Stanford Entrepreneurship Videos

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.

Michael Ackermann, vice president of neurostimulation at Allergan, presents industry trends in healthcare, national spending and the many opportunities for entrepreneurs in the rapidly changing sector. He describes how a desire to increase efficiencies and reduce costs are driving consolidation among hospitals, drug companies and insurance providers. Ackermann points out the business opportunities created by all this and assesses healthcare as a $3 trillion market, based on what Americans spend every year on treatments.

Med-tech entrepreneur Michael Ackermann cites the various reasons why healthcare has yet to be disrupted by technology akin to how Amazon, Netflix and other companies have transformed their respective industries. Now vice president of neurostimulation at Allergan, Ackermann lists healthcare’s diverse and complex array of consumers, industry regulations, ethical and legal privacy concerns, and the fact that medical science moves at a much slower pace than software development.

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 University’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.

Steve Blank, who teaches entrepreneurship at Stanford in the Department of Management Science & Engineering, describes how scientific research during the Cold War kicked off an era of transformation in the surrounding valley from farming to a focus on defense technology. Blank, one of the founders of the lean-startup movement, cites the arrival of Lockheed as the moment the region turned into Silicon Valley.

Retired serial entrepreneur and educator Steve Blank traces the origin of technology startups and venture capital in Silicon Valley. An adjunct professor in Stanford’s School of Engineering, Blank talks about how the very first semiconductor business in the valley spawned 65 other chip companies over the next 20 years. The increased activity and a loosening of financial regulations subsequently led to the birth of venture capital, according to Blank.

Steve Blank, creator of the Lean LaunchPad approach to entrepreneurship, summarizes the methodology’s most important concepts: from the framing of a startup’s core hypotheses about commercialization, to testing those assumptions through customer feedback and building a “minimum viable product” that gets improved upon via “agile engineering.” Blank, an adjunct professor at Stanford, begins by parsing how established companies and startups plan their business.

Stanford Adjunct Professor Steve Blank explains how the terrorist tactics American troops faced in Afghanistan prompted the Army to create a special unit tasked with searching for solutions in private industry and rapidly acquiring and deploying them on the battlefield. Blank, creator of the Lean LaunchPad methodology, says the idea was the impetus for his course “Hacking for Defense: Solving National Security Issues with the Lean LaunchPad.”

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

Bright Co-Founder Jonah Greenberger explains how taking a job at a large corporation before launching his solar-energy startup provided valuable industry experience and insights into how initiatives are executed at scale. Before Bright, he directed Chevron Energy Solutions, and appeared as part of a panel moderated by Tina Seelig, professor of the practice in Stanford University’s Department of Management Science & Engineering.

A panel of Stanford alumni who have gone on to entrepreneurial careers reflect on their biggest surprises in the startup world. From left to right, the panel includes moderator and STVP Faculty Co-Director Tina Seelig, virtual-reality engineer Cody Karutz, med-tech entrepreneur Elaine Cheung, Etosha Cave, chief science officer at Opus 12, and Jonah Greenberger, co-founder of solar-energy startup Bright.

A panel of Stanford alumni who have gone on to entrepreneurial careers describe what success looks like for each of their startups. In conversation with Stanford Professor of the Practice Tina Seelig, the panelists talk about celebrating everyday victories instead of holding out for a singular end goal, but also striving for major impacts like reducing greenhouse gases, improving cancer detection and innovating the way athletes practice.

Several young entrepreneurs discuss their most strategic decision at their startup. Etosha Cave, co-founder and chief science officer at Opus 12, says pivoting toward a smaller market allowed her venture to prove its technology while bringing in revenue. Jonah Greenberger, co-founder of solar-energy startup Bright, explains how choosing the right co-founder was his best business decision. They speak with STVP Faculty Co-Director Tina Seelig.

Alumni of entrepreneurship-education fellowships offered through the Stanford Technology Ventures Program reflect on the work culture at their startups. Virtual-reality engineer Cody Karutz talks about how STRIVR Labs, which uses VR to train athletes, is user-centric because it has recruited actual players to help build its products. Jonah Greenberger, co-founder at Bright, describes how culture within his solar-energy startup became solution oriented.

Stanford alumni who have gone on to entrepreneurial careers share insights with Tina Seelig, professor of the practice in Stanford’s Department of Management Science & Engineering. Etosha Cave, co-founder at Opus 12, recalls how dramatically her personal finances were impacted in the early days and how she minimizes stress now. Elaine Cheung, a founding team member at GRAIL, advocates for a broader understanding of entrepreneurship.