feeding company, from scratch.
When one thinks of beer, the images of scantily clad women or football games typically come to mind. But in the last few years, beer has undergone an artisanal revolution in the United States. Who are these craft beer pioneers providing new flavors and images to the beer category? Jessica’s guest is one such brewer, Jim Koch, the founder of Boston Beer, the maker of Samuel Adams. We’ll learn how Jim turned his family’s beer recipe into a leading luxury beer company, From Scratch.
When earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters happen, who comes to the rescue? There’s government relief, NGOs, and fifteen guys from New York City!
Parents want what’s best for their child, but they might not be too picky about the diapers or bottles they buy; but when it comes to transportation, all strollers are not created equal. With a price near $1000, the Bugaboo is considered the Rolls Royce of strollers. The Bugaboo’s versatile design makes it a favorite among parents. Jessica speaks with the co-founder of Bugaboo, Max Barenbrug.
Marie Moody, the founder of Stella and Chewy’s, fed her dog (Chewy) raw meat when he was sick. After Chewy recovered, Marie was inspired to provide organic, raw, frozen pet food to other dogs and cats. S&C simulates how these pets would have eaten in the wild and offers a nutritious alternative to existing processed pet foods. Marie tells Jessica Harris how she got her innovative pet food company off the ground, from scratch.
Jessica speaks with Dorothy Hamilton, founder of the French Culinary Institute (FCI), one of the country’s leading centers for culinary education. FCI, now part of the International Culinary Center, offers total immersion courses to people looking to become professional chefs or just master chefs of their own kitchen. Dorothy explains how she became one of the pioneers of culinary education, from scratch.
Jessica speaks with Jordan Kassalow, co-founder of the Scojo Foundation, an organization that sells low-cost eyeglasses in developing countries such as India, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico. Jordan is an optometrist who also co-founded Scojo Vision, a company that sells high end reading glasses to stores like Barneys, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. The company donates 5% of its sales to the Scojo Foundation. We’ll learn how Jordan is pioneering affordable eye care in the developing world, and changing the livelihood of thousands of individuals, from scratch.
The benefits of breast-feeding are legion (helping with baby’s immune and cognitive development, facilitating parental/child bonding, etc.), but its challenges are also numerous– especially for new moms unfamiliar with the process. After going through some of the frustrations of breastfeeding firsthand, Felina Rakowski-Gallagher decided to open a breast feeding boutique on the upper west side of Manhattan. Her store is cleverly named “The Upper Breast Side.” Her slogan: “You bring your breasts, we’ve got the rest.”
Entrepreneur, conservation philanthropist, and documentary filmmaker are some of the titles that Doug Tompkins has held over his career. Doug’s love of mountaineering led him to start North Face, the outdoor apparel company. He then cofounded the international clothing company, Esprit, which he later sold. Doug has spent the last few decades focusing his energies on sustainable farming, land conservation and biodiversity preservation in Chile and Argentina. With the purchase of more than 2 million acres of land in South America, Doug has pioneered one of the largest private conservation efforts in the world.
One of the most difficult issues for a new parent is going back to work after your baby is born. If you can’t spend time with your child, you at least want to find the best care possible. What are some of the high quality childcare options?
When we see a skyscraper or a museum, we might marvel at its shape, its height, or the materials used; but what was the process behind the building’s initial design? Who are some of the architects influencing our landscape? Jessica speaks with one such pioneer, Richard Meier.
Most well known chefs and restaurateurs write cookbooks these days, but which book is a “must have?” Sheila Lukins’ Silver Palate Cookbook is considered a staple in American kitchens, whether one is a novice or advanced chef. The book’s accessible recipes and personal illustrations have been appreciated worldwide, with copies in English, French, Japanese, Dutch, and German.
The Paris Review is a literary magazine that was founded in 1953 by a group of then aspiring writers including Harold Humes, William Styron, Peter Matthiessen and George Plimpton. George Plimpton was the larger than life editor who ran the magazine until his death in 2003 on the magazine’s 50th anniversary. The future of the magazine was in question until Philip Gourevitch became the editor in 2005. Jessica speaks with Philip, now at The New Yorker magazine, about how he’s leading the Paris Review into the 21st century, from scratch.
