The Lean Startup Conference 2015

November 16 - 19, 2015 - San Francisco, CA

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2015 Lean Startup Conference Program Details


Talks in the Discussion Track

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Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Afternoon Breakouts2:00 PM - 4:45 PM

  • Lean - From Campus to Startup2:00 -3:00 PM
    Frank Rimalovski, New York University, @rimalovski
    Room: Southside

    In this panel, participants from leading academic institutions and entrepreneurs with technologies that have been spun out will discuss how Lean Startup is being applied in a campus setting and beyond. You will learn how Lean Startup has restructured the innovation ecosystem at Georgia Tech, and how NYU has spread it throughout campus to foster cross-boundary collaboration. You will also learn about the genesis of The National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program and hear what it takes to transition from search to execution from one of I-Corps’ emerging success stories, Neon Labs.

    InnovationEducationStartupDiscussion
  • Talking to Humans: Success Starts with Understanding your Customers3:30 - 4:30 PM
    Frank Rimalovski, New York University, @rimalovski
    Room: Southside

    While most entrepreneurs understand that “getting out of the building” is a core tenet of the Lean Startup, many still struggle to effectively conduct the kinds of interviews and experiments that will lead to the insights they seek (and need). In this hands on workshop, you’ll be guided through the process of securing, conducting and synthesizing early customer discovery interviews.

    Customer DevelopmentEducationStartupDiscussionInteractive

Closing Session5:00 - 6:00 PM


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Afternoon Breakouts2:00 PM - 4:30 PM

  • Being a Lean Startup Entrepreneur: A Conversation with Frank Chen, Tejal Shah and Reshma Khilnani.2:00 - 3:00 PM
    Frank Chen, Andreessen Horowitz , @withfries2
    Tejal Shah, KidAdmit, Inc., @tejaltshah
    Room: Southside

    Frank Chen, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz, shares his insights and expertise with the Lean Startup community about what it takes to start and build a successful business. He’ll then sit down with Reshma Khilnani and Tejal Shah to discuss the challenges of being an entrepreneur, what they’ve learned on the road to success, and how they applied Lean Startup to help get them there.

    Leadership/ManagementAll/GeneralDiscussion
  • Lessons on Lean Collaborations in Health, Energy & Talent Markets3:30 - 4:30 PM
    Aneesh Chopra, Hunch Analytics , @aneeshchopra
    Karen Austin, Pacific Gas and Electric Company , @karenaustincio
    Room: BATS

    Regulated sectors are not known for their speed or agility. As the former (and first) US Chief Technology Officer from 2009-2012, Aneesh Chopra, co-founder and EVP at Hunch Analytics, applied lean startup techniques in collaborations like the Argonaut Project (healthcare’s open API), and with entrepreneurial leaders like Karen Austin, PG&E’s CIO who introduced the Green Button, and Leighanne Levensaler, Workday’s SVP for Products, who worked to close the skills gap for unemployed veterans. Learn how to foster change through better public/private collaboration.

    Product Market FitAll/GeneralDiscussion
  • Exploring the Fertile Boundaries Between Faith and Business // #leanfaith3:30 - 4:30 PM
    Toby Rubin, UpStart Bay Area , @upstartbayarea
    Room: C210

    Author, extrapreneurial faith leader, and church futurist, Ken Howard, will lead a curated discussion of the fertile ground that lies at the boundaries of faith and business. He will be joined by entrepreneur and community innovator Toby Rubin, of UpStart Bay Area, and innovator and author Spencer Burke, of HatcheryLA. Topics like: Experimental Faith-Based Communities & Organizations, Lean in the Jewish Space, and Incubation & Acceleration of Faith Communities are just a few of the things Ken and his guests will be discussing at this first-of-its-kind program at the Lean Startup Conference.

    InnovationMission-drivenNon-Profit/Social EnterprisesDiscussion