Category: 2024

The DSV Cohort

“There’s nothing better you could do during your freshman summer.” “You’ll meet your closest friends and so many amazing people.” “I can’t explain it but you’ll learn so much more by being in the Bay Area.” These were just a few of the recommendations I heard from Duke in Silicon Valley alumni when I was considering the program. Now that I’ve experienced it myself, I couldn’t be happier I took their advice. Duke in Silicon Valley (DSV) was a month-long odyssey, immersing us in the heart of innovation, where every conversation could be a gateway to the next big thing. It wasn’t just a program; it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, full of self-growth, amazing discoveries, and countless happy memories.

Checking out some cars at the Tesla factory

As a rising sophomore (Class of ’27), this program was my first real taste of Duke Innovation and Entrepreneurship (I&E), and it didn’t disappoint. The professors were exceptional, making every class intellectually stimulating. With a rotating roster of experts like Duke internet personality Aaron Dinin and Head of I&E Jamie Jones, each session was a deep dive into various entrepreneurial aspects. Despite the two-hour classes, boredom was never an issue, thanks to their engaging teaching styles. As a Pratt tech geek, I found the program’s non-tech focus particularly valuable. Aaron’s insights into sales and marketing, Jamie’s venture capital discussions, and the product management lessons broadened my entrepreneurial horizon beyond just technology. Every class provided genuinely useful knowledge for launching my own venture.

Jamie Jones explaining data about a startup to me during a Venture Capital lecture

The people in the program were equally impressive. The program made a conscious effort to include individuals from diverse backgrounds, be it through race, gender, socioeconomic status, majors, or grades. These were people I might not have had the chance to know at Duke, but our common passion for entrepreneurship brought us together. Adventuring together in the Bay Area helped me get to know every single person in our cohort on a personal level. From In-N-Out to Fisherman’s Wharf, there was always something to do. Frequent trips to San Francisco, amusement parks, hiking trails, shopping areas, and nearby restaurants kept us busy. The hotel’s amenities, including a hot tub, gym, basketball court, and daily breakfast, made our stay comfortable and homely. Every second of the day was spent learning or having fun.

My friends and I at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco

Something that might not be spoken about enough is how the program fosters independence. For many of us, it was our first time living in an apartment with a kitchen for an extended period. Grocery shopping and cooking became part of our routine, adding several recipes to our culinary arsenal. The expensive living style taught us budgeting. And the free time required balancing work, social activities, and exploring new interests, teaching us valuable time management skills.

Cooking tacos from scratch for the first time in our apartment kitchen

What truly set this program apart from a class in Durham were the site visits. There’s a difference between learning about a company and actually visiting it—walking the halls, talking to the employees, and enjoying the amenities. It might sound corny, but you can feel the atmosphere of each place. My favorites included Tesla, Meta, Google, and Sequoia, not because of their locations (although they were all awesome), but the people I met. From seasoned professional to fresh out of Duke, every alumni offered unique advice about both their time at the company and their life story. I’ve lost count of the number of memorable people I met and the snippets of wisdom each of them gave.

A picture of me and Sean D’Souza ’94, an amazing Google employee I met during our site visit, who is Director of Chief of Staff to the General Counsel.

I’m not the only one giving raving reviews about DSV. Aiden Lo (‘26) encapsulated our collective sentiment, saying, “Seeing prominent figures like Eddy Cue and Ravi from Sequoia talk about their experiences was inspiring.” Amy Yin (‘25) highlighted the authenticity of alumni, “Their openness about successes and challenges made the site visits particularly enriching.” Gabby Perry (‘26) found the Tesla factory visit transformative: “Witnessing the manufacturing process deepened my respect for automation and the alumni’s willingness to offer guidance made it special.” Jonathan Torres (‘26) appreciated the diversity and inclusivity, “The friendly, collaborative environment and the amazing people I met from the Duke alumni network were highlights.”

