Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (ETL)

Michael Bernstein is a co-founder and the chief data officer of Simile, where he works on AI systems for behavioral simulation. He is also a professor of computer science at Stanford University and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. In this presentation, followed by a conversation with Stanford Adjunct Lecturer Ravi Belani, Bernstein reflects on what his year of focusing on Simile taught him about human-centered design, gaining customers’ trust, building a cross-functional organization, and preparing for a new era of transformative AI applications.(STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering, and published on eCorner by STVP. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.CONNECT WITH USYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner  X: https://x.com/ECorner  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stanfordstvp.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stanford_stvp  LEARN MORESTVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ eCorner by STVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 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/.

Vineet Edupuganti is the CEO and co-founder of Cogent Security, which uses AI systems to investigate and resolve cybersecurity vulnerabilities. With a background in machine learning and product management, Edupuganti brings a product-first mindset to solving complex security challenges for modern enterprises. In this conversation with Stanford Adjunct Lecturer Ravi Belani, Edupuganti explores how his journey from Stanford undergraduate to AI cybersecurity entrepreneur taught him to base his thinking on first principles.Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering, and published on eCorner by STVP. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.CONNECT WITH USYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner  X: https://x.com/ECorner  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stanfordstvp.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stanford_stvp  LEARN MORESTVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ eCorner by STVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 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/.

Eric Ries is an entrepreneur, author, and creator of the Lean Startup methodology. He is the founder of the Long-Term Stock Exchange and the author of The Lean Startup, The Startup Way, and Incorruptible. In this conversation with Saikat Chaudhuri, faculty director of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP) and a professor of Management Science and Engineering, Ries urges aspiring entrepreneurs not to outsource their learning and creativity, while advising them how to benefit customers, avoid corruption, and create mission-driven companies.Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering, and published on eCorner by STVP. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.CONNECT WITH USYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner  X: https://x.com/ECorner  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stanfordstvp.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stanford_stvp  LEARN MORESTVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ eCorner by STVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 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/.

Adam Nash is the co-founder and CEO of Daffy, a modern donor-advised fund (DAF) built to help people be more generous, more often. Under his leadership, Daffy has grown into one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, recently surpassed $2 billion in charitable assets under management, and became one of the fastest-growing DAF platforms in the country. In this talk, Nash uses examples from throughout his career to share five practical lessons for being a great product leader.Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering, and published on eCorner by STVP. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.CONNECT WITH USYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner  X: https://x.com/ECorner  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stanfordstvp.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stanford_stvp  LEARN MORESTVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ eCorner by STVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 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/.

Ryan Nece is co-founder and managing partner of Next Legacy Partners, a multi-strategy venture platform investing in established venture firms, emerging venture firms, and select technology companies. A former Super Bowl champion, Nece transitioned from professional sports to entrepreneurship, founding and scaling multiple businesses before co-founding Next Legacy. In this conversation with Adjunct Lecturer Emily Ma, Nece shares the lessons he has learned about resilience, generosity, authenticity, and thoughtfulness from both painful experiences and huge successes.Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders is produced by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program (STVP), the entrepreneurship center at the Stanford School of Engineering, and published on eCorner by STVP. STVP empowers aspiring entrepreneurs to become global citizens who create and scale responsible innovations.CONNECT WITH USYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ecorner  X: https://x.com/ECorner  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stanfordtechnologyventuresprogram/  Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/stanfordstvp.bsky.social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StanfordTechnologyVenturesProgram Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stanford_stvp  LEARN MORESTVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ eCorner by STVP: https://stvp.stanford.edu/ecorner 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/.