An Insider's Guide to the Silicon Valley

Spotlight On: Andrew Zolli

"Planet provides real-time feedback on human behavior. Think about how many systems and processes we have that are moving that get measured once a year… now we can see every act of deforestation on earth every day that it occurs." Andrew Zolli, Chief Impact Officer at Planet Labs, is a renowned author, technologist, and social innovator working on using space to help life on Earth.

Spotlight On: Ted Smith

"Building for a particular outcome ends up being more difficult… than building a strong standalone business and letting the outcome ultimately come to you." Ted Smith, Co-Founder of Union Square Advisors, has been a leading investment banker to tech companies for 25 years, including IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Google, VMWare, SAP & Guidewire. Ted is a Presidential Leadership Scholar.

Spotlight On: Maha Ibrahim

"Every company, every founder is its own story. There's a unique set of challenges, environmental issues… It's so cool to be an advisor, a hand holder to these CEOs and companies and watch them grow and pivot." Maha Ibrahim is a GP at Canaan Partners known for e-commerce, cloud & social gaming. Also a champion of women in technology, Maha is a founding member of All Raise.

Spotlight On: Rick Kimball

"If you make fewer mistakes, if you have a great team, and you have a disruptive wind at your back, you're probably going to do okay." Rick Kimball, founder of TCV, has been a renowned growth stage technology investor for 30+ years. His many notable investments include GoDaddy, Rent the Runway, and Netflix, and his accolades include a spot on the Forbes Midas list.

Spotlight on: Meena Sankaran

There are three success factors in all great entrepreneurs – curiosity, courage, commitment – and Meena Sankaran has them all in spades. Meena is Founder & CEO of KETOS, a water intelligence startup, as well as nonprofit PRERNA. Her accolades include NASDAQ Milestone Maker, Forbes 8 Awe-Inspiring Women Founders, and Goldman Sachs 100 Most Inspiring Entrepreneurs.