Stanford Entrepreneurship Videos

During a special appearance at Stanford University on Oct. 7, 2015, Elon Musk discusses the double-edged sword of paying close attention to tiny details. The iconic entrepreneur behind SpaceX, Tesla Motors and Paypal was on stage with DFJ General Partner Steve Jurvetson to kick off STVP Future Fest, a daylong series of events exploring how technology and scientific breakthroughs will shape society.

Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack and Flickr, shares lessons from his entrepreneurial journey from philosophy student to creator of hugely popular platforms for sharing and communicating, and how they began as minor features embedded in online games that were otherwise flops. Butterfield speaks with Andrew Braccia of the venture capital firm Accel Partners.

Stewart Butterfield, co-founder and CEO of the team-communications platform Slack, recalls his early days as a game developer, and how his focus was on making software that helped people better interact online. Butterfield, also the co-founder of Flickr, speaks with Andrew Braccia, general partner at venture capital firm Accel Partners.

Entrepreneur Stewart Butterfield describes how Slack grew organically out of a need for a tool to improve in-house communication and coordination, not necessarily as a premeditated product intended for the market. "Just like any other business, most of your daily effort is in communication," Butterfield says to Andrew Braccia of Accel Partners.

Slack Co-Founder and CEO Stewart Butterfield discusses the intense difficulty of maintaining hope and momentum through repeated setbacks during the early days, and the resiliency needed to persevere. Butterfield speaks with Andrew Braccia, general partner at Accel Partners.

Stewart Butterfield, co-founder of Slack and Flickr, talks about how press coverage of new technologies tends to swing from adoration to criticism, and how companies in the limelight should prepare themselves for the inevitable turn. In conversation with Andrew Braccia of Accel Partners, Butterfield also notes that the amount of pressure to perform well is about the same, whether in good times or bad.

Stewart Butterfield takes exception to the practice of companies hiring only candidates with degrees from elite universities. "The confluence of factors that have to come into play in order for something to be successful is tremendous," says the co-founder of Slack and Flickr, in conversation with Andrew Braccia of Accel Partners.

In conversation with venture capitalist Andrew Braccia of Accel Partners, Stewart Butterfield explains how Slack determined its corporate values, which include empathy, "craftsmanship tempered by playfulness," solidarity and a sense of thriving through purposeful work.

Susan Koger, co-founder and chief creative officer of ModCloth, shares a lesson learned since launching the online retailer of women’s fashion in 2003: Your first attempts at something new are bound to be less sophisticated than later versions, which inevitably reflect advanced skills and taste. You may make mistakes, but at least you're taking action, she adds.

"In the same way emotion connects customers to a brand, it connects a team to the work," says Susan Koger, co-founder and chief creative officer of ModCloth, explaining that belief in a company's mission matters internally and externally. For a business to endure, its customers and employees must both feel good about it, Koger says.

Susan Koger, co-founder and chief creative officer of the online retailer ModCloth, shares lessons that transcend the fashion industry. Reflecting on her startup's early years and challenges along the way, Koger explains how emotion not only connects customers to a brand, it connects a team to the work.

Entrepreneur Susan Koger discusses how founders must learn to view both success and failure with more objectivity as the team behind the venture grows. Koger, co-founder and chief creative officer of ModCloth, recalls some of the most difficult times for her team and how a sense of purpose pulled everyone through.

Susan Koger, co-founder and chief creative officer at ModCloth, an online retailer of women's fashion, describes becoming an entrepreneur because of her passion for vintage clothing, not for starting a business. She says that passion, and meeting the man who would later become her husband and co-founder, motivated her to learn the necessary skills and pursue her vision.

ModCloth Co-Founder Susan Koger recalls the moment when she realized she could actually be an entrepreneur. Koger, also chief creative officer for the online retailer of women's fashion, talks about how visualizing worst-possible outcomes before making big decisions can clarify what you are really risking and help you make a choice.

ModCloth's Susan Koger explains how the drive entrepreneurs have will never let them be satisfied, and so they should make time to celebrate achievements along the way. Koger, co-founder and chief creative officer of the online retailer, also discusses the advantage newcomers have of being able to ask basic questions and see new opportunities.