Latest Interviews
Showing 481–495 of 541 transcripts.
Clear all filters- Y Combinator26 min
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.
- Y Combinator21 min
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.
- Y Combinator24 min
Reshma Shetty Speaks at Y Combinator's Female Founders Conference 2016
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.
- Y Combinator27 min
Gobble founder Ooshma Garg speaks at Female Founders Conference 2016
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.
- Goldman Sachs22 min
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.
- Bank of America22 min
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.
- Goldman Sachs21 min
MBA 101: Navigating Industries, Careers and Beyond: Google Hangout
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.
- Bank of America39 min
Small Business Success: Finding Talent and Balance
Steve Strauss, Jill Calabrese Bain, Rieva Lesonsky, Nikhil Arora
The 2023 Bank of America Small Business Owner Report reveals that a majority of entrepreneurs sacrifice personal compensation and work excessive hours to sustain their ventures, often relying on personal credit to cover business needs. Industry leaders and experts subsequently recommend redefining success through work-life integration, strategic delegation, and a "for-purpose" mindset to mitigate burnout and foster sustainable growth. By prioritizing employee retention through non-monetary recognition and self-compassion, owners can align organizational health with the critical need for personal recharge and innovation.
- Goldman Sachs22 min
Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute Co-founder: Talks@GS Session Highlights
Amory Lovins and his partners present a 2050 energy roadmap that projects the U.S. system can achieve 75% renewable penetration while expanding the economy 2.6-fold without new inventions or congressional action. This strategy leverages advanced biofuels, vehicle ultralighting, and distributed generation to reduce costs by $5 trillion compared to business-as-usual scenarios while eliminating reliance on oil, coal, and nuclear power. By shifting utility business models to service-based pricing and integrating smart grid technologies, the proposal envisions a resilient, decentralized energy infrastructure capable of delivering surplus electricity and decoupling safety from vehicle mass.
- Goldman Sachs29 min
Goldman Sachs Economists on EU Capital Markets Union: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Huw Pill, Jim Esposito, Philippe Ithurbide, William Wright
As European economies transition from crisis management to long-term structural growth, a strategic push is underway to establish a Capital Markets Union that diversifies funding beyond the banking sector. This initiative targets critical barriers such as fragmented exchange infrastructure, inconsistent insolvency laws, and information asymmetries that currently hinder SME access to public markets. Panelists recommend immediate regulatory harmonization and technology-driven standardization to unlock deep pools of long-term capital, ensuring that medium-sized enterprises and infrastructure projects can secure sustainable financing.
- Goldman Sachs21 min
Anne Hubert, Viacom Media Networks SVP: Talks at GS Session Highlights
Anne Hubert, Lindsay Drucker Mann
Goldman Sachs' "Millennial Insights" initiative analyzes how the 92-million-strong cohort is reshaping global markets through their tech-driven consumption, delayed life milestones, and demand for transparency. Despite facing economic headwinds like student debt and housing barriers, this generation is driving a shift toward the sharing economy, urban living, and strategic value-based spending that is forcing institutional adaptation. As these millennials enter their peak earning years, the firm anticipates a profound economic impact that will further accelerate trends in sustainability, e-commerce, and intergenerational influence.
- Y Combinator34 min
Fundraising Panel at Female Founders Conference 2015
Danielle Morrill, Nancy Hu, Mathilde Collin, Susan Johnson, Maran Nelson
Following a dramatic pivot from low-margin services to a software model that nearly forced Mattermark into eviction, founder Danielle Druckenmiller and her team secured a $6.5 million Series A led by Brad Feld after overcoming repeated rejections and a critical liquidity bridge. The panel also featured fellow Y Combinator graduates Susan Johnson, Mathilde Collin, and Nancy, who detailed their successful seed and early-stage fundraising strategies involving rapid meeting volume, strategic mentorship, and targeted PR approaches. These accounts collectively illustrate how early-stage founders navigate high-pressure fundraising landscapes by balancing persistence with operational discipline and transparent team communication.
- Y Combinator26 min
Adora Cheung Speaks at Female Founders Conference 2015
This presentation details Homejoy's rapid expansion from zero to 30 markets and 200 employees by prioritizing product-market fit and timing within the multi-billion dollar home services sector. The speaker outlines a disciplined scaling framework that balances organic viral growth with strict operational automation while enforcing specific core values like "no job is above any other" to maintain organizational cohesion. Ultimately, the discussion emphasizes the founder's critical role in obsessively managing product quality, recruiting A-plus talent, and protecting strategic time to navigate the chaotic realities of high-growth startups.
- Y Combinator23 min
YC Panel at Female Founders Conference 2015
Kirstine Athu, Elizabeth Irons, Kate Corto, Jessica Livingston, Carolyn Levy, Kat Mignolet
This session outlines Y Combinator's rigorous evaluation of startup applications, emphasizing the need for clear idea articulation, massive market opportunities, and strong execution capabilities across both for-profit and nonprofit sectors. Founders receive critical guidance on optimizing team dynamics, such as establishing distinct roles for spouse-couples and avoiding unequal equity splits, while also learning to overcome common psychological barriers like underplaying personal contributions during pitches. The event concludes by highlighting the diverse founder demographics currently entering the program and announcing that applications for the next batch are open alongside a networking reception.
- Y Combinator28 min
Grace Garey Speaks at Female Founders Conference 2015
Watsi CEO Rachel founded the world's first global crowdfunding platform to connect individual donors directly with patients in need, overcoming systemic inefficiencies in traditional aid by ensuring 100% of donations fund care without administrative fees. Since launching in August 2010, the organization has grown from a $10,000 crisis intervention into a Y Combinator-backed entity that has raised over $3.5 million to treat 4,000 patients across 20 countries. By prioritizing transparency and removing donor restrictions, Watsi facilitates rapid, life-saving interventions for cases such as the siblings in Guatemala and Getu in Kenya while pioneering a universal monthly giving model.