In this compelling talk from 2016, Astro Teller, director of Alphabet’s moonshot factory, X, explores how embracing failure fuels groundbreaking innovation. He shares how a culture that rewards audacity and transparency can systematically drive progress, turning ambitious ideas into reality. Teller discusses the importance of pre-mortems, rewarding…

In December 2018, Sarah Jane Friar became CEO of Nextdoor, the world’s largest private social network for neighborhoods. In her conversation with Stanford professor Tom Byers, she discussed her passion for fostering a sense of community amid the challenges of misinformation and social disconnection. Friar highlighted that Nextdoor uniquely leverage…

As autonomous vehicles continue to evolve, we’re revisiting our 2021 conversation with Aicha Evans, CEO of Zoox. At the time, Zoox had recently been acquired by Amazon, and Evans was leading the charge in developing fully autonomous, purpose-built robotaxis. In this discussion with Stanford adjunct lecturer and former Zoox board member Heidi Roizen…

Much has shifted in the landscape of gender representation in STEM fields, with women making gains in recent decades. There is an increased interest among girls in pursuing STEM fields, and a growing awareness of how to support them as men continue to make up a majority of the field. Debbie Sterling, founder and CEO of GoldieBlox, exemplifies this …

Revisit timeless insights from Alberto Savoia, Google’s first engineering director and the driving force behind the launch of AdWords, in this re-released 2019 ETL episode. As the creator of “pretotyping” and author of The Right It, Savoia tackles one of innovation’s greatest challenges: ensuring you’re building a product the market truly wants. Wi…

For the winter 2025 installment of ETL Looks Back, we asked the team at the Stanford Technology Ventures Program to recommend some of their favorite ETL episodes from the past. Our first pick comes from Ravi Belani and features Josh Wolfe, co-founder of Lux Capital, which funds scientists and entrepreneurs who pursue counter-conventional solutions …

How do graduates of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program’s entrepreneurship fellows programs apply their skills in the real world? STVP’s Tina Seelig spoke with four alumni about how they have used their academic experiences to address some of the world's most challenging problems. In this episode: Etosha Cave, Opus 12 Jonah Greenberger, Bright…

Clara Shih is the CEO of Salesforce AI and has received recognition as one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs and TIME’s Most Influential People in AI. In this episode, she emphasizes the importance of maintaining pre-existing friendships for mental health and support during her entrepreneurial journey at Hearsay Systems, particularly w…

As an entrepreneur in education, Maria Barrera, founder of Clayful, started to apply her training as a mechanical engineer to thinking about mental health and the challenges young people were facing in schools post-pandemic. In true Stanford d.school fashion, Barrera says she went into a lot of need-finding, talking to everyone she could, finding “…

Burnout is familiar to all entrepreneurs and takes its toll. Gabriel Parisi-Amon, founder of Nebia, which was acquired by Brondell, takes on the “perfect founder” myth and asks us to reconsider the system that inevitably leads to burnout. Parisi-Amon offers practical advice on priorities and perspectives for founders at any stage. Through examples …

Andy Dunn, founder of the menswear line Bonobos, speaks frankly about his own struggles with bipolar disorder and how his mental illness didn’t define him but rather helped him innovate and become the creative founder his company needed. He challenges the field to transform the stigma attached to mental illness to better recognize the strengths of …

Richard Miller was credited with reimagining undergraduate engineering education at Olin College, where he was the founding director. Miller challenged us to consider who we teach, what we teach, and how that teaching reaches students. He spoke about shifting the focus from showing up in class to learn, to learning 24/7; from learning in isolation …

Jennifer Carolan is Co-Founder and Partner at Reach Capital. In 2014, while with the NewSchools Venture Fund, Carolan spoke with Steve Blank about the emergence of EdTech products – before technology was widely used in classrooms and many students had access to their own devices. Pulling from her experience as a science teacher, Carolan shared insi…

While the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders speaker series is on pause, we’re excited to bring you ETL Looks Back, a series of timely gems from our archives. We’re kicking off the school year with some talks on education, starting with Sal Khan, Founder and CEO of the world-renowned Khan Academy. When he visited ETL in 2014, Khan offered a blueprint …

The ETL series is currently taking a break, but don’t worry! We’ll keep your podcast feed flowing with a special ETL Looks Back series, highlighting some timely gems from our archives. They’ll be published right here in your regular ETL feed—there’s nothing you need to do. Be sure to stay subscribed for future announcements about the return of the …

Alexandra Zatarain is the co-founder and VP of brand and marketing of Eight Sleep, the world’s first sleep fitness company. A marketer and brand-builder, Zatarain has built the Eight Sleep brand and scaled the company’s revenue from $0 to current state. Eight Sleep was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2018 and was recognized…

