Who you are defines how you build.

This is the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders series.

Brought to you by Stanford E-Corner.

On this episode, we're joined by Ravi Balani.

Ravi is a lecturer in Stanford's Department of Management Science and Engineering

and the Managing Director of Alchemist Accelerator.

Here's Robbie.

Today we're going to be talking about building venture-scalable businesses or billion-dollar businesses,

and I want to say that that is just one slice of entrepreneurship.

It is an important slice, but it is a narrow slice. And I want to caveat this by saying that your first job,

if you feel the calling of entrepreneurship, is to reflect within about what is authentically right for you,

and then to curry the resources, talent, and capital to get

your mission to be realized.

And if that can align with the venture-backed model, you can do amazing things, but every company

and every venture is different.

And the second thing I just want to say is that my intention here is to really distill the

nuggets of insight that I've collected

along the way over the 20 years since I was in your seat as a Stanford student. And to

share those nuggets. And every now and then you'll pick out, pick a nugget of insight

that will come to you in life to try to distill those for you, for anybody who's going

down this path. And my defining professional work experience was in venture capital, and so that is why this talk

is going to be about building billion dollar businesses. Okay, so we're going to be talking

...