Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders

Jeff Seibert, senior director of consumer 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.

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.

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, 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, 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.

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.

Serial entrepreneur and investor Chinedu Echeruo shares lessons from starting multiple companies, including HopStop, which was acquired by Apple in 2013. Echeruo discusses the beneficial attributes of founders, learning from his missteps, and why he sees creativity as a tool for unleashing value for the world.

Mike Rothenberg, founder and CEO of Rothenberg Ventures, describes the entrepreneurial approach he took in starting his firm and how failures along the way were actually opportunities to reset. He also explains the business concept of red versus blue ocean, where the latter represents an uncharted market that entrepreneurs should swim toward at all costs.

Kathleen Eisenhardt, a professor of management science and engineering at Stanford, explains the advantages of developing simple rules for business and life, sharing examples from industries ranging from startups to sports and entertainment. Eisenhardt, who teaches in Stanford's School of Engineering, co-wrote the 2015 book "Simple Rules: How to Thrive in a Complex World."

Kyle Forster, co-founder of Big Switch Networks, discusses pivotal moments from his career in Silicon Valley when expertise in early stage technologies propelled him into leadership roles. Forster also shares insights from several of his favorite books and the powerful lessons all aspiring entrepreneurs should heed.

Ron Gutman, founder and CEO of digital-health startup HealthTap, dares entrepreneurs to enjoy, not just endure, the journey by doing something that matters deeply to many people. A serial entrepreneur, inventor and big believer in the power of positivity, Gutman also describes how the heart of success is understanding human need at a granular level.

Sean George, president and chief operating officer of genetics-information company Invitae, explains how the rewards of entrepreneurship come from facing the major challenges along the way. In this insightful talk, the serial entrepreneur also underscores the necessity of a team's focus on mission to see a venture through adversity.

Laurene Powell Jobs, in conversation with Stanford Engineering Professor Tom Byers, shares her path to entrepreneurship and her strong commitment to addressing massive challenges in education and immigration reform through College Track and Emerson Collective, organizations she founded to spark systemic change and improve lives at the individual level.

Joshua Reeves, co-founder and CEO of ZenPayroll, explains how building truly impactful products takes time, and how crucial it is to set aside time throughout one's journey for introspection. Reeves also discusses finding meaning by seeing the people in processes and modeling your future by identifying people you admire.

John Collison, co-founder and president of the online payment system Stripe, explains how even the most celebrated startups repeatedly encountered uncertainty and failures along the way. In conversation with Stanford Professor of the Practice Tina Seelig, Collison shares his thoughts on how a venture's path can evolve after its early days, even as the vision holds constant.