From Scratch with Jessica Harris

IDEO is a global design firm that takes a human-centered approach to innovation. IDEO has helped to innovate products including Apple’s first computer mouse in 1980, the first stand-up toothpaste for Procter and Gamble, surgical tools for Medtronic, and furniture for Steelcase. The company also helps governments and social organizations innovate internationally. David is the founder of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford, also known as the Stanford d.school. He is the co-author with his brother Tom of Creative Confidence. David speaks to Jessica Harris about how he pioneered design thinking, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Friends of the High Line is the organization that pioneered the transformation of an abandoned elevated train line into a public space about 1.5 miles long on Manhattan’s west side in New York City. Robert and his Co-Founder Joshua David started the organization after attending a community board meeting to protest the High Line’s demolition in 1999. Robert and Joshua are the authors of the book High Line: The Inside Story of New York City’s Park in the Sky. Friends of the High Line receives support from members to fund the ongoing maintenance of the park, as well as the expansion of its third section, to be completed in 2014. Robert speaks with Jessica Harris about how he overcame fierce opposition to develop an unlikely public space, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Glossier is an online beauty company that launched on Instagram in 2014. Emily is also the founder of Into the Gloss, an online community dedicated to beauty. Visitors get tips on skin, hair, makeup, and learn the beauty routines of leading members of the cosmetic and fashion industries. Emily speaks with Jessica Harris about how she launched her beauty blog and skin products company, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Peter Manning launched his eponymous clothing company to focus on men 5’8″ and under. Prior to starting the company in 2012, Peter was a Tony Award winning theatrical producer. Peter speaks with Jessica Harris about his career shift– and the sartorial needs of this segment of the male population— from scratch. Listen to the interview

Shutterstock is an online marketplace for photos, graphic images, video clips and music. The content is crowdsourced, with photographers, artists and other contributors uploading their content in exchange for a percent of revenue when their work is purchased. Jon started Shutterstock in 2003, and the company went public in 2012. Jon speaks to Jessica Harris about how he built Shutterstock, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Strand Book Store in New York City was founded by Fred’s father Benjamin in 1927. Fred was born in 1928 and has been working in the family business since he was thirteen years old. The Strand has roughly 2.5 million used, rare, and new books—the equivalent of roughly 18 miles of books. Fred spoke to Jessica Harris about how he and his father turned the Strand into one of New York’s literary landmarks, from scratch. Fred died in January, 2018 at 89 years old, a few months after celebrating the Strand’s 90th birthday. Listen to the interview

Mark started the Mark Morris Dance Group (MMDG) in 1980. Headquartered in Fort Green, Brooklyn, the company is on tour more than 20 weeks per year. MMDG collaborates with leading artists, including the cellist Yo Yo Ma, the pianist Emanuel Ax, the designer Isaac Mizrahi, and the dancer Baryshnikov. Mark speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched his choreography career, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Privateer is a private equity firm focused on making investments in the cannabis industry as the legalization of marijuana continues throughout the United States. Some of Privateer’s portfolio companies include Leafly, a user-generated reviews website for all things cannabis related; Tilray, a producer of medical cannabis in British Columbia, Canada; and Marley Natural, a global brand in partnership with the Bob Marley family. Brendan speaks with Jessica Harris about how he built Privateer, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Warby Parker is an online eyeglass retailer that sells low cost vintage inspired glasses.  For each pair sold, Warby Parker provides a pair of glasses to low income people in more than 36 countries through non-profit partners like VisionSpring.  VisionSpring trains female entrepreneurs to give eye exams and sell glasses in their communities.  Neil co-founded Warby Parker with three classmates from Wharton Business School. Neil speaks with Jessica Harris about how he is helping to change the optical industry landscape by making attractive glasses more affordable to everyone, from scratch. Listen to the interview

MedShare is an organization that redistributes surplus medical equipment to hospitals in the developing world. These supplies include surgical instruments, gloves, stethoscopes, sutures, x-ray machines, wheelchairs, etc. AB started MedShare in 1998 in Atlanta, Georgia. He is originally from Mississippi. AB speaks with Jessica Harris about how he built MedShare, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Bonobos is an e-commerce company that sells men’s clothing. Bonobos started off with the goal of selling better fitting pants for men in 2007 and has expanded to include all type’s of men’s apparel. Bonobos was acquired by Walmart in 2017, after this interview was recorded. Andy speaks with Jessica Harris about how he built Bonobos, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Coravin produces a device that accesses wine without removing the cork. Through a medical grade needle, the Coravin System extracts a portion of the wine and replaces it with argon gas. Greg is also a medical device inventor who founded Intrinsic Therapeutics, a company focused on spinal disorders. Greg is a graduate of MIT and has degrees in nuclear and mechanical engineering. Greg speaks with Jessica Harris about how he was able to repurpose his expertise in the medical world to create his wine access technology, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Island Creek Oysters supplies oysters to more than 400 chefs across the United States. Restaurants that serve its oysters include Thomas Keller’s Per Se and French Laundry, the Eastern Standard in Boston, and the Oyster Bar in New York’s Grand Central Station. The company sells roughly 120,000 oysters per week, and close to 6 million oysters per year. Skip speaks with Jessica Harris about how he helped to pioneer the rebirth of the oyster industry in the United States, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Team Rubicon is an organization comprised of former veterans who apply their military experience to emergency situations, working as first responders internationally. Jake served in the military, in Iraq and Afghanistan, before returning to civilian life. He started Team Rubicon initially in response to the earthquake in Haiti. Jake speaks with Jessica Harris about how he repurposed his military skills to start Team Rubicon, from scratch. Listen to the interview

The XPrize Foundation drives innovation through competitions with the hopes of improving the human experience. Its prizes are focused on bold yet achievable projects, ranging from space exploration to the human genome. The first prize of $10 Million was awarded in 2004 to creators of the first piloted space craft. Peter is the co-author of the books Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think and Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World. Peter speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched the XPrize Foundation, from scratch. Listen to the interview