Alumni from five fellows programs
Annual enrollments in affiliated courses
Teaching awards to STVP faculty and instructors
A Shared Enthusiasm
Tau Beta Pi Teaching Award winner Riitta Katila inspires—and learns from—her students.
Professor Riitta Katila never expected to hear her own name called during the Management Science and Engineering commencement ceremony last June. But as she watched her students receive their diplomas, she found herself accepting the 2023-24 Teaching Award presented by the Stanford chapter of the national engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi.
“All I could think was, ‘Did they just call my name?’” says Katila, STVP faculty director. “I was surprised, because I was surrounded by all these other master teachers. It was wonderful to be recognized by the students.”
Read the full story in the report
Teaching Honors in 2023-24
STVP courses, faculty, and lecturers have been recognized both at Stanford and nationally for their exemplary teaching and pedagogy. Honors this past year included:
Tau Beta Pi Teaching Award
Riitta Katila
W. M. Keck Sr. Professor of Management Science and Engineering; Faculty Director of STVP
Tau Beta Pi Teaching Honor Roll
Kathleen Eisenhardt
Stanford W. Ascherman M.D. Professor in the School of Engineering, Co-Director Emerita of STVP
Eugene L. Grant Undergraduate Teaching Award
Jack Fuchs
Lecturer, Management Science and Engineering
Fellows Programs
With the addition this past year of Emerson Consequential Scholars, STVP now has five fellows programs, supporting students and scholars from the undergraduate to postdoc level.
Mayfield Fellows Program
STVP’s first program, launched in 1996, the Mayfield Fellows Program enables undergraduate and co-term students to develop leadership skills for responsible tech ventures. The program is supported by Mayfield and led by Tom Byers, professor, MS&E and faculty director, STVP; and Ann Miura-Ko, adjunct lecturer, MS&E and partner, Floodgate.
The Mayfield Fellows Program equipped me with the foundational knowledge and skills essential to becoming an effective and ethical leader. Through its focus on entrepreneurship and the invaluable mentorship of the teaching team, combined with the shared wisdom of an incredible cohort, the program has left me with enduring insights and lifelong lessons that continue to shape my journey."
Accel Leadership Program
The Accel Leadership Program celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2023-24! The program trains technically minded graduate and co-term students to solve real-world problems via case-based team learning. The program is supported by Accel and led by Byers; Mo Lei Fong, adjunct lecturer, MS&E; and Steve Loughlin, partner, Accel.
The in-person site visits, case-based learning, and one-on-one mentorship provided a learning experience that was truly unique among all classes I’ve taken at Stanford.”
Threshold Venture Fellows
Celebrating its 10th year in 2024-25, the Threshold Venture Fellows program enables master’s and co-term students to develop leadership skills for the venture ecosystem. The program is supported by Threshold and led by Heidi Roizen, adjunct lecturer, MS&E, and partner, Threshold Ventures; and Aidan Madigan-Curtis, partner, Eclipse Ventures.
Being part of TVF was one of the most memorable experiences of my time at Stanford. Surrounded by incredible peers and mentors who have become lifelong friends, I gained invaluable entrepreneurial expertise that has been instrumental in my career. As a non-STEM major now working in the VC/PE investment space, I credit TVF for shaping my personal and professional growth in ways I never imagined."
Xfund Ethics Fellows
STVP’s student-led Xfund Ethics Fellows (formerly PEAK Fellows) allows Stanford undergrads and co-term students to develop their own ethical principles. In 2023-24, the program received generous support from Xfund partner Brandon Farwell, who serves as a mentor. Byers serves as faculty advisor. Jack Fuchs, lecturer, MS&E; and Mar Hershenson, adjunct lecturer, MS&E, and managing partner, Pear VC, are also mentors.
Xfund Ethics Fellows gave me a space to consider what matters to me, and has equipped me for a lifetime of service and entrepreneurship. Whether you’re launching a venture, or joining one, or curious about the business world, Xfund Ethics Fellows is the perfect launchpad for this exploration."
Emerson Consequential Scholars
STVP launched Emerson Consequential Scholars in 2024, generously supported by Emerson Collective and led by Mike Lepech, professor, CEE, and Fern Mandelbaum, adjunct lecturer, GSB, and managing director, Emerson. The program includes PhD and postdoctoral cohorts and a seminar series, providing Stanford academics with an in-depth exploration of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial mindset.
ECS provides a supportive environment that has helped me gain entrepreneurial expertise and helps position my research towards making meaningful, positive impacts on society. Whether you are interested in an entrepreneurial career or one in academia, ECS and its incredible cohort offers invaluable insights that will help nurture personal and professional growth during your PhD journey.”
Research papers published by STVP faculty leaders in 2024
Citations of research by STVP faculty leaders in 2024
PhD graduates have been affiliated with STVP
Understanding Entrepreneurial Resilience
A generous gift from the Li Ka Shing Foundation expands STVP’s research into entrepreneurs’ resilience and well-being.
