Each week, experienced entrepreneurs and innovators come to Stanford University to candidly share lessons they’ve learned while developing, launching and scaling disruptive ideas. The Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Series (ETL) is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) and published on eCorner by STVP.
Revisit timeless insights from Alberto Savoia, Google’s first engineering director and the driving force behind the launch of AdWords, in this re-released 2019 ETL episode. As the creator of “pretotyping” and author of The Right It, Savoia tackles one of innovation’s greatest challenges: ensuring you’re building a product the market truly wants. With 80% of innovations failing—even when executed competently—Savoia reframes success as not only building it right, but first building the right “it.” This episode offers powerful strategies for entrepreneurs, product managers, and innovators looking to test ideas quickly and minimize risk in today’s rapidly changing business landscape.
The episode first aired on March 13, 2019
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Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
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For the winter 2025 installment of ETL Looks Back, we asked the team at the Stanford Technology Ventures Program to recommend some of their favorite ETL episodes from the past. Our first pick comes from Ravi Belani and features Josh Wolfe, co-founder of Lux Capital, which funds scientists and entrepreneurs who pursue counter-conventional solutions to the most vexing problems of our time. Wolfe believes ambitious projects, like creating matter from light, are essential for a brighter future. Also a founding investor with Bill Gates in Kymeta, Wolfe discusses the principles guiding his entrepreneurship and investments, sharing insights from his experiences with various innovative companies.
The episode first aired on June 7, 2023
How do graduates of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program’s entrepreneurship fellows programs apply their skills in the real world? STVP’s Tina Seelig spoke with four alumni about how they have used their academic experiences to address some of the world's most challenging problems. In this episode:
The episode first aired on November 2, 2016
Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
CONNECT WITH US
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Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/.
Clara Shih is the CEO of Salesforce AI and has received recognition as one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs and TIME’s Most Influential People in AI. In this episode, she emphasizes the importance of maintaining pre-existing friendships for mental health and support during her entrepreneurial journey at Hearsay Systems, particularly when her time for developing new relationships was limited. The STVP Mayfield Fellow alum reminds us that as our companies scale, so does our role as a leader.
This talk first aired on March 6, 2024
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Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
CONNECT WITH US
LEARN MORE
Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/.
As an entrepreneur in education, Maria Barrera, founder of Clayful, started to apply her training as a mechanical engineer to thinking about mental health and the challenges young people were facing in schools post-pandemic. In true Stanford d.school fashion, Barrera says she went into a lot of need-finding, talking to everyone she could, finding “aha” moments that would help shape her company’s preventative approach to emotional support for kids.
This talk includes references to trauma and suicide. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a trained listener, call 988. Visit 988lifeline.org for crisis chat services or for more information. The Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To text with a trained helper, text SAVE to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential
This talk first aired on May 29, 2024.
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Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
CONNECT WITH US
LEARN MORE
Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/.
Burnout is familiar to all entrepreneurs and takes its toll. Gabriel Parisi-Amon, founder of Nebia, which was acquired by Brondell, takes on the “perfect founder” myth and asks us to reconsider the system that inevitably leads to burnout. Parisi-Amon offers practical advice on priorities and perspectives for founders at any stage. Through examples from his own experience as a founder, he reminds us that failing to prioritize and personally understand what work you should be doing, will inevitably lead to burnout.
This talk first aired on May 18, 2018
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Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
CONNECT WITH US
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/
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LEARN MORE
eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner
STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/
Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/.
Andy Dunn, founder of the menswear line Bonobos, speaks frankly about his own struggles with bipolar disorder and how his mental illness didn’t define him but rather helped him innovate and become the creative founder his company needed. He challenges the field to transform the stigma attached to mental illness to better recognize the strengths of those who are living with one—the creativity, the drive, and the ability to overcome adversity.
This talk includes discussions of suicide and self-harm. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a trained listener, call 988. Visit 988lifeline.org for crisis chat services or for more information. The Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To text with a trained helper, text SAVE to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential.
This talk first aired on November 8, 2023.
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Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
CONNECT WITH US
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner
LEARN MORE
eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner
STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/
Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/.
Richard Miller was credited with reimagining undergraduate engineering education at Olin College, where he was the founding director. Miller challenged us to consider who we teach, what we teach, and how that teaching reaches students. He spoke about shifting the focus from showing up in class to learn, to learning 24/7; from learning in isolation to learning as part of a community; and to problem solving as the foundational mindset to design-centered thinking. Miller's vision has undoubtedly paved the way for a transformative approach to engineering education.
This episode was originally published on May 25, 2016.
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Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
CONNECT WITH US
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner
LEARN MORE
eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner
STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/
Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/.
Jennifer Carolan is Co-Founder and Partner at Reach Capital. In 2014, while with the NewSchools Venture Fund, Carolan spoke with Steve Blank about the emergence of EdTech products – before technology was widely used in classrooms and many students had access to their own devices. Pulling from her experience as a science teacher, Carolan shared insights on how we can incorporate the venture model and mindset into education. Her future forward thinking emphasized the importance of involving the teachers who are leading the EdTech revolution.
This episode was originally published on November 5, 2014.
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Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
CONNECT WITH US
LEARN MORE
Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/.
While the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders speaker series is on pause, we’re excited to bring you ETL Looks Back, a series of timely gems from our archives. We’re kicking off the school year with some talks on education, starting with Sal Khan, Founder and CEO of the world-renowned Khan Academy. When he visited ETL in 2014, Khan offered a blueprint for individualized, technology-enhanced learning long before Covid and the explosion of EdTech products. Catch up with what he had to say about personalized learning, the role of technology in education, and how we should be thinking about developing the next generation of makers.
This episode was originally published April 16, 2014.
The ETL series is currently taking a break, but don’t worry! We’ll keep your podcast feed flowing with a special ETL Looks Back series, highlighting some timely gems from our archives. They’ll be published right here in your regular ETL feed—there’s nothing you need to do. Be sure to stay subscribed for future announcements about the return of the series. We can't wait to bring you more new episodes! Until then, enjoy ETL Looks Back, and find more episodes from our archive at stvp.stanford.edu/eCorner. Thanks for tuning in!
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Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.
CONNECT WITH US
X: https://x.com/ECorner
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner
LEARN MORE
eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner
STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/
Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/.
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