Guests

The XPrize Foundation drives innovation through competitions with the hopes of improving the human experience. Its prizes are focused on bold yet achievable projects, ranging from space exploration to the human genome. The first prize of $10 Million was awarded in 2004 to creators of the first piloted space craft.

Peter is the co-author of the books Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think and Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World.

Peter speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched the XPrize Foundation, from scratch.

Listen to the interview

Dropbox is a file sharing and personal data storage company that allows users to access their content (Microsoft Word documents, photos, videos, etc.) from any of their devices.

Prior to starting Dropbox, Drew started an online SAT prep company called Accolade (and yes, he scored 1600 on his SAT). Drew speaks with Jessica Harris about how he built Dropbox, from scratch.

Listen to the interview

Oscar Health is focused on keeping health insurance simple. The company helps users connect directly to doctors, get prescriptions, and find insurance plans that are easier to navigate.

Mario speaks with Jessica Harris about how he is bringing innovation to health insurance, from scratch.

Listen to the interview

Naif is the creator of The 99, a comic series that features superheroes based on Islamic archetypes. Coming from a background in clinical psychology, Naif earned his PhD and aided war victims with post traumatic stress disorder. Deciding to take a different path, Naif went to business school and developed an idea that would eventually take shape as The 99. These comics, while not overtly alluding to Islam, aim to promote values of tolerance and peace outside of and within the Muslim world.

Jessica Harris speaks to Naif about his process of creating a unique approach to promoting cultural tolerance and understanding, from scratch.

Ian is the author and illustrator of Olivia, a children’s book series about a pig. His first book, initially a gift for his niece Olivia, was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 2000. Ian is a set and costumer designer for opera and dance, as well as the creator of more than 30 covers for The New Yorker Magazine.

Ian speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched his art career, from scratch.

Listen to the interview

From joining gyms to taking Yoga classes, finding a workout that was both effective and satisfying did not come easily to Elizabeth and Julie. Unable to discover a cardio program that motivated and inspired (as well as burned calories), Julie and Elizabeth set out to create a new kind of routine. Fusing elements of indoor cycling with upper body workouts, the two opened a
small studio on the upper west side of Manhattan. They soon found themselves attracting media attention, serving celebrities, and opening multiple locations in New York City and the surrounding region.

Julie and Elizabeth speak with Jessica Harris about how an unknown cycling studio transformed itself into a lifestyle brand, from scratch.

Listen to the interview

MongoDB—an open source database company that focuses on helping companies manage their data—is just one of the several companies that Dwight has successfully launched. He is also the co-founder of Doubleclick, the ad serving platform (acquired by Google for $3.1Bn); Gilt Groupe, the online fashion company; Business Insider, the news web platform, among others.

Dwight speaks to Jessica Harris about his role in launching a number of successful New York City start-ups, from scratch.

Listen to the interview

Coursera offers online courses to the public through partnerships with leading universities internationally. Coursera was launched in 2012 and reached its first one million users faster than Facebook or Twitter. Coursera is one of a number of companies offering massive open online courses– or MOOCs– to address a growing global population and the rising costs of on-campus higher education.

Daphne speaks with Jessica Harris about Coursera’s role in pioneering the landscape of higher education, from scratch.

Listen to the interview

Arianna launched the Huffington Post, the online media platform, in 2005. The company was acquired by AOL in 2011 and was the first online-only news organization to win the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2012. Arianna has written more than a dozen books on topics including feminism, Maria Callas, Picasso, and Greek mythology. Her most recent book, Thrive, is about well-being.

Arianna speaks with Jessica Harris about how she helped legitimize the blogosphere by building the Huffington Post, from scratch.

Listen to the interview

SolarCity is a clean energy company that sells solar energy to consumers.  SolarCity has installed solar panels for companies including Walmart, Intel, and eBay, among others.

Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind PayPal, Tesla electric cars and SpaceX, is Lyndon’s cousin and the company’s chairman.  Lyndon founded the company with his brother, Pete, in 2006. SolarCty went public in December 2012.

Listen to the interview