Women in developing countries often do not have access to adequate sanitary protection because such products are prohibitively expensive. As a result, menstruating women miss a significant amount of school and work, which leads to serious economic consequences for women and society overall. Elizabeth Scharpf, founder of Sustainable Health Enterprises (S.H.E), is addressing this issue by helping to create sustainable, low-cost methods of sanitary pad production and distribution. S.H.E emphasizes market-based solutions to social issues in developing countries, and adequate sanitary care is S.H.E’s first initiative.
Drinking free-trade coffee, riding bicycles, and going to the occasional farmer’s market are things you might enjoy. But if you do partake in these activities there is a high probability that you are “white,” according to Christian Lander. Jessica interviews Christian, the blogger and author of the New York Times bestselling book “Stuff White People Like,” a satirical take on the characteristics that make up “white” people.
Spencer Rascoff co-founded Hotwire, an online discount travel site that offers customers access to unused inventory, including empty airline seats, vacant hotel rooms, and un-rented cars. Hotwire was founded in 1999 and sold to Interactive Corporation in 2003 for roughly $700Million. Spencer later helped launch Zillow, an online real estate company that provides tools and information to customers. Spencer explains how he helped to launch Hotwire while he was in his early twenties, from scratch.
Pharmaceutical companies are constantly looking for more effective cancer treatments, but drug discovery is a very difficult area; typically nine out of ten drugs fail. Synta has found an unconventional way to successfully treat cancers like melanoma. Synta was founded in 2001 and is dedicated to the treatment of severe medical conditions, including cancer and chronic inflammatory disease. Safi speaks to Jessica about Synta’s innovative treatments, from scratch.
Lela Rose sources some of her inspiration for her clothing by riding her bike around Manhattan, observing architecture and patterns of everyday life. Lela started her company Lela Rose in 1998 when she was 30 years old, and her clothing can be found in boutiques and department stores around the globe.
If you’re looking to build or decorate a house, the choices and prices can be overwhelming. What are some of the resources that can help you through this process? Lara Hedberg Deam is the founder of Dwell, a magazine about modern architecture and design.
Rajesh is the founder of i-flex, a software company that provides the infrastructure for the banking industry. i-flex enables banks across the globe to perform multiple tasks, from approving your credit card at the checkout counter, to giving you cash at the ATM machine. i-flex is one of the only software companies with a “Made in India” label.
Couch potatoes were thrilled when the online movie rental business came along, because they no longer had to leave their house to get another movie.
Where do those eggs on your plate come from? Were the chickens cage free?
What do college kids find funny? For millions of American students, CollegeHumor has become the sine qua non of online college comedy. Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen were high school friends from Baltimore Maryland who launched CollegHumor in 1999. They started by posting silly photos, essays, and videos created by their friends, and the site grew to become one of the most popular online destination among the college crowd. CollegeHumor was sold to Barry Diller’s Interactive Corporation in 2006.
If you’re looking to buy or sell your home, where do you start? What’s the right price? Traditionally, the consumer had unequal access to information, making the real estate market imperfect. Zillow is an online real estate service that helps consumers make more informed decisions by providing them with free information and tools. Jessica speaks with the co-founder of Zillow, Rich Barton.
Chemotherapy and surgery are two ways to treat cancer, but these procedures are expensive and invasive. What are some of the less invasive alternatives?
Jessica speaks with Seth Goldman, co-founder and “TEO” of Honest Tea, an organic bottled tea company. Seth started Honest Tea with his Yale Business School professor in 1998. Seth describes why he started the company, and how he managed to get his bottles on store shelves, from scratch.
Social networking sites help people connect for all different reasons. You might go to craigslist to find an apartment, ebay to find a buyer for your toaster, or kiva.org to lend money to an entrepreneur. Matt Flannery and his wife Jessica Flannery founded Kiva in 2005 in order to connect lenders in developed countries with small business owners in developing countries. If you have $25 and an internet account, you can lend money to a butcher in Bulgaria, a hair stylist in Iraq or a clothing vendor in Uganda.