Startup culture is high stress, high pressure, and high stakes. While investors recognize the crucial importance of founder resilience, it’s easy for founders to prioritize performance above their own well-being. With a disproportionate number of founders suffering burnout and mental health challenges, shouldn’t entrepreneurs and investors be as focused on well-being as they are on the bottom line? And how can founders best build resilience and maintain wellness on the bumpy road to startup success? The new Stanford Initiative for Entrepreneurs’ Resilience and Well-Being (SIER) will study these questions and offer support to Stanford students and entrepreneurs worldwide. SIER is a collaboration between STVP and the Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign.
Read the full story in the report
Research Highlights
STVP faculty produce some of the most cited research in their fields. Some of the research published this past year includes:
Advertisers Unknowingly Support Online Misinformation
In the paper “Companies Inadvertently Fund Online Misinformation Despite Consumer Backlash” (in Nature), STVP Faculty Director Chuck Eesley (pictured), PhD candidate Wajeeha Ahmad, and coauthors reveal that many companies fund misinformation websites through their ads without even realizing it.
Enhancing Strategic Decision Making with AI
In “Making the Most of AI and Machine Learning in Organizations and Strategy Research” (Strategic Management Journal), STVP Faculty Director Riitta Katila (pictured), PhD graduate Jason Rathje, and PhD candidate Philipp Reineke explore how businesses can leverage AI and machine learning to enhance strategic decision-making and organizational performance.
Bridging Commercial Success and Societal Impact
In the paper “Mavericks and Diplomats: Bridging Commercial and Institutional Entrepreneurship for Society’s Grand Challenges” (Organization Science), STVP Co-Director Emerita Kathleen Eisenhardt (pictured) and PhD graduate Eric Volmar, who is now with Stanford’s Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, explore the strategy formation processes of two EdTech ventures in the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) market.
Harnessing Friction to Improve Productivity
In their book The Friction Project, Professors Robert Sutton of STVP (pictured) and Huggy Rao of Stanford GSB distill seven years of researching real leaders and companies to guide readers in becoming “friction fixers.” The authors show how effective friction fixers are trustees of their employees’ time and, using “friction forensics,” help readers know when to eliminate harmful friction and add helpful friction.
A Legacy of Impact
Entrepreneurship’s premiere academic organization recognized Tom Byers and Tina Seelig for their pioneering work to advance entrepreneurship education.
As leaders of STVP, Tom Byers and Tina Seelig have nurtured the entrepreneurial spirit and skillset of Stanford students and aspiring entrepreneurs worldwide. Their impact earned them the Legacy Award from the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC). Their notable contributions include democratizing entrepreneurship content through the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders series and eCorner platform, hosting 50 international Roundtables on Entrepreneurship Education, and leading the National Center for Engineering Pathways to Innovation (Epicenter), a transformative project, funded by the National Science Foundation, aimed at catalyzing change in undergraduate engineering education.
Read the full story in the report
Empowering Entrepreneurs Everywhere
Here are some of the ways STVP faculty and course content empower aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs beyond the Stanford classroom:
HBR Article Offers Guide to Better Decision Making
The course Principled Entrepreneurial Decisions (ENGR 148/248) led to the Harvard Business Review article “It’s Time to Define Your Company’s Principles” (November-December 2023), by instructors Jack Fuchs and Scott Sandell and course assistant Vikram Shanker. In it, the authors explain why principles matter, how they lead to better decisions, and how companies can develop a set of strong principles.
ETL Brings Course to Masses
For more than 20 years, the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders series has served as the gateway to entrepreneurship for tens of thousands of Stanford students while inspiring entrepreneurs and innovators around the world. The podcast and video series, based on the popular MS&E 472 course, reaches over 100,000 listeners and viewers each month
Podcast Explores Climate and Sustainability Entrepreneurship
With less than a decade to avert the worst impacts of climate change, engineers and entrepreneurs have an urgent opportunity to design and scale solutions. In the podcast Move Fast and Fix the Planet, produced by STVP with support from Stanford Ecopreneurship, STVP Faculty Director Mike Lepech explores the unique aspects of climate and sustainability entrepreneurship through interviews with experts in innovation, venture capital, policy, and more.
Reaching Lifelong Learners Online
Through Stanford Online, STVP faculty leaders offer a wide range of continuing education opportunities. Here is a sampling of certificate programs led or taught by STVP faculty leaders; individual courses are also available
Where Our Support Comes From
Going further with your support
STVP is shaping the future of entrepreneurship through teaching, research, and community, empowering individuals with innovative programs.
If you are interested in making a tax-deductible gift to STVP, you can do so at give.stanford.edu. Please select “School of Engineering” and then “STVP” in the field immediately below.