The DSV group taking a photo at Uber Headquarters

Unanimously, we would recommend the program to friends. Aiden emphasized, “It’s the only class where you learn actively every day from seasoned entrepreneurs.” Gabby and Jonathan also highlighted the balanced mix of learning, networking, and exploration, fostering a close-knit community by the program’s end.

Growing up, “making it to the Bay” always felt like a golden dream—the ultimate destination for my tech career to flourish and for finding a community so ambitious and joyful. After spending a month there, my desire to live in the Bay has only intensified. It’s hard to describe, but the area truly feels like home. I’m incredibly thankful to Duke in Silicon Valley, to the organizers, the teachers, the inspiring people I met, and Ronnie and Carrie Ludwig for making this experience possible.

Getting on the Uber to the airport and saying farewell to the program

Arshaan is a rising sophomore from Princeton, NJ, planning to major in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science with a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. During his childhood, Arshaan crafted games on platforms like Hopscotch and Scratch. His journey took a pivotal turn by creating a volunteer-match platform to help those impacted by COVID-19, sparking a passion for creating tech products for social good.

Arshaan loves playing hockey, singing, and anything related to cars. In his free time he also enjoys hanging out with friends and chilling with his backyard pet chickens. With his sights set on Silicon Valley, he’s eager to sync his tech and entrepreneurial expertise to navigate and shape the future of technology, especially related to generative AI.

Our First Evening Together. From the beginning, we were all about building community. Whether it was dinners, pool parties, or completely necessary Ross runs, we were always together, trying to get to know each other better. We had no idea where the next 4 weeks would take us, not just academically but also emotionally.

Our First Visit. We hit up Y-Combinator, the acclaimed startup accelerator in the Bay Area. It was only fitting for a summer course where we would be learning about the pervasive ntrepreneurship culture in Silicon Valley. No doubt, a few of us will end up back there, building out the next big venture. (remember me!)

Tesla! Easily a DSV favorite! We took a trolley tour of their 440 acre factory and saw the people, robots, and ro-bats behind the swarms of Teslas zipping through the Bay.

Goooooooo GIANTS! As is custom for many Bay Area Natives, we got to watch the Giants take on the Phillies (we won)! We also had the pleasure of speaking with Bill Schlough, CIO and SVP of the Giants, and heard his exciting journey, from a Duke grad to his current impressive positions. Thanks Bill!!

Annnnnd We’re Out… On the last day of our program, the DSV children gathered one last time for dinner, much like we did at the very beginning. We’re all smiles here, but I’d be lying if I said this day wasn’t bittersweet. Not pictured are all the new friendships and intentional memories we created. We love you DSV!! (sobs)

Thank you Kevin, Abby, Professor Dinin, Dr. Jones, and all the folks that came out to
support the program and made it a wonderful experience 🙂

Kami is a rising junior from Rockville, MD. She’s majoring in Computer Science and pursuing the I&E certificate. She looks forward to being DukeAFRICA’s programming chair as well as continuing to dance with NakisaiADE next year! In her free time, she enjoys rollerskating, making waistbeads, or staying inside to watch a comfort show (shoutout Futurama). She’s excited to explore Silicon Valley for the first time while getting to meet some new people during the program. She’s particularly looking forward to learning more about the union between creativity and technology.

Is that my bestie in a Tessie? Following our tour of the Tesla Factory in Fremont, the group was given the opportunity to sit behind the wheel of the Showroom vehicles. We later met with Duke Alum Charlie Haley, who gave us the inside scoop of Tesla and their business.

San Francisco has a lot of interesting little nooks and crannies (and elevators). Exploring on weekends made for a great study break and created some core memories. In this picture, we were on our way to dinner at Applebee’s (for nostalgia’s sake) at Fisherman’s Wharf.

We attended a San Francisco Giants game to meet with Duke Alum Bill Schlough, Chief Information Officer for the team. The night was made by a Giants win and a new jersey.

After being given the opportunity to meet with Eddy Cue at Apple Park, the group explored the Apple Visitor Center, which hosts this incredible VR display of the Park!