Alexandra Zatarain is the co-founder and VP of brand and marketing of Eight Sleep, the world’s first sleep fitness company. A marketer and brand-builder, Zatarain has built the Eight Sleep brand and scaled the company’s revenue from $0 to current state. Eight Sleep was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2018 and was recognized…

Maria Barrera, a Stanford-educated engineer, is the founder and CEO of Clayful, a platform dedicated to providing essential mental health support for the TikTok generation. Today, Barrera’s company creates accessible resources for K-12 students and has already made a profound impact on thousands of students nationwide. In this conversation with Sta…

Maria Barrera, a Stanford-educated engineer, is the founder and CEO of Clayful, a platform dedicated to providing essential mental health support for the TikTok generation. Today, Barrera’s company creates accessible resources for K-12 students and has already made a profound impact on thousands of students nationwide. In this conversation with Sta…

David Allemann co-leads the Swiss sports company On, one of the fastest-growing global sports brands. He puts a special focus on product, design, marketing, and the direct-to-consumer business of On. Previously, Allemann worked at the intersection of business and creativity at McKinsey & Company, as managing director of the advertising agency Young…

David Allemann co-leads the Swiss sports company On, one of the fastest-growing global sports brands. He puts a special focus on product, design, marketing, and the direct-to-consumer business of On. Previously, Allemann worked at the intersection of business and creativity at McKinsey & Company, as managing director of the advertising agency Young…

Ali Ghodsi is the CEO and co-founder of Databricks, a leader in data and AI. He pioneered the data intelligence platform built on a lakehouse architecture, revolutionizing analytics and AI for global organizations. Prior to becoming CEO, he served as the VP of engineering and product management. In this conversation with Stanford adjunct lecturer R…

Ali Ghodsi is the CEO and co-founder of Databricks, a leader in data and AI. He pioneered the data intelligence platform built on a lakehouse architecture, revolutionizing analytics and AI for global organizations. Prior to becoming CEO, he served as the VP of engineering and product management. In this conversation with Stanford adjunct lecturer R…

Margo Georgiadis is a CEO-partner at Flagship Pioneering and co-founder and CEO of Montai Health, an AI platform company enabling the predictable discovery of breakthrough small molecule medicines to treat and preempt chronic disease. In these roles, Georgiadis brings extensive expertise in technological innovation and high-performance business tra…

Margo Georgiadis is a CEO-partner at Flagship Pioneering and co-founder and CEO of Montai Health, an AI platform company enabling the predictable discovery of breakthrough small molecule medicines to treat and preempt chronic disease. In these roles, Georgiadis brings extensive expertise in technological innovation and high-performance business tra…

Sam Altman is the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, the AI research and deployment company behind ChatGPT and DALL-E. Altman was president of the early-stage startup accelerator Y Combinator from 2014 to 2019. In 2015, he co-founded OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab with the mission to build general-purpose artificial intelligence that benefits all hu…

Sam Altman is the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, the AI research and deployment company behind ChatGPT and DALL-E. Altman was president of the early-stage startup accelerator Y Combinator from 2014 to 2019. In 2015, he co-founded OpenAI as a nonprofit research lab with the mission to build general-purpose artificial intelligence that benefits all hu…

Qasar Younis is the co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition, which creates software solutions to help automakers, Tier 1 suppliers, and companies in the trucking, construction, and agriculture industries transition to next-generation vehicles. Before founding Applied Intuition, Younis was a partner and COO of Y Combinator. In this conversation with…

Qasar Younis is the co-founder and CEO of Applied Intuition, which creates software solutions to help automakers, Tier 1 suppliers, and companies in the trucking, construction, and agriculture industries transition to next-generation vehicles. Before founding Applied Intuition, Younis was a partner and COO of Y Combinator. In this conversation with…

Sharon Prince is the CEO and founder of Grace Farms Foundation, a new kind of boundary-defying public space in New Canaan, Connecticut, that has become widely known as a global humanitarian and cultural center. Grace Farms is the platform for the Foundation and its interdisciplinary humanitarian mission to pursue peace through nature, arts, justice…

Sharon Prince is the CEO and founder of Grace Farms Foundation, a new kind of boundary-defying public space in New Canaan, Connecticut, that has become widely known as a global humanitarian and cultural center. Grace Farms is the platform for the Foundation and its interdisciplinary humanitarian mission to pursue peace through nature, arts, justice…

Sophia Edelstein and Nathan Kondamuri are co-founders and co-CEOs of Pair Eyewear. Since its inception, Pair Eyewear has put consumers at the center of the innovation process, ensuring that the brand is at the forefront of redefining the eyewear experience by offering continual customizability, freedom of choice, and affordability for glasses. In t…

Sophia Edelstein and Nathan Kondamuri are co-founders and co-CEOs of Pair Eyewear. Since its inception, Pair Eyewear has put consumers at the center of the innovation process, ensuring that the brand is at the forefront of redefining the eyewear experience by offering continual customizability, freedom of choice, and affordability for glasses. In t…

