From Scratch with Jessica Harris

Dropbox is a file sharing and personal data storage company that allows users to access their content (Microsoft Word documents, photos, videos, etc.) from any of their devices. Prior to starting Dropbox, Drew started an online SAT prep company called Accolade (and yes, he scored 1600 on his SAT). Drew speaks with Jessica Harris about how he built Dropbox, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Oscar Health is focused on keeping health insurance simple. The company helps users connect directly to doctors, get prescriptions, and find insurance plans that are easier to navigate. Mario speaks with Jessica Harris about how he is bringing innovation to health insurance, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Ian is the author and illustrator of Olivia, a children’s book series about a pig. His first book, initially a gift for his niece Olivia, was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 2000. Ian is a set and costumer designer for opera and dance, as well as the creator of more than 30 covers for The New Yorker Magazine. Ian speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched his art career, from scratch. Listen to the interview

From joining gyms to taking Yoga classes, finding a workout that was both effective and satisfying did not come easily to Elizabeth and Julie. Unable to discover a cardio program that motivated and inspired (as well as burned calories), Julie and Elizabeth set out to create a new kind of routine. Fusing elements of indoor cycling with upper body workouts, the two opened a small studio on the upper west side of Manhattan. They soon found themselves attracting media attention, serving celebrities, and opening multiple locations in New York City and the surrounding region. Julie and Elizabeth speak with Jessica Harris about how an unknown cycling studio transformed itself into a lifestyle brand, from scratch. Listen to the interview

MongoDB—an open source database company that focuses on helping companies manage their data—is just one of the several companies that Dwight has successfully launched. He is also the co-founder of Doubleclick, the ad serving platform (acquired by Google for $3.1Bn); Gilt Groupe, the online fashion company; Business Insider, the news web platform, among others. Dwight speaks to Jessica Harris about his role in launching a number of successful New York City start-ups, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Coursera offers online courses to the public through partnerships with leading universities internationally. Coursera was launched in 2012 and reached its first one million users faster than Facebook or Twitter. Coursera is one of a number of companies offering massive open online courses– or MOOCs– to address a growing global population and the rising costs of on-campus higher education. Daphne speaks with Jessica Harris about Coursera’s role in pioneering the landscape of higher education, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Arianna launched the Huffington Post, the online media platform, in 2005. The company was acquired by AOL in 2011 and was the first online-only news organization to win the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2012. Arianna has written more than a dozen books on topics including feminism, Maria Callas, Picasso, and Greek mythology. Her most recent book, Thrive, is about well-being. Arianna speaks with Jessica Harris about how she helped legitimize the blogosphere by building the Huffington Post, from scratch. Listen to the interview

SolarCity is a clean energy company that sells solar energy to consumers.  SolarCity has installed solar panels for companies including Walmart, Intel, and eBay, among others. Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind PayPal, Tesla electric cars and SpaceX, is Lyndon’s cousin and the company’s chairman.  Lyndon founded the company with his brother, Pete, in 2006. SolarCty went public in December 2012. Listen to the interview

Opower is a software company focused on energy efficiency. Opower works with utilities to monitor how much energy a consumer uses and gives households and businesses incentives to lower their consumption. The idea is that through the use of behavioral science techniques such as peer proof, people will feel compelled to consume energy more responsibly. Dan started Opower in 2007 with his Harvard classmate Alex Laskey. Opower went public in April, 2014. Prior, Dan launched Edusoft, a software company focused on public school assessments, which was sold to Houghton Mifflin in 2004. Dan speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched Opower, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Despite his elite background in India, Bunker Roy chose an unconventional path dedicating his life to educating India’s impoverished population. Influenced by Ghandi’s approach toward self reliance at the village level, the Barefoot College is an organization that teaches practical skills including solar engineering, architecture and water purification, to mostly illiterate women and men. Upon completion of their six month education at the Barefoot College, students bring their newly attained skills home to their villages, where they help to improve local living standards. The Barefoot College has expanded its reach beyond India, to Afghanistan, parts of Africa and Latin America. Jessica Harris speaks to Bunker about his journey of empowering countless poor people across the globe, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Zainab Salbi grew up in Iraq with close ties to Saddam Hussein. Her father was Saddam’s personal pilot, causing her family to be victims of psychological abuse by the dictator. When Zainab was living in the United States as a young adult, she was again involved in an abusive relationship. Her understanding of women in extremely harsh conditions eventually led her to start Women for Women International, an organization that provides support to women in war zones worldwide. Zainab tells Jessica Harris about growing up in the shadow of Saddam Hussein, and how it empowered her to join the fight to help women across the globe, from scratch. Listen to the interview

African Leadership Academy (ALA) is an institution focused on developing Africa’s next generation of leaders. ALA provides practical leadership education, networking and mentoring opportunities for its students, as well as financial incentives to remain on the African continent. Fred started ALA when he was 27 years old. Fred speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched ALA, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Jack is a serial entrepreneur who has started two companies — Twitter and Square — that, on the face of it, seem entirely different. Twitter is a social networking service; Square is a mobile payments company. But Jack believes that their shared purpose is to make each of their related tasks — communicating and transacting — easier. Twitter gets messages from point A to point B just as Square gets money from point A to point B. Twitter has over 500 million users and gained global recognition when it facilitated the Iranian protests of the presidential election in 2009. Users type messages to followers using a maximum of 140 characters. Square is a financial services company that allows any merchant to accept credit card payments through a device that plugs into a smartphone’s headphone jack. One of the company’s services, called Square Wallet, allows customers to buy products without having to use their actual credit card. Jack speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched both Twitter and Square, from scratch. This interview was conducted before Jack returned to Twitter and became CEO in 2015. Listen to the interview

Nest Labs is focused on helping to create the next-generation home by making energy-saving smart digital assistants. Tony calls Nest’s first product, the Nest Learning Thermostat, “a smartphone in disguise.” Prior to launching Nest, Tony worked at Apple where he led the team that developed the iPod and iPhone. He was a special advisor to Steve Jobs until late 2009. Nest was sold to Google in January, 2014 for $3.2 Billion. Tony speaks with Jessica Harris about his leadership role at Apple, and his vision for Nest, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Marc and Vinnie have been close friends since they were elementary school classmates in New Jersey. Mark and Vinnie spent their earlier careers in finance and law respectively, before becoming business partners in their late twenties. In addition to Diapers.com, the online retail site specializing in baby products, they have started a number of other e-commerce businesses including Soap.com, focused on cleaning supplies, Wag.com, focused on pet products, and Yoyo.com, specializing in toys. Amazon bought the parent company, Quidsi, for $540 Million in 2010. Quidsi is based in Jersey City, New Jersey. Marc and Vinnie speak with Jessica Harris about how they built their e-commerce businesses, from scratch. Listen to the interview