I greatly enjoyed our visit to Google Headquarters. Sean D’Souza and the others we met were very honest and open about the company’s people-driven and people-focused mission. The campus was extremely colorful and was home to lots of cute Androids like this one! We toured the Google Store at the end of our visit as well!

This image is from the San Carlos Train Station. The Caltrain is cheap and a great way to get to and from San Francisco! Not having a car is a great opportunity to become more enmeshed in the local community via public transportation and exploring on foot.

Kyle is a rising junior from Monroe, NC. At Duke, she is pursuing a Program II: Social Inequities in Urban Environments: Design, Advocacy and Planning alongside a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Nu Omicron Chapter and Duke Street Medicine Dance group. She enjoys music, art and reading. She is excited to take advantage of the opportunity to explore the world of innovation and entrepreneurship in Silicon Valley and apply it to her interests in non-profit enterprises.

On Wednesday, May 22, we had the opportunity to visit the powerhouse behind digital media, YouTube!

The YouTube Logo Outside the YouTube Headquarters

Pulling up to the location, I had no idea what to expect. I, as many others, use YouTube everyday, but I had never taken the time to actually search up the headquarters and see where the magic happens. Outside, the building looked like just another corporate office, which initially had me worried that the YouTube headquarters wouldn’t be as cool as I imagined it to be.

Thankfully, that was quickly proven wrong as we made our way in and were greeted by a colorful,flashy wall, with the YouTube logo right in the center of it, as well as some interestingly designed chairs (which were quite fun to roll around in!).

YouTube Logo Against a Colorful Backdrop

We were then greeted by our host, Rachel, who after checking us in, first showed us around the building we were in. As we explored, she talked a bit about herself, her work and time so far at YouTube, as well as answering some initial brief questions. One thing I thought was really cool was the existence of a big slide connecting the second floor to the first that employees could use (which we were able to try!).

The Red Slide Located Inside the Offices

Afterwards, we were taken outside to the courtyard where we had a more in-depth Q and A featuring questions such as “What does a typical day at work look like for you?”, “How does YouTube combat/moderate dangerous trends”, and “How has the culture at YouTube changed or stayed consistent from where it was six years ago?” (from when Rachel first joined YouTube).

One question that I found very interesting asked what the time frame was from coming up with  a concept, to having it fully on the YouTube platform. In class, we’ve discussed extensively about
identifying problems, “jobs” in which we use a product that was not intended for it, or even “jobs” that don’t yet have a sufficient product to fulfill it, and coming up with new concepts and solutions to those problems and “jobs”. While as of this writing we have yet to talk extensively about the timeline of coming up with a product and bringing it to life (which I know we will get to in the near future), it was interesting to hear Rachel’s perspective about how long it takes things to go from concept to reality at YouTube, which she said takes anywhere from four to twelvemonths, which makes sense given the extensive thought, coding, testing, and more that goes into everything there.

Finally, after exploring more of the headquarters, we had the opportunity to attend a panel of Duke affiliated YouTube employees which included a wide range of roles such as software engineer and global program manager. It was very interesting to hear about various topics such as each employee’s personal story, how they got to YouTube, what their role consists of, and the various teams that make up YouTube (which is to say a lot). I enjoyed hearing their descriptions of the culture at YouTube, and how even though today it’s a pretty big company, it still “feels like working at a startup” due to the fast paced nature of their work and the close bonds within the teams.

Duke in Silicon Valley Students at YouTube

Overall, I very much enjoyed visiting YouTube. We were able to hear and discuss a wide range of topics from a wide ranging group of individuals. In addition, it felt like a very full circle moment for me. I’ve been watching YouTube videos for as long as I can remember, and I still watch videos on the daily, as just about anyone else, so being able to visit the headquarters and go behind the scenes of everything that powers the platform I’ve used daily for years is nothing short of amazing. I know we’ll be able to apply everything we’ve learned from this site visit to our work these last two weeks of the Duke in Silicon Valley program and beyond.

