Guests

Robert Stephens started making computer tech-support house calls on his dirt bike while he was a college student at the University of Minnesota in 1994. He’d arrive to a customer’s house on time, take off his shoes, wear a clean uniform, and fix the problem. His cheeky “law enforcement” marketing theme caught people’s attention, and the company grew from one employee to now over 20,000. Geek Squad was acquired by Best Buy in 2002, and there are over 1,000 Geek Squad “precincts” across the United States, Canada and China. Robert tells Jessica Harris how he turned his tiny tech support business into a customer service giant, from scratch.

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Martine is a pioneer in the satellite industry, launching companies including Geostar, PanAmSat, and Sirius Satellite Radio.
She also founded United Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical company focused on cardiopulmonary disorders. In 2013, she became the highest paid female CEO in America.

Martine is a helicopter pilot and a parent of four children. She also used to be a man named Martin.

Martine speaks with Jessica Harris about her experience transforming gender, satellites, and life duration, from scratch.

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Andrew launched Theory, a contemporary clothing company, in 1997 with co-founder Eli Tahari. Theory used the stretchy fabric lycra to create a more modern, slender look initially for young professional women. Theory was sold in 2003 to the Japanese company Fast Retailing and IPO’ed in 2005. In addition to his role at Theory, Andrew has been an advisor and investor in several other clothing companies ranging from Rag & Bone to Alice and Olivia.

Andrew speaks with Jessica Harris about his family’s deep history in the fashion industry, and how he launched Theory, from scratch.

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Hot Bread Kitchen is an organization that teaches immigrant women to bake artisanal breads from their home country. HBK provides culinary and management training and English classes to these women who have come to New York City from countries including Bangladesh, Mexico, and Morocco, among others. HBK’s breads are available at select grocery stores including Whole Foods and Dean & Deluca, farmer’s markets in the tri-state area, and at restaurants including Danny Meyer’s Gramercy Tavern, and The Modern at the Museum of Modern Art. Prior to HBK, Jessamyn worked in the bakery of Chef Daniel Boulud’s Michelin three star restaurant Daniel, where she was the first women ever hired.

Jessamyn speaks with Jessica Harris about how she launched HBK, from scratch.

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Sometimes the company you start looks a lot different from the company you end up with; Azim Premji turned his cooking fat company into one of India’s largest technology companies. With over 70,000 employees and $3Bn in sales, Wipro provides software solutions, research and development, and information technology outsourcing to multinational corporations. Azim is the Chairman of Wipro, and one of India’s five wealthiest men.

Azim explains how he turned his father’s company into a technology leader, from scratch.

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Sir Kensington’s is a condiment company that sells ketchup, mayo, mustard, etc. Mark and his partner Scott tried to create a gourmet alternative to Heinz and started tinkering with recipes in their off-campus apartment while they were students at Brown University. Unilever acquired the company in April, 2017.

Mark speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched Sir Kensington’s, from scratch.

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Le Labo is a perfume company that launched on Elizabeth Street in New York City in 2006. Le Labo perfumes are prepared on the spot for the client in each store, and the brand is appreciated for its minimalist peeled-back aesthetic. Le Labo was bought by Estee Lauder in 2010.

Fabrice speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched Le Labo, from scratch.

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AuthenTec makes fingerprint sensors that could unlock mobile phones and computers. AuthenTec was sold to Apple in 2012 for $356 million, and the fingerprint sensor first appeared on the iPhone 5s in 2013.

Scott speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched AuthenTec, from scratch.

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littleBits is a hardware company that aims to put the power of electronics in everyone’s hands. The company sells electronic modules that snap together with magnets, making them accessible to both adults and children. Ayah earned a degree in computer engineering from the American University in Beirut, Lebanon and has a Masters from the MIT Media Lab. She is also an interactive artist.

Ayah speaks with Jessica Harris about how she built littleBits, from scratch.

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Bolt Threads is a materials innovation company. Using proprietary technology and revolutionary bio-engineering concepts, Bolt Threads seeks to deliver high-performance materials focused on sustainability.

Their first project is spider silk, using the DNA of a spider’s silk to manufacture clothes.

Dan speaks with Jessica Harris about how he is innovating new materials from nature, from scratch.