Latest Interviews

Strategies for Navigating the Hiring Process

Carol Roth, Jon Dowst, Stephanie Bevegni, Steve Strauss

Based on Bank of America data, small business owners prioritize unteachable traits like work ethic and cultural fit over formal education when leveraging referrals, job boards, and social networks to recruit talent. To ensure alignment and mitigate legal risks, hiring managers employ behavioral questioning and reference checks while carefully distinguishing between full-time employees and independent contractors. This strategy capitalizes on the growing millennial preference for smaller organizations by offering personal interaction and professional development to secure high-quality, long-term staff.

Mark Zuckerberg : How to Build the Future

Mark Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg and co-founder Dustin Moskovitz rejected a $1 billion acquisition offer from Yahoo in 2006, prioritizing a global connectivity mission over immediate financial gain despite causing significant leadership turnover. To execute this vision, they established a culture driven by the scientific method and massive data experimentation, which enabled the incremental development of features like News Feed and the People You May Know growth engine. Looking forward, Zuckerberg is currently steering the company toward a ten-year roadmap focused on universal internet connectivity, artificial intelligence for life-saving applications, and the transition to immersive VR and AR computing platforms.

The State of Small Business in America

Warren Buffett, Lloyd Blankfein, Michael Bloomberg, Jack Dorsey, Savannah Guthrie

Goldman Sachs, Square, and various business leaders convened to address the systemic financial and regulatory hurdles facing established small businesses, noting that traditional banking approves only 10% of capital requests while regulatory costs consume significant operational time. The program highlighted Square's success in approving over 98% of loan applicants through automated repayment models and emphasized a hiring philosophy prioritizing resilience and passion over elite credentials. Strategic insights from Jack Dorsey, Mayor Bloomberg, and Warren Buffett focused on reducing bureaucratic burdens, fostering open organizational cultures, and aiming to delight customers to drive sustainable growth.

Selina Tobaccowala at the Female Founders Conference 2016

Selina Tobaccowala, Colleen Taylor

Former SurveyMonkey CTO and President Selina Teece is departing after six and a half years to co-found a new venture with her original Evite co-founder, Al, having previously scaled the company from 20 employees to 600 with $200 million in revenue. Teece utilizes her experience navigating leadership transitions and capital market tightening to advise founders on embedding data-driven cultures, prioritizing early revenue over valuation, and structuring boards with independent members to balance venture capital influence. Her career trajectory serves as a case study in applying rigorous operational discipline to build family-friendly, globally scalable organizations while avoiding the strategic pitfalls of delayed product-market fit and excessive fundraising.

Urska Srsen Speaks at Y Combinator Female Founder Conference 2016

Urska Srsen, Tijana Mihajlović, Urška

Bellabeat co-founder and CEO Urška Mihajlović led the Slovenian health technology firm from a personal project in Zagreb to a profitable entity with over 350,000 units shipped. By relocating to Y Combinator in 2014 to overcome European market fragmentation, the company cultivated an "underdog" culture that enabled the physical production of its modular jewelry line, the Leaf, in Dongguan. This strategic expansion into hardware manufacturing solidified Bellabeat's mission to deliver accessible preventive care tools specifically designed for women.

Reshma Shetty Speaks at Y Combinator's Female Founders Conference 2016

Reshma Shetty

Founded in 2008 by Reshma Saujani and Tom Knight, Ginkgo Bioworks pioneered a platform that treats biology as an engineering discipline to manufacture cultured ingredients through rapid yeast fermentation. The company delayed venture capital until securing its first customers in 2012, eventually leveraging a Series A and B to scale a business model replacing traditional plant extraction. As the organization pursues its vision to become the "Intel of biology," it is simultaneously implementing a data-driven diversity strategy to address hiring gaps and broaden its workforce representation.

Fundraising Panel at Female Founders Conference 2016

Talia Frenkel, Katelyn Gleason, Aarthi Ramamurthy, Liz Wessel, Kat Manalac, Caitlin Gleason

Four YC alumni from diverse sectors including healthcare, consumer goods, and job marketplaces share detailed accounts of their capital-raising journeys, which ranged from bootstrapping to securing multimillion-dollar rounds through persistent outreach and strategic narrative framing. The founders emphasize that overcoming investor skepticism requires deep domain expertise, a willingness to educate unfamiliar backers, and the resilience to handle rejection without compromising professional relationships. Ultimately, the discussion underscores that fundraising is an optional strategic tool rather than a mandatory industry norm, urging entrepreneurs to prioritize value creation and self-belief over blind adherence to Silicon Valley conventions.

Gobble founder Ooshma Garg speaks at Female Founders Conference 2016

Ooshma Garg, Usma

Gobble founder Usma Garg pivoted her struggling food delivery startup from a failed on-demand marketplace to a successful subscription model after surviving a capital drought and rejecting early investor advice. Joining Y Combinator in 2015, Garg collaborated with executive chef Thomas Ricci to launch "Mise en Place" kitchen kits, which solved product-market fit through operational innovation rather than paid marketing. This strategic shift attracted funding from Trinity Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, enabling the company to scale to 120 employees and thousands of daily deliveries across seven states while adhering to a zero marketing budget.

