Best Stanford Unviersity Podcasts (2025)

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Authentic Communication: Live from Stanford Seed Summit in South Africa 31:27

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2M ago31:27

31:27

We're excited to bring you a special cross-over episode from our friends at the 'Think Fast, Talk Smart' podcast. Host Matt Abrahams joined us and recorded this live session at the Stanford Seed Transformation Network Summit in Cape Town, exploring the authentic communication strategies that every entrepreneur needs to master. Real connection means…

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Stanford Professors Reflect on Fostering Grit & Nurturing Growth 26:37

5M ago26:37

26:37

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s final episode. After five years and 90 episodes, we’ve asked four Stanford GSB professors who teach in the Seed Transformation Program to tell us what they’ve learned — about the grit of intrepid entrepreneurs working in emerging economies and the growth they’ve experienced in their own teaching. Jesper Sorensen, Baba Shi…

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Tangguh dan Pertumbuhan: Kisah Singkat 16:24

6M ago16:24

16:24

Perkenalkan Denica Riadini-Flesch, seorang mantan ekonom yang menjadi pengusaha. Ia sedih melihat perjuangan para pengrajin dan petani tradisional di pedesaan Indonesia sehingga ia mendirikan perusahaan untuk membantu mengubah hidup mereka. SukkhaCitta adalah merek mode dari petani-ke-lemari, yang mengembalikan daya kepada para perempuan yang membu…

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Short Takes: Growing Impact, Stitch by Stitch 14:39

7M ago14:39

14:39

Meet Denica Riadini-Flesch, a former economist turned entrepreneur, who was so saddened by the struggles of traditional artisans and farmers in rural Indonesia that she created a company to help change their lives. SukkhaCitta is a farm-to-closet fashion brand that puts power back in the hands of the women who make our clothes. Its mission: to end …

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Short Takes: Disrupting African Travel, One Ticket at a Time 14:39

7M ago14:39

14:39

Meet Wyclife Omondi, co-founder of BuuPass, a company committed to tackling one of Africa’s biggest challenges: transportation inefficiency. The solution seemed simple enough – digital ticketing – but making it happen took persistence, adaptation, and plenty of strategic pivots. Learn about Omondi’s entrepreneurial journey as he scales to include o…

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Short Takes: Breaking Barriers with Heavy Machinery 12:25

8M ago12:25

12:25

Meet Santhoshi Sushma Buddhiraju, CEO and cofounder of Autocracy Machinery, a heavy machinery manufacturing company located in southern India. The idea for her company began with a simple question: Why is India, the world’s largest consumer, so reliant on imported machinery? Answering that question entailed bold risks, fearless leadership, and pers…

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Short Takes: Building a Health(y) Business in Rural India 13:34

9M ago13:34

13:34

Meet Sumit Sinhal, founder and director of Kin’s Health, a growing healthcare company located in West Bengal, India, at the foot of the Himalayas. While most entrepreneurs would see obstacles in delivering care to this remote region, Sinhal’s passion, innovation, leadership, and strategic vision are creating opportunities — for both patients and do…

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Stories Sell: A Masterclass on Building Trust One Tale at a Time 38:25

9M ago38:25

38:25

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on sales, featuring Celine Duros, a woman who started her career in sales at 16 and is now both an experienced sales director in emerging markets and consultant to entrepreneurs seeking the secrets to successful sales – whether you’re pitching yourself, managing teams, or selling a specific product. Celine Dur…

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Securing Seed Capital: Can You Pass the Napkin Test? 37:18

10M ago37:18

37:18

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on the do’s and don’ts of pitching VCs, featuring Zach George, general partner at Launch Africa Ventures, one of the leading early-stage venture capital funds on the continent. Sitting in the investor seat gives George valuable insights on what entrepreneurs should and shouldn’t do to attract the right kind of…

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Leading Through Layoffs: A Masterclass with Esi Ansah 38:37

11M ago38:37

38:37

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on downsizing with Esi Ansah, executive director of the Center for Leadership at Ashesi University and founder of Axis Human Capital, an organizational development consulting firm. From managing team morale to ensuring your downsizing plan is data driven, Ansah provides a clear blueprint for leaders facing tou…

