From Scratch with Jessica Harris

IEX is an alternate trading platform whose mission is to ensure fair trading in the US equity capital market system. IEX was launched specifically to counter the behavior of high frequency traders who take advantage of the information arbitrage made possible by electronic trading. Prior to starting IEX, Brad worked at Royal Bank of Canada where he first discovered the market imbalance generated by certain high frequency traders. Brad and IEX are featured in Michael Lewis’ book, Flash Boys, about high frequency trading. Brad speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched IEX, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Chef and restaurateur Thomas Keller bought the French Laundry, a restaurant in Napa Valley California, and turned it into one of the leading fine dining establishments in the world.  The French Laundry and Per Se, located in the Time Warner Center in New York City, have both been awarded three Michelin Stars.  Thomas has won consecutive “Best Chef” awards from the James Beard Foundation and “Chef of the Year” award by the Culinary Institute of America, among other accolades.  He is the author of multiple cookbooks, including The French Laundry, Bouchon, Under Pressure, and Ad Hoc at Home. Thomas speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched his collection of restaurants, from scratch. Listen to the interview

The Caribbean Harvest Foundation is helping to revitalize the commercial farming industry in Haiti. The organization uses solar powered hatcheries to produce tilapia fingerlings, which are then raised in cages by villagers around the nearby lake. CHF is alleviating poverty by employing locals and providing social services in the health and education sectors. Valentin speaks with Jessica about how he launched CHF, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Have you ever had a creative project you were eager to get off the ground but you didn’t have the funding to make it happen? Yancey Strickler, co-founder of Kickstarter, has helped to develop an online solution that involves the crowd’s participation. Kickstarter connects artists and innovators with potential funders who simply learn about projects by visiting the website. Yancey, a former music critic, tells Jessica Harris the story of how he and a friend hatched their crowd-sourcing idea in a Brooklyn restaurant, from scratch. Listen to the interview

“Hands which help are better than the lips that pray” are the words that hang in Dr. Devi Shetty’s office with a picture of Mother Theresa, a former patient of his. Dr. Shetty is a cardiac surgeon who pioneered low cost cardiac surgery for India’s poor population. Dr. Shetty founded the Narayana Hrudayalaya Hospital in Bangalore India in 2001. Doctors at Narayana Hrudayalaya perform over 7,000 heart surgeries per year without comprising quality. Through its scalable, low cost model, the hospital is able to treat patients who otherwise could not afford health care. Dr. Shetty is now expanding his vision globally– through another low cost hospital in the Cayman Islands. Jessica Harris speaks to Dr. Devi Shetty about his new model for treating patients cheaply, yet effectively, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Bre co-founded Makerbot Industries in 2009 after working as a public school teacher in Seattle, Washington. Makerbot makes 3-D printers that make actual objects. Instead of producing ink on paper, a Makerbot makes items ranging from bottle openers and toys to homes for hermit crabs(!). Bre talks to Jessica Harris about how he launched Makerbot Industries, from scratch. After this interview was recorded, Makerbot was acquired by the 3D Printing company Stratasys in a stock deal worth approximately $400MM in Spring, 2012. Listen to the interview

Yelp provides user-generated reviews of local businesses through its website and mobile app. Its contributors provide their opinions on a variety of businesses, ranging from clothing stores to restaurants. Prior to launching Yelp, Jeremy worked at Paypal. Yelp went public in 2012. Jeremy speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched Yelp, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Rob Kalin initially started Etsy—the online marketplace for handmade goods—as a way to sell his own furniture in 2005. The company has become a vehicle for more than one million artisans who sell their products—ranging from knit-wear to musical instruments to clocks—through the site. Rob speaks with Jessica Harris about how he built Etsy, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Dr. Rodney Brooks is the co-founder of Rethink Robotics, a company that makes robots for the manufacturing industry. Rethink’s first robot, Baxter, was introduced in October 2012 with the goal of increasing US manufacturing productivity. Prior to Rethink, Dr. Brooks co-founded iRobot, which makes robots for the consumer and defense industries. iRobot’s first consumer product was the Roomba, a vacuum robot, introduced in 2002. Dr. Brooks is professor emeritus at MIT, where he was on the faculty from 1984 to 2010. Listen to the interview

Zulily is an e-commerce company focused on products for mothers and their children. The company offers daily flash sales of boutique and leading brands at discounted prices. Darrell launched Zulily in 2009 with Mark Vadon, the founder of the online diamond merchant Blue Nile. Darrell speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched Zulily, from scratch. Listen to the interview

David developed an interest in computer programming when he was 11 years old. Instead of finishing high school he started working, and innovating, in the online community. Tumblr is a leading micro blogging and social media tool where creators can upload images, video, audio clips and bursts of text. The site– with more than 50 million creators serving 140 million people monthly– was an outgrowth of David’s own interest in improving his personal online expression. The company was sold to Yahoo in May, 2013 for $1.1 Billion. David speaks with Jessica Harris about how he built Tumblr, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Jeffrey Hollender set out to build a company that was both profitable and environmentally sustainable. Seventh Generation makes cleaning and sanitary products that focus on resource conservation and eco-friendly business practices.  Jeffrey is the author of several books and an advocate of corporate and environmental responsibility. Jeffrey discusses with Jessica Harris how he has helped to pioneer safer cleaning, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Some sculptors work with materials like bronze or marble, which last forever; but others build sculptures made of ice or snow, which last only a few moments. Who are some of the sculptors producing ephemeral art? Jessica speaks with one such pioneer, Andy Goldsworthy. Andy’s outdoor sculptures have been shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, The National Gallery in Washington DC, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, among others. Andy discusses how he has built a successful life building sculptures outdoors, and from scratch. Listen to the interview

Gazelle is a company that resells used electronic equipment including iPhones, BlackBerries, iPads, and recent Apple computers, among other items. Prior to starting Gazelle, Israel was at eBay where he helped to build the international business and worked with eBay’s M&A team to acquire PayPal, which he subsequently joined. He was formerly a research analyst at Goldman Sachs. Listen to the interview

Netspend was the first prepaid debit card company focused on the “underbanked” population in the United States. Launched in 1999, Netspend targets people who do not have access to credit cards or hold bank accounts. Bertrand and Roy started the company out of their one bedroom apartment in Austin, Texas with $750. They later raised almost $1.5 Billion in an IPO in 2010 and sold the company in early 2013 to Total System Services for approximately $1.4Bn. Bertrand and Roy are also the co-founders of Mpower Labs, an investment fund focused on financial services for the underbanked. The brothers emigrated from Mexico with their mother when they were teenagers in 1986. Bertrand and Roy speak with Jessica Harris about how they have helped to pioneer the international financial services landscape, from scratch. Listen to the interview