Effective ML 2011 Harvard CS51 Part 2

Jane Street's engineering philosophy prioritizes explicit error handling, strict boilerplate avoidance, and managed complexity to ensure robust high-frequency trading systems. By leveraging OCaml's predictable performance and enforcing rigorous code review protocols alongside small, autonomous teams, the firm balances mathematical precision with human oversight in a hybrid trading model. This approach treats software development as a discipline of clarity and maintainability, where static typing and disciplined mutation control enable reliable operation in volatile markets.

2016 Tax Season: What small business owners need to know

Carol Roth, David Solis, Ebong Eka, Steve Strauss

Small business owners are advised to avoid DIY tax preparation and instead cultivate a year-round professional team of CPAs and financial advisors to ensure compliance and optimize financial outcomes. This strategic approach integrates automated record-keeping with real-time collaboration to navigate complex 2015 regulatory shifts, including the Affordable Care Act's employer mandate reduction and revised IRS contribution limits. By treating tax planning as a continuous process rather than an annual event, businesses can prevent costly penalties, secure necessary capital, and leverage significant deductions like the $2 million Section 179 equipment allowance.

The Evolving Small Business Workplace: How to Adapt for the Future to Recruit, Retain, and Optimi...

Carol Roth, Rob Hilson, Alexandra Levitt, Steve Strauss

Bank of America's Fall Small Business Center Report reveals that 72% of small business owners anticipate growth next year, driving a strategic shift toward hiring Millennials while Baby Boomers retire. Experts advise entrepreneurs to mitigate these expansions through standardized interview processes, revenue guarantees, and the cautious integration of technology that aligns with specific team needs. Successful retention now depends on fostering cognitive diversity and offering tailored perks like telecommuting, ensuring employees feel valued rather than merely incentivized.

National Geographic Society - Storytelling as an Agent of Change: Talks at GS Session Highlights

Marcus Bleasdale, Susan Goldberg, Dr. Enric Sala, Claudia Malley

At a decade-long anniversary event with National Geographic, Goldman Sachs hosted Susan Goldberg, Dr. Enric Sala, and Marcus Bleasdale to discuss the intersection of storytelling and conservation policy. Goldberg outlined a five-principle framework prioritizing urgent global issues, while Sala detailed how the Pristine Seas Project leveraged scientific data to secure a record 300,000-square-kilometer marine reserve in Chile. Bleasdale further illustrated the power of imagery by exposing the link between conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of Congo and electronics supply chains, concluding with panelist pledges to unify global leadership on climate and sustainability.

Effectively Managing Your Small Business’s Cash Flow

Carol Roth, Will Barr, Max Eliscu, Rieva Lesonsky, Steve Strauss, Cheryl Roth, Max Elliske, Riva Lassonski

Expert panels define cash flow as the critical narrative tool for business survival, emphasizing that small business owners face the primary challenge of delayed client payments that often exceed standard Net 30 terms. To mitigate risks such as missed opportunities and payroll failures, stakeholders recommend implementing daily monitoring, maintaining a six-month operating reserve, and utilizing technology to accelerate revenue inflows. The consensus strategy for stabilizing finances involves securing lines of credit proactively and adopting the "cash flow yoga" approach of collecting payments faster than expenses are paid.

Small Business Lending: Navigating the Current Environment

Carol Roth, Joe DiNicola, Barbara Weltman, Steve Strauss

Bank of America and expert panelists Steve Strauss, Joe DiNicola, and Barbara Weltman discuss how small business owners can leverage favorable financing conditions by maintaining strong FICO scores and demonstrating two years of positive financial trends to negotiate better terms. The event advises entrepreneurs to strategically blend traditional bank loans with alternative sources like crowdfunding while strictly avoiding predatory lenders by adhering to the Responsible Business Lending Coalition's Bill of Rights. Finally, the panel emphasizes that securing capital requires early banker relationships, accurate financial forecasting, and a clear growth plan to ensure borrowed funds drive business expansion rather than creating a debt spiral.

MBA 101: Navigating Industries, Careers and Beyond: Google Hangout

Pierre, Nathan, Sabrina, Nate

Goldman Sachs representatives Pierre, Sabrina, and Nate moderated a panel discussing MBA recruiting strategies, emphasizing that academic excellence and genuine passion are critical for differentiation in Investment Banking and Private Wealth Management. The speakers advised treating the hiring process as a marathon that prioritizes deep connections over high-volume networking while utilizing career services to navigate off-campus opportunities. They further detailed how the firm supports a sustainable work-life balance by integrating community engagement and mentorship into demanding professional roles.