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From Downsizing to Thriving: Strategic HR in a Global Context 30:45

11M ago30:45

30:45

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on strategic HR with Rokhaya Ndiaye, CEO and founder of Ro&Partners, a human capital consulting firm. Gain valuable insights and strategies for shaping your organization’s long-term goals and aligning your people strategies to meet future challenges. When it comes to dealing with humans, whether growing a tale…

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Masterclass on Stanford’s Most Popular Leadership Course 31:56

1y ago31:56

31:56

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on leadership with Collins Dobbs, a Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer in leadership and a seasoned executive coach. According to Dobbs, becoming a truly phenomenal leader requires a deeper understanding of both yourself and your team, enabling you to navigate tough conversations, develop real conne…

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From Instinct to Insight: Crafting an Intentional Sales Strategy 30:57

1y ago30:57

30:57

Every entrepreneur understands the critical importance of sales to business success. But often, in the early stages of growth, teams tend to focus on marketing without having a strategic plan or process for how to turn leads into sales. Yann Le Beux, co-founder of a research and design firm in Senegal, and Zia Yusuf, a senior advisor at Boston Cons…

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Masterclass: Rule Makers and Rule Breakers in Business Culture 29:49

1y ago29:49

29:49

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on cross-cultural dynamics with Michele Gelfand, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor in organizational behavior. Gain new insights and strategies for understanding your company’s culture – from tight to loose – and how you can use that knowledge to build cultural intelligence in your organization, n…

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Navigating the AI Revolution: Practical Insights for Entrepreneurs 26:14

1y ago26:14

26:14

Is AI part of your business strategy? Well, if it’s not, it probably should be. Ethan Mollick, Wharton School professor of innovation and entrepreneurship, and Arun Jagannathan, two-time entrepreneur, enthusiastically agree on that. In this episode you’ll gain strategic insights and practical tools from an AI visionary and hear how one intrepid ent…

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Expanding Globally: A Masterclass with Steve Ciesinski 31:56

1y ago31:56

31:56

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on going global – a guide for expanding your business beyond borders. Steve Ciesinski, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer in entrepreneurship, walks you through the pitfalls and possibilities of making the move from local venture to global enterprise. It goes without saying that having an outstandin…

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Co-Intelligence: An AI Masterclass with Ethan Mollick 32:53

1+ y ago32:53

32:53

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on AI — a practical guide for experimenting and engaging with artificial intelligence. Ethan Mollick, Wharton School associate professor of innovation and entrepreneurship, AI visionary, and best-selling author walks us through the hype, fears, and potential of this transformative and complex technology. AI is…

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Africa's Economic Horizon: A Conversation with Acha Leke, Chairman, McKinsey Africa 30:33

1+ y ago30:33

30:33

Meet Acha Leke, senior partner and chairman of McKinsey Africa and co-founder of the African Leadership Academy. Leke has been analyzing the economic prospects of the continent for decades, so he’s the perfect person to share insights on its future, from productivity and digital transformation to the impact of Africa’s youth boom and how to plan pr…

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From Local Startup to Pan-African Success: The Beem Story 32:16

1+ y ago32:16

32:16

Starting a business and growing it are challenging enough. But expanding globally, across the entire African continent with 54 very different countries, increases the difficulty exponentially. That’s what Taha Jiwaji, CEO and founder of Beem, is experiencing first hand. Hear what it takes to create a Pan-African business and gain strategic insights…

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Season 4 Trailer 2:05

1+ y ago2:05

2:05

Welcome back to Grit & Growth from Stanford Graduate School of Business. In Season 4, you’ll hear tales of entrepreneurial trials and triumphs, obstacles and opportunities, and, of course, plenty of grit and growth. Plus, we share insights from Stanford faculty and global experts on how to avoid the pitfalls of growth and achieve success. We’ll tal…

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Short Takes: Trailblazing the Internet of Things in Bangladesh 7:16

