Stanford Entrepreneurship Videos

James Freeman, founder and CEO of Blue Bottle Coffee, talks about dropping the wholesale division of his business that allowed other retailers to sell his products. He explains that the sacrifice was worth the ability to regain control of the brand and how his coffee was served, insisting that what matters most is quality and customer experience.

James Freeman of Blue Bottle Coffee discusses the dilemma of preserving the quirkiness and personality of the company as it scales. He explains how the inefficiencies and eccentricities that helped Blue Bottle stand out and succeed are just the type of issues that would be targeted by "pedigreed" executives that the company will inevitably recruit as it grows.

Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO at the marketing and sales software firm HubSpot, distills his 128-slide presentation on company culture down to its essence, describing it as a business's "operating system" that lets people do their best work. Shah says entrepreneurs must create a company culture they love, because one will eventually emerge no matter what.

Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO at HubSpot, lists some of the most common excuses early-stage companies give when asked why conscious effort isn't put into developing culture. Entrepreneurs often point to office parties and perks, or the supposed importance of their mission as their startup's culture. They also claim culture grows organically, or that they just don't have time, Shah says.

HubSpot Co-Founder and CTO Dharmesh Shah recalls how the software company began working on its culture only after its importance was explained to his fellow co-founder by other CEOs. Shah says he reluctantly agreed to lead the effort at HubSpot and soon realized how much teammates cared, based on their emotional responses – often negative.

HubSpot Co-Founder Dharmesh Shah, whose 128-slide presentation "Culture Code" has tallied over 2 million views online since its 2003 debut, flips a popular line from the movie "Fight Club" and says company culture is more like software than hardware. "You should be iterating on it and building on it just like a product," says Shah, who likens a company's culture to its "operating system."

HubSpot's Dharmesh Shah explains how a company can incur what he calls "culture debt" in the same way that a venture can create "technology debt" – where it settles on an imperfect technical solution to achieve an immediate goal. But whereas such flaws can be fixed, Shah says putting off a personnel problem gives it time to metastasize within a company.

Dharmesh Shah, co-founder and CTO of HubSpot, discusses why a company should document its culture. A self-taught expert on the topic, Shah says defining your company's culture will foster a clear and common understanding and serve as a resource that can be cited and revisited any time. Employers shouldn't be able to say they "hire for culture fit unless you can tell people what that culture is."

HubSpot Co-Founder Dharmesh Shah talks about how the benefits of having a "hyper-transparent" company culture far outweigh the risks. By being so open with employees at the outset, Shah explains that HubSpot ends up hiring individuals of the highest integrity, and that it has never had a breach of trust among its 1,100 employees after almost a decade of being in business.

HubSpot CTO Dharmesh Shah describes his solution for finding ways to connect with other entrepreneurs and counter the loneliness of startup life. He suggests entrepreneurs find co-founders or peer groups so they can discuss the challenges and issues that commonly arise in the startup world, as well as socialize.

John Hennessy, president of Stanford University, discusses his vision for the future of higher education in an increasingly online world. While the undergraduate residential experience will remain “the jewel in the crown,” Hennessy says graduate school may see more hybridization. In conversation with STVP’s Tina Seelig, Hennessy explains that online education will be especially valuable to lifelong learners in need of skill upgrades throughout their careers.

Stanford University President John Hennessy recalls when he transferred pioneering computer technology from academia to industry as an entrepreneur in the 1980s. In conversation with Tina Seelig, professor of the practice in Stanford's Department of Management Science & Engineering, Hennessy said he learned the fundamentals of business and management along the way.

"I think leadership is broken around the world," Stanford University President John Hennessy says in response to concerns raised about the global state of affairs. "Partly, it's broken because people don't like to tell the truth when the truth is difficult." In conversation with Stanford's Tina Seelig, Hennessy adds that leaders must clearly communicate what they're willing to do and not do.

Stanford University President John Hennessy discusses some of the most powerful lessons he's learned as leader of one of the world's most complex and dynamic institutions of higher education. In conversation with Tina Seelig, director at the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Hennessy also shares insights from his entrepreneurial career in the high-tech industry.

Stanford University President John Hennessy defines entrepreneurship as transforming an idea into something real that can have wide impact, not just starting a business. In conversation with Tina Seelig, professor of the practice in Stanford's Department of Management Science & Engineering, Hennessy also discusses some of the essential ingredients in Silicon Valley's "secret sauce."