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. 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 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

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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.

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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

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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 when her time for developing new relationships was limited. The STVP Mayfield Fellow alum reminds us that as our companies scale, so does our role as a leader. 

This talk first aired on March 6, 2024

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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  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/  
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner  

LEARN MORE

• eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 
• STVP Website: 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/.

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 “aha” moments that would help shape her company’s preventative approach to emotional support for kids. 

This talk includes references to trauma and suicide. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a trained listener, call 988. Visit 988lifeline.org for crisis chat services or for more information. The Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To text with a trained helper, text SAVE to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential

This talk first aired on May 29, 2024.

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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  
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/  
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/  
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner  

LEARN MORE

• eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 
• STVP Website: 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/.

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 from his own experience as a founder, he reminds us that failing to prioritize and personally understand what work you should be doing, will inevitably lead to burnout. 

This talk first aired on May 18, 2018

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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  

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LEARN MORE

eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 

STVP Website: 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/.

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 those who are living with one—the creativity, the drive, and the ability to overcome adversity.

This talk includes discussions of suicide and self-harm. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a trained listener, call 988. Visit 988lifeline.org for crisis chat services or for more information. The Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. To text with a trained helper, text SAVE to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential.

This talk first aired on November 8, 2023.

—-----------------------------------

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  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner  

LEARN MORE

eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 

STVP Website: 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/.

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 to learning as part of a community; and to problem solving as the foundational mindset to design-centered thinking. Miller's vision has undoubtedly paved the way for a transformative approach to engineering education.

This episode was originally published on May 25, 2016.

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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  

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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram/  

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner  

LEARN MORE

eCorner by STVP Website: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 

STVP Website: 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/.