1+ y ago7:16

7:16

Meet Mir Shahrukh Islam, cofounder and CEO of Bondstein Technologies Ltd. in Bangladesh. He created his IoT, or internet of things, company at a time when very few in Bangladesh even knew the term. Today, that future-focused, risk-taking spirit still defines and inspires his entrepreneurial journey. Taking bold risks is part of almost every entrepr…

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Short Takes: Where Science Meets Culture 8:28

1+ y ago8:28

8:28

Meet Raj Prakash, cofounder of Zifo, a science informatics company in India. While growing revenues is on almost every entrepreneur’s mind, Prakash believes building a thriving culture should be too. Hear how creating a great place to work is helping his company achieve great results. Zifo is one of the largest global pure play science informatics …

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Short Takes: Pioneering a Holistic Approach to Speech Therapy in Kenya 13:03

1+ y ago13:03

13:03

Meet Grace Macharia, a speech and language therapist and founder of SLT Support in Nairobi, Kenya. She created a social enterprise with a mission to support not only her patients, but also the profession of speech therapy in Kenya as a whole. “In 2011 there were about five speech therapists in Kenya, and all of them were trained out of the country.…

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Introducing the If/Then podcast from Stanford GSB 33:26

1+ y ago33:26

33:26

If/Then is a new podcast from the Stanford Graduate School of Business that we think will be of great interest to Grit & Growth listeners. This episode features Stanford GSB Professor Jonathan Levav analyzing the premise, “If we want to generate better ideas, then we need to get people back to the office.” To Zoom or not to Zoom? That is the questi…

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Short Takes: Growing a Family and a Business 12:58

1+ y ago12:58

12:58

Meet Sakshi Kapahi, head of Omam Consultants, an HR consultancy in India, and a mother on a mission to balance home and work life for herself and her employees. Hear about Kapahi’s journey — the hurdles and highlights — as she grew both her family and the business her father started over 40 years ago. In India, a country where only 14 percent of en…

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Workplace Friction: How to Make the Right Things Easier and the Wrong Things Harder 37:08

2y ago37:08

37:08

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on friction — the good, the bad, and the ugly. Robert Sutton, Stanford professor in the School of Engineering and best-selling author, has stories and strategies to help you identify the causes of friction, eliminate it, and even learn how to use friction intentionally to create more space for success. Frictio…

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Fail It 'til You Nail It: Masterclass on Embracing the Upside of Down 26:07

2y ago26:07

26:07

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on growth mindset and psychological safety and how they can empower employees to speak up, fail fast, and fail smart — with accountability but not retribution. Sarah Soule, Stanford Graduate School of Business professor in organizational behavior, has tips and tricks for leaders to help build a culture that en…

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Creating a Culture of Healthy Debate 34:55

2y ago34:55

34:55

Does your company have a culture where people are truly free to speak their minds … without fear of retribution? At the start of the pandemic, Elikem Tamaklo, managing director for Nyaho Healthcare in Ghana, realized that the answer was no. Hear how he changed his company’s culture and his own behavior to lead his team through COVID-19 and beyond. …

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FLASHBACK | Raising Capital in Africa: It’s Not Just About the Money 45:03

2y ago45:03

45:03

We're excited to announce that Stanford Seed has a new advisory board member: Andreata Muforo. We are thrilled to have Andreata on our team! To celebrate, we're bringing back one of our favorite episodes from Season 1, "Raising Capital in Africa: It's Not Just About the Money", which featured Andreata as a guest. Enjoy! Original Show Notes: Meet El…

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How to "Think Faster and Talk Smarter": a Masterclass with Matt Abrahams 37:17

2y ago37:17

37:17

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on spontaneous communication — those unplanned moments when you’re called on in a meeting, asked to give feedback, or introduced to a potential investor. Matt Abrahams, Stanford Graduate School of Business lecturer in strategic communications, has tips and tricks to overcome anxiety, gain confidence, and make …

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The Business of Ending Generational Poverty in India: Haqdarshak! 35:53

2y ago35:53

35:53

Creating a compelling strategy is step number one for every business. But almost no one gets it right on the first try. Aniket Doegar and “Guns” Ganapathy, co-founders of the Indian social enterprise Haqdarshak, pivoted multiple times while remaining focused on financial sustainability and their mission: eliminating generational poverty in India th…

