Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders

Tech entrepreneur Bob Tinker was humbled when he stepped down as CEO of MobileIron, a leading provider of mobile security that went from being a three-man startup to a public company with nearly 1,000 employees, earning $150 million a year. Over those eight years, however, he learned how to position a business just right, how a CEO’s job and behavior must change over time, and how a leader can develop the self-awareness to adapt.

If you really want to win at negotiation, stop fighting and start listening. In this episode of Stanford Innovation Lab, host Tina Seelig speaks with Margaret “Maggie” Neale, professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, for answers to the burning questions about negotiating. Is emotion your most powerful tool? When does deference earn you more than dominance? Will setting a walk-away price decrease your drive to negotiate for more? Maggie also shares pro-tips on negotiating in all settings, from the office to the farmers’ market.

Entrepreneur Jay Kaplan, co-founder and CEO of Synack, describes how the idea of creating a cybersecurity service for enterprise businesses by crowdsourcing hackers went from sounding like a long shot to launching as a venture capital-backed startup. Kaplan, previously a senior analyst at the National Security Administration, talks about the virtues of government work and the nuances of “white hat” hacking.

Julie Zhuo, vice president of product design at Facebook, describes how the development of new features starts with three questions: What people problem are we solving? How do we know it’s a real problem? And how will we know if we’ve solved it? Zhuo explains how answering those fundamental questions at the outset reveals the most urgent problems to tackle — and yields features that truly enhance user satisfaction.

Michael Ackermann, CEO of a med-tech startup that created a tear-stimulation device for those with dry-eye disease, explains how acquisition by a global pharmaceutical giant is helping him achieve his goal of reaching as many patients as possible. Ackermann, a graduate of the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, also discusses why big tech companies have yet to disrupt healthcare and how that translates into big opportunities for entrepreneurs.

Retired serial entrepreneur Steve Blank, creator of the “Lean LaunchPad” methodology for startups, discusses Silicon Valley’s roots as the epicenter of electronic warfare in the mid-20th century and how the region’s innovation ecosystem formed. An adjunct professor in Stanford’s Department of Management Science & Engineering, Blank also walks through the lean-startup movement and how its principles are now helping the U.S. government innovate faster in the areas of basic science, health, national defense and international diplomacy.

Four alumni of entrepreneurship-education fellowships offered through the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) return to share what starting businesses in the fields of virtual reality, med-tech, renewable and solar energy have taught them about these industries. In conversation with STVP Faculty Co-Director Tina Seelig, the panel discusses strategic decision-making, defining success, facing failure and the traits needed to be a strong leader.

Jane Marie Chen, co-founder and CEO of Embrace Innovations, describes how her social-enterprise startup’s infant warmer for premature and low-birth-weight babies came into the world. She discusses how passion fuels the drive to overcome setbacks big and small, how Embrace has expanded into retail to support its humanitarian efforts, and explains why we should “choose to see the world through the lens of beauty.”

Go to a good college. Be in the Olympics. Work in TV and become a pilot. These were the goals of a 14-year-old girl who grew up in a town tucked into the mountains just east of Los Angeles. That girl went on to compete in three Olympics, become a sports commentator, an airplane pilot and three-time Stanford graduate. Here’s how Bonny Simi, now the president of JetBlue Technology Ventures, did it all.

Distinguished professor and serial entrepreneur Joseph DeSimone discusses the vibrant chemistry that takes place at the intersection of science and the humanities, academia and industry, and within the walls of his 3D manufacturing startup Carbon. He describes how on-demand parts manufacturing could one day eliminate the need for business inventory and even end up in hospitals.

What is the number one cause for failure in early-stage startups? Team issues! In this episode of Stanford Innovation Lab, Tina Seelig interviews executive coach Michael Terrell. Michael is the founder and managing partner of Terrell Leadership Group, and co-author of The Inside Out Effect, which focuses on effective leadership. In this conversation, Michael shares his insights on effective team dynamics, his process for diagnosing team issues, and examples of how he works through team challenges.

Richard Miller, president of Olin College, describes disruptive ideas about education and learning that universities should adopt to graduate more creative, entrepreneurial and impactful engineers. He explains how a focus on math and science alone won't result in more innovation, and that higher education must instill traits like grit and independent thinking.

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry recalls major chapters from his illustrious career with entrepreneurship educator Steve Blank in a discussion that spans Silicon Valley's evolution, digital technology's emergence and its adoption by the military, to Perry's time in Washington and his deep expertise in world affairs.

Bobby Lee, the co-founder and CEO of leading Bitcoin financial platform BTCC, answers some of the most common questions about the cryptocurrency, explains how its value is set and why it is the perfect monetary system for the digital age. Lee also shares familiar lessons for entrepreneurs that he learned launching his first startup in China.

Al Ramadan and Dave Peterson, co-founding partners of the category-design firm Play Bigger Advisors, share the science behind the strategies that innovators use to create and dominate product markets. They also discuss the marketing concepts for building a brand and identity, and for inspiring customers to see the world as you’ve framed it.

DJ Kleinbaum, co-founder of Emerald Therapeutics, shares how his company balances growth to drive biotechnology breakthroughs, while supporting a culture that honors fresh-eyes thinking and the sharing of contrarian truths. Kleinbaum also discusses defining what makes your company different, and why "Eroom’s Law" looms large for the future of drug development.

Astro Teller, director of Alphabet's moonshot factory, X, describes how smart bets on world-changing innovations are aided by a culture that celebrates only the most audacious projects and rewards teams for showing the courage to find the biggest flaws. He also discusses how innovation can be systematized regardless of business type, resources or role at your company.

Bernard Roth, co-founder and academic director of Stanford University's d.school, shares design-thinking tools for reframing life's stubborn problems and unlocking solutions. Professor Roth, author of the book "The Achievement Habit," also engages audience members in exercises meant to cut through the excuses we tell ourselves that hold us back from accomplishing our goals.

Derek Belch, co-founder and CEO of STRIVR Labs, a startup that uses virtual reality to train athletes, describes the passion necessary for entrepreneurship and the features that give his business a competitive edge in a rising-tide industry. The former Stanford football player is candid about the personal sacrifices entailed in putting your all into your venture.

Entrepreneur Minnie Ingersoll talks about how a computer-science degree, an MBA and 11 years at Google prepared her to co-found the online auto marketplace Shift. Calling her startup "a car company with Google DNA," Ingersoll offers insights on opportunity recognition, product management, career-life balance and the importance of traits like humility and patience.