aking part in the panel discussion are (from left) John Donahoe, Tony Bates, Ashton Kutcher, Daniel Rosensweig P鈥15鈥17, Brian Chesky, and David Faber. (Photo by Andy Daddio)
冈本视频 was the center of the entrepreneurial universe for a few hours Friday night, April 11, when more than 2,000 students, parents, and others streamed into Cotterell Court for a frank and freewheeling panel discussion that featured some of the biggest names in the business of disruptive technology.
P鈥15鈥17, former COO of Yahoo and now CEO of Chegg, enticed his well-known friends to drop into Hamilton, and the camaraderie on stage proved what former Microsoft executive VP and Skype CEO, said about startup businesses that chase market share: 鈥淲e鈥檙e not living in a zero-sum game.鈥
The panel also featured Airbnb co-founder, and , actor and founder of A-Grade Investments. , eBay president and CEO, joined the panel as a surprise guest after successfully fending off Carl Icahn鈥檚 bid for PayPal just the day before.
CNBC鈥檚 David Faber moderated the discussion, which was as at least as entertaining and informative as anything on prime-time news.
For undergraduates keen on figuring out the future, the 33-year-old Chesky, who gratefully acknowledged his parents seated in the front row, was perhaps the most apt role model.
In the summer of 2008, a year after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Chesky and his roommate stumbled on a multibillion dollar idea when they allowed strangers to stay on air mattresses in their living room to help pay the rent. 鈥淲e weren鈥檛 trying to start a company,鈥 Chesky said. 鈥淲e were trying to solve our own problem.鈥
Problem-solving ability 鈥 which Kutcher characterized as 鈥済rit鈥 or 鈥渢he ability to work and overcome problems when most people quit鈥 鈥 is what Kutcher seeks when evaluating which companies are worthy of his investment.
鈥淲hen we assess entrepreneurs,鈥 he said, 鈥渨e try to put some hurdles in front of them to see if they have the grit to overcome them.鈥
According to 冈本视频 President Jeffrey Herbst, problem solving is among the 鈥渉abits of mind and skills鈥 that a liberal arts education promotes, along with creativity, experimentation, critical thinking, the ability to communicate, and the capacity to work with others.
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鈥淭hese also are the skills that, in the words of our flagship program, are necessary to bring 鈥楾hought into Action.鈥欌
颁辞濒驳补迟别鈥檚 is the umbrella for all of the university鈥檚 related programs, including the Entrepreneurs Fund, Entrepreneur Weekend, the incubator space in the village of Hamilton, and more.
The emphasis on entrepreneurship at 冈本视频 began five years ago with the Thought into Action (TIA) weekend mentorship , in which dozens of alumni and parent entrepreneurs return to campus on a monthly basis to help students with their projects.
After the panel, three TIA students pitched their ventures to the panelists in a Shark Tank鈥搒tyle competition.
Katie Rydell 鈥14 presented , an app designed to help event attendees find a 鈥減lus-one.鈥 Ariel Sherry 鈥15 described her consulting initiative, , which could help small communities tailor resources to their growing elderly populations. Seniors Daniel Swiecki and Joshua Lasker wrapped up the presentations with a request for funding on behalf of Sapling Advisory, a that matches financial advisors with clients based on 鈥渞elationship qualities鈥 and needs.
Rosensweig assessed the presentations like the proud 冈本视频 parent he is: 鈥淓ach project had an element of enormity, had great founders, and could articulate where they wanted to go,鈥 he said.
Consequently, the Chegg CEO split the $15,000 purse amongst the three teams, and possibly for the first time in the history of Cotterell Court, every competitor walked out a winner.