Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Video Series

Kevin and Julia Hartz discuss what it really takes to be a thriving startup organism in challenging ecosystems. As well as sharing insights from the early founding days of Eventbrite, the husband and wife co-founders explain the importance of continual focus on cultivating talent, maintaining sustainable advantages, and driving relentless evolution inside a company.

Heidi Roizen, operating partner at the venture capital firm Threshold (formerly DFJ), shares personal and professional truths learned from her career as an entrepreneur, investor, and educator. Among other topics, Roizen examines the need for resiliency, the importance of valuing relationships over transactions, and why ethics should never be compromised.

TaskRabbit Founder and CEO Leah Busque tells how a need for dog food on a snowy night in Boston turned into a rapidly growing venture connecting people in neighborhoods around the country. Busque also explains the value of sharing your idea freely and the importance of cultivating an atmosphere of mentorship and collaboration.

Yelp COO Geoff Donaker steps through the big questions and challenges faced in taking a company public. Donaker discusses working with bankers, developing a road show for investors, and many of the issues of pricing and timing faced by Yelp in the run up to their public offering in 2012.

Linda Rottenberg, co-founder and CEO of Endeavor Global, shares smart lessons for cutting an entrepreneurial path in a turbulent world. Touching on elements from her upcoming book, Crazy is a Compliment, Rottenberg unpacks insights from Endeavor's work driving entrepreneurship in emerging markets around the world.

Ed Catmull, president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, shares some of his formative career experiences and offers a glimpse inside the working culture of Disney and Pixar. In conversation with Stanford Professor Bob Sutton, Catmull offers additional insights from his book, Creativity, Inc., including lessons learned from his longtime working relationship with the late Steve Jobs.

Morris Chang, founding chairman of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, reflects on his journey of bringing revolutionary changes to his industry, in conversation with Stanford President John Hennessy. Chang also touches on discovering new business models, his thoughts on leadership, and the importance of gratitude in one's career.

Sal Khan, founder and executive director of Khan Academy, discusses elements for a new vision for education. While offering examples of how his organization is bringing disruptive approaches to traditional learning experiences, Khan touches on the early days starting Khan Academy and the power of collaboration in creating change around the world.

Tristan Walker, founder and CEO of Walker and Company Brands, describes living your authentic brand as an entrepreneur. Traveling from the housing projects of Queens, New York to working on Wall Street and experiences at Silicon Valley tech firms, Walker discusses creating context to see opportunities and the importance of being in the problems and solutions business, in conversation with Stanford Professor Tina Seelig.

Venture inside StartX, an educational non-profit that supports the development of passionate Stanford entrepreneurs. In this panel discussion, current and former members of the StartX community describe their experiences inside the accelerator and the value they received through a culture of collective intelligence and mentorship.

Hemant Shah, co-founder and CEO of RMS, takes students on a ride through the highs and lows of growing and changing a company. From early days in an apartment with co-founders, to making the tough calls as a market leader in risk and catastrophe modeling, Shah discusses lessons around culture, business models, and pivoting a value proposition.

Stanford Professor Tina Seelig discusses the creative process and music industry dynamics with Nate Ruess, lead singer of the band fun., and Cameron Strang, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Warner/Chappell Music. As a kick-off to Seelig's Stanford Online course, Creativity: Music to my Ears, the conversation explores issues of artist development, evolving business models and the shape and future of the music industry.

Stanford Professor Bob Sutton shares principles and colorful examples from his most recent book, Scaling Up Excellence, co-authored by Huggy Rao. Touching on concepts around emotion, complexity, and connecting people, Sutton explains why scaling is about spreading and sustaining a mindset, not just a footprint.

Ayasdi Co-Founders Gunnar Carlsson and Gurjeet Singh discuss building a company based on technology developed inside a university, in conversation with Floodgate Partner Ann Miura-Ko. With deep insights on data visualization, Carlsson and Singh talk about developing technologies and the process for evaluating high-impact applications.

MuckerLab Co-Founder William Hsu shares his professional journey from young, headstrong entrepreneur to experienced leader working to support a thriving startup environment in Los Angeles. Hsu focuses on why building a company is different than starting a company, the importance of getting as many "at-bats" as possible, and the immense value of a pay-it-forward culture.