Jonathan Torres-Tomas is a rising junior from Hendersonville, North Carolina. He is on track to complete a double major in Computer Science and Economics. On campus, Jonathan is involved in a number of clubs and organizations including the Duke University Marching Band (as a trombonist), the Duke LIFE organization, Mi Gente, and Duke Applied Machine Learning. In his free time, he loves to play various video games, read light novels, and have a great time with friends. Jonathan is excited to immerse himself in the start-up culture through the Duke in Silicon Valley program. He is eager to learn about starting and running a successful enterprise as well as meeting wonderful people along the journey.

On our third day, we visited a startup accelerator and venture capital firm, Y Combinator – abbreviated as YC.

Logo of Y Combinator, San Francisco Campus

As the Bus pulled into SF’s Pier 70 shipyard at 1:46 PM, quaint warehouse-like buildings greeted us – we quickly learned these were Y Combinator’s new campus buildings that recently opened to provide collaborative work spaces for start-up founders.

Inside, we got a quick tour of the YC building spaces from Joan DeGennaro and Duke Alumni Josh France ‘20 including the commons space, creator studios, and desk areas accented by Y Combinator’s signature orange color. Aside from the building’s interior, I was fascinated to hear about the company’s mission, the reasoning behind YC creating this program and space for founders, and of Silicon Valley’s history – Joan focused on how YC was born from founders Paul Graham and Jessica Livingston initially wanting to seed fund small start-ups. Instead of investing significant funding to a select few of early-stage start-ups, the two wanted YC to provide small, yet still significant capital to many: this not only enabled recruiting a bigger talent pool, but also casted a wider community net, equipping founders with intensely motivated people to accelerate and create a better product/ service value for their business.

One of many Creator Studios at Y Combinator

I appreciated YC’s model and emphasis on their talent ‘recruitment’ in particular, since this meant YC could provide a shared space for founders to collaborate while also promoting a risk tolerant culture. It was something that Joan and Josh both discussed as one of YC’s values in cultivating a concentrated community, where founders and investors alike saw failures (to a certain extent) as positive, healthy opportunities for growth. Joan and Josh further gave a synopsis into YC’s selection process in curating what they called start-up ‘batches.’ These batches, selected on a biannual basis, are carefully selected and evaluated on the start-up founders’ real-world problem-solving capabilities but more so, their creative, earnest belief in their product/ service solutionizing an overlooked market’s issue/ need. A funny example Joan told our group was that of Airbnb’s founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk selling cereals during their founding years to keep Airbnb alive – which YC viewed positively enough to onboard them into their 2009 start-up batch.

Later on, we also heard from the co-founder of Clever Tyler Bosmeny who told us an inspiring story of beginning the start-up at Y Combinator in 2012 with Dan Caroll and Raf Garcia after graduating from Harvard. Tyler described the joy of working with his friends, but also his ambitious goal setting and growth obsession with Clever that aimed to streamline educational sign-ons in the K-12 school districts. Specifically, he spotlighted the importance of building his product by transparently communicating and building trust with core-users like school principals, teachers, and students. In doing so, Clever rapidly scaled from reaching 4 to 1,000 schools over a single summer: as Tyler mentioned, this was a successful, working concept of real-life ‘evangelists’ that we, DSV students, learned during class, where Clever users recognized the innovative solution and advocated Clever’s product to other interested schools: it served to be Clever’s pathway to become one of the most widely used K-12 Ed-Tech products to date.

Co-Founders of Clever, Inc. – left to right: Tyler Bosmeny, Dan Carroll, Rafael Garcia

For me, Tyler’s story and getting a glimpse into YC’s vision left a lasting impression–building and sustaining a successful entrepreneurial venture entails us to ask the right questions, identify market gaps/ opportunities, know your customers (and investors), and most vitally, believe in mission-aligned values with your team to solve a specific problem. Visiting Y Combinator taught me and my peers that as innovative entrepreneurs, our individual willingness to tolerate risks and to question the status-quo were paramount; yet, the irrepressible spirit to disrupt and optimistically recognize and actionize upon our audience’s need and pain points continue to pillar the Y’s of how clever tech corporations, high-impact organizations, and Silicon Valley became successful at large.

