Stanford eCorner

Hugh Martin, Chairman and CEO of Pacific Biosciences, looks back on the evolution of his career - from building computers to creating the future of medicine. Martin charts the lessons he learned working for large technology firms, as a leader in several successful start-ups, and while being courted by the VC community to launch a new wave in bioscience.

As a research scientist at Stanford University, Anna Patterson committed herself to indexing the world's online information. Her latest venture, Cuil (pronounced "cool") is a search engine that is challenging Google. She explains how she is using her experience with startups and non-profits to take on her former employer.

Clean tech is the topic discussed between Steve Perricone, CEO of waste management and energy company BioFuelBox, and one of his investors, DFJ veteran VC Jennifer Scott Fonstad. In addition to discussing the company's technology, structure, and applications, they also expound on current stimulus dollars for alternative energy systems.

Toss the old notions of environmentalism into the recycling bin. Investor Vinod Khosla of Khosla Ventures shatters conventional wisdom of energy reduction, and instead encourages entrepreneurs to solve environmental problems via cost-effective, innovative, and scalable engineering.

In academia and the private sector, innovation is the most elusive element. And, adds Stanford University President John Hennessy, it's also needed to solve crucial local and global issues. In this address that launches the University's prestigious Entrepreneurship Week event, Hennessy discusses the evolving interplay between higher learning and commercial progress.

After two decades in start-up entrepreneurship, Mari Baker, current CEO of PlayFirst, shares some of her lifelong strategies for long-lasting success. She stresses defining the relentless purpose of the enterprise, honing a focus, and building a conscious company culture, amongst other backbone-building tasks.

Just days after Yahoo! rejected Microsoft's bid, President Sue Decker unveils Yahoo!'s candid perspective on the news-making deal. Decker also points out the early Internet leader's strategic failures of the past, and details Yahoo!'s reinvention strategies in a competitive, advertising-driven online marketplace.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg shares her trilogy of ideas for a successful start-up and a fulfilling career. Her thoughts include building an enterprise with scalable vision, building personalized, scalable products, and the ability to scale your own connections and capabilities.

Spencer E. Ante, BusinessWeek editor and author, quotes excerpts from his book, Creative Capital: Georges Doriot and the Birth of Venture Capital, and offers a historical portal into the start and evolution of venture capital. He draws an investment timeline starting with the post-WWII economy, delves into the dominance of Silicon Valley, and discusses current recessionary activity.

Stan Christensen, a partner at Arbor Advisors, offers advice on transactional negotiations and relationship management geared toward the student embarking upon their career. Topics covered include choosing a career, on-the-job expectations, work/life balance, and benefit mediation