Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, shares his optimism for emerging innovation in the midst of economic turmoil, and the story of his own entrepreneurial path. He also speaks of his company's continued investment in Internet-ready hardware and software that seeks progress in healthcare, education, and science.

Clean tech is the topic discussed between Steve Perricone, CEO of waste management and energy company BioFuelBox, and one of his investors, DFJ veteran VC Jennifer Scott Fonstad. In addition to discussing the company's technology, structure, and applications, they also expound on current stimulus dollars for alternative energy systems.

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.

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, 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.

Elizabeth Holmes, President, CEO, and Founder of Theranos, discusses her decision to leave Stanford to launch a biotech company, and what she's learned about raising capital and attracting top talent. Holmes allows the audience to pose numerous inquiries, and she discusses her personal conviction, development process, and path of entrepreneurship.

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.

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, 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 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.

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.

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, 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.

Tom Kelley, general manager at the world-renowned design firm, IDEO, presents five core practices that enhance creativity. Through entertaining stories and examples, he describes how these techniques help us all become more innovative in every aspect of our lives and lead to more success.

As a research scientist at Stanford University, Anna Patterson committed herself to indexing the world's online information. Her latest venture, Cuil (pronounced "cool") is a search engine that is challenging Google. She explains how she is using her experience with startups and non-profits to take on her former employer.