From Scratch with Jessica Harris

Ian is the author and illustrator of Olivia, a children’s book series about a pig. His first book, initially a gift for his niece Olivia, was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 2000. Ian is a set and costumer designer for opera and dance, as well as the creator of more than 30 covers for The New Yorker Magazine. Ian speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched his art career, from scratch. Listen to the interview

From joining gyms to taking Yoga classes, finding a workout that was both effective and satisfying did not come easily to Elizabeth and Julie. Unable to discover a cardio program that motivated and inspired (as well as burned calories), Julie and Elizabeth set out to create a new kind of routine. Fusing elements of indoor cycling with upper body workouts, the two opened a small studio on the upper west side of Manhattan. They soon found themselves attracting media attention, serving celebrities, and opening multiple locations in New York City and the surrounding region. Julie and Elizabeth speak with Jessica Harris about how an unknown cycling studio transformed itself into a lifestyle brand, from scratch. Listen to the interview

MongoDB—an open source database company that focuses on helping companies manage their data—is just one of the several companies that Dwight has successfully launched. He is also the co-founder of Doubleclick, the ad serving platform (acquired by Google for $3.1Bn); Gilt Groupe, the online fashion company; Business Insider, the news web platform, among others. Dwight speaks to Jessica Harris about his role in launching a number of successful New York City start-ups, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Coursera offers online courses to the public through partnerships with leading universities internationally. Coursera was launched in 2012 and reached its first one million users faster than Facebook or Twitter. Coursera is one of a number of companies offering massive open online courses– or MOOCs– to address a growing global population and the rising costs of on-campus higher education. Daphne speaks with Jessica Harris about Coursera’s role in pioneering the landscape of higher education, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Arianna launched the Huffington Post, the online media platform, in 2005. The company was acquired by AOL in 2011 and was the first online-only news organization to win the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting in 2012. Arianna has written more than a dozen books on topics including feminism, Maria Callas, Picasso, and Greek mythology. Her most recent book, Thrive, is about well-being. Arianna speaks with Jessica Harris about how she helped legitimize the blogosphere by building the Huffington Post, from scratch. Listen to the interview

SolarCity is a clean energy company that sells solar energy to consumers.  SolarCity has installed solar panels for companies including Walmart, Intel, and eBay, among others. Elon Musk, the entrepreneur behind PayPal, Tesla electric cars and SpaceX, is Lyndon’s cousin and the company’s chairman.  Lyndon founded the company with his brother, Pete, in 2006. SolarCty went public in December 2012. Listen to the interview

Opower is a software company focused on energy efficiency. Opower works with utilities to monitor how much energy a consumer uses and gives households and businesses incentives to lower their consumption. The idea is that through the use of behavioral science techniques such as peer proof, people will feel compelled to consume energy more responsibly. Dan started Opower in 2007 with his Harvard classmate Alex Laskey. Opower went public in April, 2014. Prior, Dan launched Edusoft, a software company focused on public school assessments, which was sold to Houghton Mifflin in 2004. Dan speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched Opower, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Despite his elite background in India, Bunker Roy chose an unconventional path dedicating his life to educating India’s impoverished population. Influenced by Ghandi’s approach toward self reliance at the village level, the Barefoot College is an organization that teaches practical skills including solar engineering, architecture and water purification, to mostly illiterate women and men. Upon completion of their six month education at the Barefoot College, students bring their newly attained skills home to their villages, where they help to improve local living standards. The Barefoot College has expanded its reach beyond India, to Afghanistan, parts of Africa and Latin America. Jessica Harris speaks to Bunker about his journey of empowering countless poor people across the globe, from scratch. Listen to the interview

Zainab Salbi grew up in Iraq with close ties to Saddam Hussein. Her father was Saddam’s personal pilot, causing her family to be victims of psychological abuse by the dictator. When Zainab was living in the United States as a young adult, she was again involved in an abusive relationship. Her understanding of women in extremely harsh conditions eventually led her to start Women for Women International, an organization that provides support to women in war zones worldwide. Zainab tells Jessica Harris about growing up in the shadow of Saddam Hussein, and how it empowered her to join the fight to help women across the globe, from scratch. Listen to the interview

African Leadership Academy (ALA) is an institution focused on developing Africa’s next generation of leaders. ALA provides practical leadership education, networking and mentoring opportunities for its students, as well as financial incentives to remain on the African continent. Fred started ALA when he was 27 years old. Fred speaks with Jessica Harris about how he launched ALA, from scratch. Listen to the interview