Rosalyn Drexler, born in 1926, is a novelist, playwright, painter, former professional wrestler, and singer. She painted and exhibited among pop artists like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein in the 1960s. Her work can be found in the collections of museums such as the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, MN. Rosalyn walks Jessica through her life of experimentation and artistic provocation, from scratch.
When you used to call an airline or computer company for tech support, you used to speak to someone at Microsoft, or Dell or Delta, but instead of speaking to someone in Ohio or Indiana, chances are you’re now speaking to someone in the Phillipines or India. Who are some of the pioneers building international call centers? Jessica’s guest is one such entrepreneur, PV Kannan.
It’s hard enough for an entrepreneur to launch one successful business, but Jessica’s guest, Sir Richard Branson, has launched over 200.
Boutique hotels have become leaders in hospitality and design. The hotels’ swank bars and creatively designed lobbies have become the social scene for guests and even locals. Who are some of the pioneers who created among the first fashion forward hotels?
Elisa Strauss founded Confetti Cakes when she was in her twenties. In addition to baking the traditional wedding cake, Elisa designs cakes in the shape of cars, purses, Cambell soup cans, x-ray machines, sushi, bathtubs, Monolo Blaniks, you name it. Her cakes are so identical to the real things that it’s hard to believe they’re edible. Elisa’s Confetti Cakes cookbook shares some of her baking secrets, and Elisa shares with Jessica her inspiration and launching process, from scratch.
What do pregnant women wear when they’re expecting? There are many options nowadays, but until recently the choices were grim. Who are some of the pioneers now offering fitted, fashionable clothes to moms-to-be? Jessica speaks with one such entrepreneur Liz Lange, founder of Liz Lange Maternity.
Jessica speaks to David Neeleman, the founder and CEO of Jet Blue Airways. Jet Blue was the country’s most highly capitalized start-up in US aviation history. David discusses the challenges behind launching Jet Blue (while also being a father to nine children).
One might think of an entrepreneur as someone who takes a risk and builds a business, but Jim Rogers is an entrepreneur of life. Jim is an author, pioneer investor and world traveler. He’s been around the world twice, one time on motorcycle, and has visited 116 countries. Jim built a hedge fund in 1970 before hedge funds were “in,” and he’s written books about commodity investing and his global adventures (Investment Biker, Adventure Capitalist). Jim tells Jessica how he built an unconventional investing and personal life, from scratch.
The best writers take a piece of life and describe it as if you were touching or tasting it yourself. Adam Gopnik is one writer who demonstrates the small stuff best. He’s been a staff writer for the New Yorker Magazine since 1986, and his books include Paris to the Moon, about his years living in Paris, and Through the Children’s Gate, about life in New York City with his wife and two children.
Esopus is an arts magazine where artists of all stripes can contribute their work and connect directly with the public. Esopus does not contain ads or commercially driven content, so the magazine survives on funds from its readers and donors. The magazine uses materials like construction paper, cardboard, vellum, expensive inks, photographs, etc. and it looks more like a coffee table art book than a twice-yearly magazine. Tod speaks to Jessica about his inspiration for this one-of-a kind project, and his process, from scratch.
Safwan Masri, Founding Board Chairman and Eric Widmer, Founding Headmaster 
Kings Academy Campus located outside Amman, Jordan
When patients are faced with a medical problem that may require surgery, they’ll often consider less invasive options first; but these alternatives to surgery have only become available thanks to a few pioneers willing to defy medical convention initally. Jessica’s guest is one such pioneer, Peter Nicholas, the co-founder of Boston Scientific (BSC). BSC is the world’s largest alternative medical device company. Peter tells us how he brought welcomed choices to patients, From Scratch.
Jessica speaks with Greg Olsen, the scientist and founder of Epitax and Sensors Unlimited, a near infra-red camera company. Greg was the third civilian to visit space in 2005.
