Bonny Simi (Jet Blue & Joby Aviation) - An Entrepreneurial Mindset—Applied to You [ETL Looks Back]

Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders (ETL)

Stanford eCorner

Journey, Startups, Education, Stanford, Culture, Strategy, Stanford University, Entrepreneurship, Business, Life Lessons, Thought Leadership, Creativity, Etl, Challenges, Leadership, Innovation, Founders

4.4 • 739 Ratings

🗓️ 26 March 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this 2016 conversation, Bonny Simi—Olympian, airline pilot, venture capitalist, and entrepreneur—explains how success is built on curiosity, creativity, and the courage to take risks. While in her role with JetBlue, Simi shared how setting bold intentions, building transferable skills, and leveraging parallel career moves shaped her unconventional career. Her insights aren’t just for entrepreneurs—they serve as a reminder that this mindset can be applied to any area of life. With advice like taking risks with confidence and being open to non-traditional paths, Simi—now the president of operations for Joby Aviation—highlights the power of small steps, resilience, and trusting the journey.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to the DFJ Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders series, brought you weekly by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program.
0:10.3	You can find podcasts and videos of these lectures online at eChorner.standford.edu.
0:18.1	Today, we're very proud to have Bonnie Simmy, president of JetBlue Technology Ventures,
0:23.4	the innovation hub for JetBlue Airways, investment and incubation of emerging startups at the
0:28.6	intersection of travel and technology. And now let me tell you, I think seldom have we had
0:33.8	somebody who's as eclectic in terms of their background as Bonnie Simmy. She is a true Renaissance person.
0:40.3	Let me just give you the quick lowdown.
0:42.3	Bonnie's first a triple threat Stanford grad, having an undergrad degree in communications,
0:46.3	a master's degree in MS&E from the engineering school,
0:50.3	another master's degree from the Stanford Business School.
0:53.3	As if that's not enough, she's also a triple threat athlete.
0:57.0	She's a three-time Olympian, a ten-time national champion in Luge,
1:03.0	and also a three-time Olympic commentator.
1:06.0	As if that's not enough. She's also a pilot.
1:11.8	She's been a pilot, and I'm not talking about just a recreational pilot.
1:15.0	I mean a professional pilot for 25 years, flying major jets, like 770s.
1:21.0	777s, I'll let Bonnie give the full detail, but major, major jets.
1:26.2	She's also a mom, and she has a kid right now who's a freshman in college.
1:33.3	And before she took over as the president of JetBlue Technology Ventures,
1:37.3	and she's also an officer at JetBlue, a public Fortune 500 company,
1:41.3	she headed JetBlue Talent, where she's hired 12,000 people and placed 12,000 people
1:47.9	over the last four years.
	...

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