Stanford Pathfinders with Howard Wolf

Investor, founder, entrepreneur, and visionary Alan Chiu, MS ’11, demystifies the emerging worlds of blockchain, cryptocurrency, and Web3. He discusses his two companies, Boba Network and Enya, and what his more than 20 years of experience building and investing in enterprise start-ups has taught him about the future of the web.

Raven Jiang, ’15, MBA ’21, explains his full-service finance platform for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) start-ups, Arc. Born during the COVID-19 lockdown, Arc is the brainchild of Jiang and two MBA classmates. Their mission is to make the barrier of startup funding a non-issue for SaaS founders.

Trina Wiggins, MD, ’82, discusses her mission to help people take the short, simple steps that can move them toward a healthier lifestyle. Dr. Wiggins is a Renaissance woman of health and wellness. She is a pediatrician, CEO and founder of a fitness and nutrition program for children, author, professional speaker, wellness coach, and a Miss Fitness competitor and winner many times over.

Peter Tseng, ’14, discusses Open, the company he co-founded to broaden our understanding and practice of mindfulness. By incorporating, music, movement and community into a space that still feels isolating and opaque to many, Tseng aims to create an accessible future of well-being programs and practices.

Dr. Casey Means, ’09, MD ’14, discusses her metabolic health company, Levels, and her mission to reverse the epidemic of preventable chronic disease. She explains how tech-enabled tools can empower individuals to create sustainable, smart, and custom lifestyle plans. 

Highly accomplished Renaissance woman Shiza Shahid, ’11, discusses co-founding Malala Fund, creating and funding mission-driven start-ups, her childhood in Pakistan, and everything that’s led to a life of world-changing work. In addition to being the mind behind enterprises such as NOW Ventures and Our Place, Shahid has appeared on 30 Under 30 lists in both Time and Forbes.

Co-founder and CEO Peter Colis, MBA ’16, discusses the purpose of his company, Ethos Life. Believing that applying for life insurance should be a straightforward and accessible process, Colis and his partner have designed a system that allows families to acquire simple, ethical coverage.

Renowned business expert, author, and speaker John Davis, ’82, delves into his new book, Radical Business: How to Transform Your Organization in the Age of Global Crisis. Having spent half his professional life in the business world and half in academia, John is uniquely positioned to answer this question: How can businesses worldwide become a consistent force for good?

With cheeky irreverence and “funny-but-in-a-hot-way” commentary, Lianna Holston, ’18, and Siena Jeakle, ’19, take on the American Film Institute's “100 Greatest American Movies of All Time” in their award-winning podcast, Tossed Popcorn. Lianna and Siena discuss why two people who have neither seen nor enjoyed all that many films are the perfect critics to “get the classics off their pedestal.”  

Tinx, ’13, has racked up an astounding 1.5 million followers on TikTok. Her success comes from a unique combination of life hacks, tips, humor and carefully curated product recommendations. Tinx discusses what drives her passion for influencing and how she can continue to help people, one tiktok at a time.

The first true digital natives, Gen Z is poised to enter adulthood and the workforce during a period of time unlike any other. So, what can this highly unique and diverse group teach us about work, communication and life in general? Lawyer, cultural anthropologist and author Roberta Katz, ’69, shares her insights and discusses her latest book, Gen Z, Explained: The Art of Living in a Digital Age.

Scott Reiss, ’93, MA ’94, discusses his new best-selling book, Where They Were Then: Sportscasters. A highly accomplished sports anchor in his own right (not to mention the voice of Stanford Cardinal football and men’s basketball), Reiss shares the origin stories of 15 renowned sportscasters as well as commentary on and insight into the profession itself.

​​Dan Grunfeld, ’06, MBA ’17, shares the awe-inspiring story behind his new book By the Grace of the Game: The Holocaust, a Basketball Legacy, and an Unprecedented American Dream. From the unique, beautiful reason behind his decision to attend Stanford to his family’s story of survival and hope, Grunfeld’s journey is unlike any other.

Pioneering online-news journalist, noted educator and award-winning political reporter Rich Jaroslovsky, ’75, discusses where journalism is headed and how digital news is shaping that future. Jaroslovsky explores the issue of trust in regards to this new era of journalism as well as trends and industry growth.

Award-winning, longtime sports writer Ivan Maisel discusses the unfathomable tragedy that led to the writing of his best seller, I Keep Trying to Catch His Eye: A Memoir of Loss, Grief, and Love. This deeply personal work reflects on the suicide of Maisel’s son and tells the story of their complicated relationship and the complex journey that led Maisel to see grief as love. 

Popular Stanford computer science professor and alum Mehran Sahami discusses his new book System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot (authored with fellow Stanford professors Rob Reich, MA ’98, PhD ’98, and Jeremy Weinstein). In an age of technological despondency and hyperfixation on optimization, Sahami presents an outline for a course correction that would allow big tech to support and uplift—not hinder—our democracy and fundamental values.

Chairman and founder of Pixlee, Kyle Wong, explains his passion for helping brands enable user-generated content to tell their stories. A brand’s message doesn’t have to come directly from the brand and, often, happy customers make the best marketers. Pixlee provides the technology that allows organizations to leverage these customer stories for compelling marketing.

BlackRock Senior Managing Director Rich Kushel discusses what it takes to make environmental sustainability and climate change central to investment strategy. Sustainable investing is a core focus of BlackRock’s multibillion-dollar portfolio management and investment solutions.

A 10-year veteran of management consulting, Brooke Weddle of McKinsey & Company discusses how to create a winning post-pandemic business. With collaboration and knowledge sharing, leaders in all industries can help us move from surviving to thriving.

Venture investor, author and beloved Stanford Business School Lecturer Rob Siegel discusses his new book The Brains and Brawn Company: How Leading Organizations Blend the Best of Digital and Physical. In a world full of ho-hum business advice, Rob is leading the way in research and effective management strategy in the tech industry and beyond.