There is so much bottled water to choose from, yet most people have trouble distinguishing one brand from the next. How creative can you get with H2O? Jessica’s guest is Darius Bikoff, the founder of the enhanced water company Glaceau, maker of Smart Water, Vitamin Water, and Fruit Water. By adding vitamins, fruit flavors, and minerals to its water, Glaceau is becoming the water of choice for a growing number of consumers. Darius talks to Jessica about how he pioneered the enhanced water category, From Scratch.
Jacqueline is the founder of the Acumen Fund, a venture capital firm that invests in social entrepreneurs around the world. Acumen uses market-based approaches to alleviate poverty in countries like India, Pakistan, and Rwanda. Jessica speaks with Jacqueline about her experience launching Acumen, and her unique approach to solving problems in the developing world, From Scratch.
Corporate philanthropy historically occurred after a company had made its profits. But for some companies lately, corporate giving is embedded in the company’s mission at the point of transaction. Ethos Water, now owned by Starbucks, is one such company that donates $.05 per bottle to water purification efforts in developing countries such as Honduras and India.
Richard Fuller is the founder of the Blacksmith Institute, a non profit organization that solves pollution-related problems in the developing world. Richard is also the founder of Great Forest, a company that advises corporations on their environmental responsibilities, such as recycling, energy conservation, etc.. Jessica speaks with Richard about how he is finding solutions for some of the worlds most urgent pollution issues, from scratch.
People used to turn to the Encyclopedia Britannica to get information on topics ranging from photo-synthesis to the Spanish Inquisiton, but more and more people are turning to Wikipedia, the on-line encyclopedia. Wikipedia is a collaborative encyclopedia edited by the on-line community, and is available in over 200 languages.
Jessica speaks with the founder and Publisher and Editor and Chief of Berkshire Living Magazine, Michael Zivyak and Seth Rogovoy. Berkshire Living Magazine is a lifestyle magazine that covers the Berkshires, a region that covers the areas of four states: New York, Western Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Southern Vermont.
As Americans try to decrease their dependency on oil, companies are working to develop alternative fuels that power cleaner, more efficient cars. Jessica’s guest is Martin Eberhard, one such inventor who founded Tesla Motors, an electric car company that emphasizes good design and high performance. His first product, the Tesla Roadster, is a sportscar that can accelerate to 60 MPH in four seconds.
Jessica speaks with David Giuliani, the inventor of the Sonicare Toothbrush, which uses sonic technology to clean teeth. Sonicare was sold to Phillips, and David is working on his next invention, the Clarisonic, a dermatological brush for the face.
Jessica speaks with Craig Newmark, the founder of craigslist, a popular on-line bulletin board that Craig started as a hobby in the mid 1990s. The site has grown from a total of 12 users to over ten million visitors per month, and provides information for over 200 cities world wide.
People say that necessity is the mother of invention, but more and more, actual mothers are becoming the mother of invention. One such mother was frustrated with the lack of videos for her newborn daughter, and she decided to produce an educational video involving classical music and historic painters. Her video, called “Baby Einstein,” quickly grew from a $100,000 in sales in her first year to a $20 Million media company consisting of videos, books, and music CDs for toddlers. The company was sold to Disney in 2001.
More organic foods are appearing on store shelves lately, but who were some of the first people to bring natural ingredients to our palates? Jessica interviews one such entrepreneur, Gary Hirshberg, the co-founder of Stonyfield Farm Yogurt. Gary and his partner started Stonyfield in 1983 on a farm in New Hampshire in order to finance their struggling non profit organization devoted to teaching responsible food production.
Jessica speaks with Scott, the CEO of ZipCar. The company enables people in urban areas, such as San Francisco, Washington DC, Toronto and New York, to use cars by the hour. The concept, known as car sharing, is becoming more popular in the United States, and Zipcar is one of the pioneers behind this movement.
When one thinks of an entrepreneur, the person that usually comes to mind is someone who founds a company, but one doesn’t necessarily have to start a company to be an entrepreneur.
Jessica speaks with Austin Ligon, the co-founder of the nation’s most popular used car superstore.
