Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (ETL)

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, Evans shares insights on innovation in a competitive market, overcoming skepticism, and leading a team at the forefront of autonomous mobility. With Zoox now making strides toward real-world deployment, this conversation remains as relevant as ever.

Much has shifted in the landscape of gender representation in STEM fields, with women making gains in recent decades [https://www.commerce.gov/news/blog/2024/03/women-stem-representation-matters#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20National%20Science,entering%20STEM%20(up%2015%25).]. There is an increased interest among girls in pursuing STEM [https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/how-mental-health-is-linked-to-girls-lack-of-confidence-in-stem-careers-221702725635] 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 evolution with her inspiring journey from lonely inventor to dynamic entrepreneur. GoldieBlox is a multimedia company focused on transforming the perception of toys in the traditionally "pink aisle" aimed at girls. The founder shares her journey of overcoming gender stereotypes, leading to the creation of a girl engineer character that inspires young girls in STEM. She also addresses the entrepreneurial challenges she has faced, including failure and achieving success with limited resources. The episode first aired on April 25, 2017

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. With 80% of innovations failing—even when executed competently—Savoia reframes success as not only building it right, but first building the right “it.” This episode offers powerful strategies for entrepreneurs, product managers, and innovators looking to test ideas quickly and minimize risk in today’s rapidly changing business landscape. The episode first aired on March 13, 2019 —----------------------------------- Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations. CONNECT WITH US * X: https://x.com/ECorner [https://x.com/ECorner]   * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/]   * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/ [https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/]   * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner [https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner]   LEARN MORE * eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner [https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner]  * STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ [https://stvp.stanford.edu/]  Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/ [https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/].

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 to the most vexing problems of our time. Wolfe believes ambitious projects, like creating matter from light, are essential for a brighter future. Also a founding investor with Bill Gates in Kymeta, Wolfe discusses the principles guiding his entrepreneurship and investments, sharing insights from his experiences with various innovative companies. The episode first aired on June 7, 2023

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, Inc. * Cody Karutz, STRIVR Labs, Inc. * Elaine Cheung, GRAIL, Inc. The episode first aired on November 2, 2016 Stanford eCorner content is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations. CONNECT WITH US * X: https://x.com/ECorner [https://x.com/ECorner]   * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/]   * Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/ [https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/]   * YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner [https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner]   LEARN MORE * eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner [https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner]  * STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ [https://stvp.stanford.edu/]  Support our mission of providing students and educators around the world with free access to Stanford University’s network of entrepreneurial thought leaders: https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/ [https://stvp.stanford.edu/giving-to-stvp/].