Clara Shih is CEO of Salesforce AI, the world’s most trusted enterprise AI for customer relationship management. A digital pioneer, Shih has been named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, TIME’s Most Influential People in AI, and the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. She is a member of the Starbucks board of directors and…

Clara Shih is CEO of Salesforce AI, the world’s most trusted enterprise AI for customer relationship management. A digital pioneer, Shih has been named one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Entrepreneurs, TIME’s Most Influential People in AI, and the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. She is a member of the Starbucks board of directors and…

Shiza Shahid is the co-founder and co-CEO of Our Place, a mission-driven startup reimagining kitchenware for the modern, multiethnic, global kitchen. Prior to Our Place, Shahid also co-founded the Malala Fund with Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. She led the organization as founding CEO, advocating for the rights of all girls to attend school. …

Shiza Shahid is the co-founder and co-CEO of Our Place, a mission-driven startup reimagining kitchenware for the modern, multiethnic, global kitchen. Prior to Our Place, Shahid also co-founded the Malala Fund with Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai. She led the organization as founding CEO, advocating for the rights of all girls to attend school. …

Daniela Amodei is president and co-founder of Anthropic, an AI safety and research company. Amodei manages the senior leadership team, leveraging her people and management experience to further the company’s goal of building reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. In this conversation with Stanford adjunct lecturer Emily Ma, Amodei talks…

Daniela Amodei is president and co-founder of Anthropic, an AI safety and research company. Amodei manages the senior leadership team, leveraging her people and management experience to further the company’s goal of building reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. In this conversation with Stanford adjunct lecturer Emily Ma, Amodei talks…

Ernestine Fu is managing general partner of venture capital firm Brave Capital. Over the past decade, Fu has worked across the startup ecosystem, including negotiating merger and acquisition agreements, organizing SPVs for later-stage companies, angel investing in and advising companies that have since been acquired, and advising banks on venture d…

Ernestine Fu is managing general partner of venture capital firm Brave Capital. Over the past decade, Fu has worked across the startup ecosystem, including negotiating merger and acquisition agreements, organizing SPVs for later-stage companies, angel investing in and advising companies that have since been acquired, and advising banks on venture d…

ETL is off this week, but in its place, we’re pleased to share the first episode of a new podcast from Stanford eCorner and STVP called Move Fast and Fix the Planet. It’s about climate and sustainability entrepreneurship, and this episode features ETL host Emily Ma, head of special projects in sustainability, real estate, and workplace services at …

Robert I. Sutton is an organizational psychologist and professor emeritus of Management Science and Engineering in the Stanford School of Engineering. Hayagreeva “Huggy” Rao is the Atholl McBean Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Science, the S…

Robert I. Sutton is an organizational psychologist and professor emeritus of Management Science and Engineering in the Stanford School of Engineering. Hayagreeva “Huggy” Rao is the Atholl McBean Professor of Organizational Behavior at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a fellow of the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Science, the S…

Adrian Rodriguez is the co-founder and CEO of Dreamlinks, a startup developing AI-powered building blocks that make creating virtual 3D worlds as fun as playing with LEGO bricks. Prior to founding Dreamlinks, Rodriguez taught game design at StreetCode Academy, created a web design course for blind programmers, and worked as the CTO of AMPAworks, a …

Adrian Rodriguez is the co-founder and CEO of Dreamlinks, a startup developing AI-powered building blocks that make creating virtual 3D worlds as fun as playing with LEGO bricks. Prior to founding Dreamlinks, Rodriguez taught game design at StreetCode Academy, created a web design course for blind programmers, and worked as the CTO of AMPAworks, a …

Jessica Jackley is an entrepreneur and investor best known as the founder of Kiva, the first microfinance crowdfunding platform, with $2 billion in loans since 2005. She is currently a founder and general partner at Untapped Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm championing unexpected founders. In this presentation, Jackley shares her journe…

Jessica Jackley is an entrepreneur and investor best known as the founder of Kiva, the first microfinance crowdfunding platform, with $2 billion in loans since 2005. She is currently a founder and general partner at Untapped Capital, an early-stage venture capital firm championing unexpected founders. In this presentation, Jackley shares her journe…

Sarah Lamaison is the co-founder and CEO of Dioxycle, which is pioneering sustainable chemistry by building breakthrough technologies that convert industrial carbon emissions into everyday chemicals with unprecedented energy and cost efficiency. In this presentation, Lamaison explains how her company fits into the future of carbon-capture technolog…

Sarah Lamaison is the co-founder and CEO of Dioxycle, which is pioneering sustainable chemistry by building breakthrough technologies that convert industrial carbon emissions into everyday chemicals with unprecedented energy and cost efficiency. In this presentation, Lamaison explains how her company fits into the future of carbon-capture technolog…