UPDATE

innovate. catalyze. disrupt.

IN THIS ISSUE

JUNE 2018 UPDATE

This update on the newly formed DCI Innovation Hub highlights some of the activities of the past quarter and updates you on summer opportunities to become involved in the Hub even if you live outside the Bay Area.

Please be sure to take the DCI Alumni Network Survey,which includes a few questions on what types of programming would be of interest to you going forward. We value your input.  Over the summer, we plan to review the programs that have piloted to date, assess their impact, and determine which ones are of greatest value.

Over the past few months, the DCI Innovation Hub has expanded its reach at Stanford by affiliating with several different research centers on campus. We have also become a part of the Stanford Entrepreneur Network (SEN) which provides I-Hub participants with current information, research, events, and activities related to entrepreneurship and innovation across all of Stanford.

During the Spring quarter, three Special Interest Groups (SIGs) were active, albeit each with slightly different formats. All DCI Fellows, Partners, Continuing Fellows, and Alumni are encouraged to participate! Contact Susan Golden ’16 if you have questions. You can also find more information on the updated DCI Alumni Portal.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

MIINT:   During the summer, an online MOOC called “MIINT”  ( MBA Impact Investing Network & Training ) will be offered to any DCI Fellows who are interested in learning about Impact Investing.
 
The eight-session program is currently used by GSB and 20 other MBA programs. In addition, the Impact Investing SIG will hold a weekly Zoom conference call to discuss the material learned. The MOOC will be offered around mid July through the end of August, and the reduced course fee will be $300. Weekly Zoom calls are tentatively scheduled to begin on July 17th.
 
Thus far, 12 DCI Fellows have signed up. If you are interested in participating in the MOOC and have not yet signed up, please  register by June 30th and email: [email protected].  
 
STANFORD VENTURE STUDIO:  The Stanford Venture Studio is located at the GSB, and is available to all DCI Fellows who are interested in exploring development of their innovation ideas.  The Stanford Venture Studio is also interested in identifying Mentors for their teams.

LONGEVITY INNOVATIONS

Spring: A new seminar course on Longevity Innovations(Psych 233) was offered during the Spring Quarter led by Professor Laura Carstensen and Fellow Susan Golden.

  • Six DCI Fellows were enrolled, and the weekly course served as the Special Interest Group meetings and as a springboard for future working group projects.
  • Topics and themes covered included: The Longevity Economy; Working Forever; Designing Challenges for Longevity and Healthy Aging; How Will We Die?; Caretaking; Where Will We Live?; Living Forever? Anti-Aging Medical research.
  • Guest Speakers included Mike Levinthal, DCI ’16, and Mon Amifounders Joy Zhang and Madeline Cha, GSB’18 who participated in the Hacking for Longevity workshops held in the Fall 2017.
  • The Longevity Innovations SIG and the Center on Longevity co-sponsored an impressive and entertaining guest lecture by Dr. Joseph Coughlin from the MIT Age Lab titled”TheLongevity Economy: Inside the World’s Fastest Growing, Most Misunderstood Market.” More than 100 people attended!
  • The Working Longer working group has evolved to support Transition Services work with the DCI Alumni Network. Tom Sadler DCI ’16, Susan Nash DCI ’17 and Julia Randall Khan DCI ’17 have created an outstanding resource guide for all DCI Fellows who are interested in identifying next chapters and a portfolio of work opportunities.

Summer: Fellows who are interested will continue through the summer to work on project ideas raised during the Spring course, and the Stanford Venture Studio has offered resources to assist.  Please note that the Stanford Venture Studio is available to all Stanford affiliated graduate students and fellows.

Fall: Beginning in the Fall, the working groups will continue to hold meetings that will be advertised to all DCI who may want to join this SIG and/or working groups.

IMPACT INVESTING

Spring: Mike Dorsey, DCI ’18 is the leader and organizer of this SIG which launched in May. Over 20 DCI Fellows participated from a cross section of cohorts in weekly meetings held on Wednesdays at the GSB. This SIG is now affiliated with the Center for Social Innovation.

  • Guest speakers included companies who are seeking impact investors, and experienced impact investors.
  • This SIG is an opportunity to learn about impact investing by hearing from companies and investors, and explore new investment opportunities, and open to all DCI.
During the summer, an online MOOC called “MIINT”  ( MBA Impact Investing Network & Training ) will be offered to any DCI Fellows who are interested in learning about Impact Investing. The eight-session program is currently used by GSB and 20 other MBA programs. In addition, the Impact Investing SIG will hold a weekly Zoom conference call to discuss the material learned. The MOOC will be offered around mid July through the end of August, and the reduced course fee will be $300. Weekly Zoom calls are tentatively scheduled to begin on July 17th. Thus far, 12 DCI Fellows have signed up. If you are interested in participating in the MOOC and have not yet signed up, please  register by June 30th and email: [email protected].  

ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY

Spring: Goran Puljic DCI ’18 is the leader of this group along with his wife Melinda Puljic. They held their launch event in May with the showing of a film that had been aired on Nova: Decoding the Weather Machine, which was viewed by a cross section of DCI cohorts and graduate students.

  • This SIG is now affiliated with the TomKat Center for Sustainable Energy and the Student Energy Club.
  • Future activities are being planned based on input from the upcoming DCI Alumni Network Survey.

NEW GROUPS IN DEVELOPMENT

  • Healthcare and Life Sciences: Lisa Pieper DCI ’17 is in the process of planning a new group and meeting.
  • Poverty Alleviation and Income Disparity:We are seeking someone to lead a new initiative in this area.
  • Additional Groups: If you are interested in forming a new group, the Innovation Hub can offer support and resources.

 

SUMMER READING LIST SUGGESTIONS

Please send any articles or books you recommend.  We are creating a resource list based on some of this year’s guest speakers including:

The Longevity Economy
Engine of Impact
The Impact Investor
The Life I Had
Coming Apart