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Making Great Strategy: A Masterclass with Jesper Sørensen 27:36

2y ago27:36

27:36

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on strategy, featuring Jesper Sørensen’s insights on how to build a strategy for success and accept the inherent uncertainty of it all. This Stanford Graduate School of Business professor tells you what you need to know: from defining what a strategy is — and is not — to deciding who to involve and how to deba…

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Unleashing the Power of Market Creation 34:36

2y ago34:36

34:36

Almost every entrepreneur dreams of becoming a market leader. But a business's greatest potential for success happens with market creation. Andela, led by co-founder and CEO Jeremy Johnson, did just that by unlocking access to a global labor market — for both job seekers and companies in need of great talent. Hear Andela’s market-making journey and…

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Executive Coaching: Why Entrepreneurs Shouldn’t Go It Alone 32:05

2y ago32:05

32:05

Welcome to Grit & Growth’s masterclass on coaching, featuring Laurie Fuller, a certified executive coach, who believes entrepreneurs can benefit from having a collaborator, connector, and cheerleader by their side. Fuller provides practical tips on what to look for in a coach plus tried-and-true techniques she uses to help her clients transform the…

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Taking a Stand with Your Brand: Genderless Fashion in Africa 36:05

2+ y ago36:05

36:05

In Africa, as in the rest of the world, gay rights is a deeply divisive issue and queer people often face discrimination and violence. Wandia Gichuru, CEO of Vivo Fashion Group, and Chris Makena Muriithi, CEO of BOLD Network Africa, decided they wanted to do something about it using their collective strengths in business, fashion, advocacy, and sto…

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Strategy: It’s the Big Bets that Matter 34:24

2+ y ago34:24

34:24

Do you have a strategy? Or do you just have a plan? Understanding the difference and how to define and execute on both is essential to transforming your business. Abhishek Rungta, founder and CEO of INT, realized he had been running his business without a strategy for far too long. Hear his journey and gain strategic insights from Jesper Sorensen, …

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Executive Coaching: From Self-Doubt to Self-Awareness 36:50

2+ y ago36:50

36:50

Entrepreneurs aren’t meant to solve all their business problems alone, but all too often they try. Kunaal Rach, CEO of Healthy U, was no exception … until he met Laurie Fuller, a certified business coach, who transformed his leadership—and his business. Hear from both coach and coachee on how coaching can help provide the strategic, moral, and emot…

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Pivot, Adapt, Grow: Building a Fashion Brand in Kenya 40:48

2+ y ago40:48

40:48

Starting a business is hard enough. But growing it can be exponentially harder — especially when crossing borders and continents and in a business as fickle as fashion. Wandia Gichuru is experiencing it all as founder and CEO of Vivo Fashion Group, based in Nairobi, Kenya. Gichuru thinks about her business beyond simply selling clothes. We can be “…

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Short Takes: Sweet Success – Can you build an ice cream unicorn in India? 15:31

2+ y ago15:31

15:31

Meet Gaurav Khemani, CEO of Prestige Ice Creams based in Kolkata. Faced with COVID-19 shutdowns, a cyclone, supply chain pains, and more, Khemani believes personal and professional discipline will help make his entrepreneurial dreams come true. Hear about his journey from a career at big retail companies to leading a small business that he hopes wi…

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Short Takes: From Farms to Forks 15:07

2+ y ago15:07

15:07

Meet Delia Stirling, commercial director of Brown’s Food Co. in Nairobi. She and her team are on a mission to spark consumer demand for foods made from indigenous Kenyan crops. Hear how their efforts are also helping small family farms and educating consumers about the environmental, economic, and taste benefits of eating locally grown food. Delia …

3y ago39:05

39:05

What’s the greatest resource for a fast-growing company? If you answered human resources, you’ve got a great head start on scaling for success. Sachin Dhanani, co-founder of Kenyan-based Danco Capital, learned firsthand the importance of having a strategic HR plan. Hear his story and get essential guidance from HR expert Claudia Salvischiani as you…