Duke in Silicon Valley students at Y Combinator 

James is a rising sophomore from Seoul and New Jersey pursuing a Neuroscience B.S. on a pre-med track with a prospective certificate in I&E. On campus, he serves as a cadet with Duke University EMS, a member with Duke Presidential Ambassadors, and a clinic-aid with Duke Remote Area Medical — part of a national chapter providing free medical, vision, and dental care to rural communities. He cares deeply about human health and is looking forward to gaining more in-depth Industry & Tech insights in healthcare and corporate fields through the Silicon Valley summer experience. During his free time, James loves swimming with the Duke Club Swim team and is an avid aviation enthusiast with Duke Aviators.

“To know, love, or deeply believe in” your problem is one of the most important aspects of being a successful entrepreneur, Heidi Zak told us. On Wednesday, Heidi, the co-founder and CEO of lingerie company ThirdLove came to speak about creating a better bra-shopping experience for women.

As soon as I heard she was going to visit us, I became excited about learning from someone who was able to enter the garment industry. How do you find a gap in a market for which there exists so many options? How do you keep it going?

Heidi Zak ’00, Founder of ThirdLove

Heidi first walked us through her story, from working in investment banking in New York City, to interning at Aeropostale, to studying at Sloan School of Management at M.I.T. She ended up working at Google, and one day after work she realized she needed a new bra.

Naturally, Heidi ended up in a bright, pink, heavily-perfumed Victoria’s Secret store. She grabbed a few bras, tried them on and realized they weren’t a good fit but felt she had to settle. She even recalled hiding the Victoria’s Secret purchase in a larger back out of shame.

Why wasn’t there a better bra out there, especially for older, working women, who no longer benefit from the bright, uncomfortable products at other stores?

Heidi was looking for something more…practical!

Heidi realized she had a chance to disrupt the industry, and it was something about which she felt passionate. From that, ThirdLove was born. The company relies on three pillars: better product, digital experience, and inclusive marketing. The brand is different from others because it began as an online experience, which was especially convenient for working women who may not have the time or ability to go into stores. And, people loved it. Heidi described beginning with a try before you buy model for women to experience the comfort of her product before committing to buying it, and the results were successful. Women loved the product and the brand now has loyal customers who have even inspired an athletic and swim line.

Her main pointers as a CEO of a company with an estimated net worth of 750 million dollars were the importance of taking risks to disrupt the industry. Heidi reminded us that it’s not about money right away, but rather taking chances to maintain a competitive edge and deliver something new to the world.

I greatly enjoyed hearing from Heidi and seeing the progression of her experience as a startup founder. From trying something new to being willing to send products to potential consumers before receiving payment with her try before you buy program, she embodied the risk-taking mindset we’ve established as vital for an entrepreneur. She touched on industry disruption and accepting the prospect of failing, which we’ve also learned about in class.

What I was most struck by, however, was how down to earth and kind Heidi was. She came through as a humble and giving founder, especially through programs like the Take Back Bag, where women can fill a bag with donated clothes to take used clothes out of landfills and put them towards a recycling process. Companies like this, that are simultaneously helping consumers feel empowered and the world heal, are truly inspiring for our world.

Some ThirdLove merch

To end things off, Heidi offered ThirdLove swag in the forms of beanies and hats. Students eagerly picked up their merch, and we gathered in the hall to talk about just how cool Heidi was.

Madera is a rising sophomore from Cambridge, MA. At Duke, she plans to study Economics with a minor in Journalism and Media. She serves as an Associate News Editor for The Chronicle, Duke’s student newspaper, and a member of Duke’s Business Oriented Women. She also enjoys being part of the club volleyball team, going for runs around campus, and trying sweet treats around the Durham area, especially Rose’s ice cream sandwiches. She looks forward to better understanding the process of building a successful enterprise and immersing herself in the innovative environment of Silicon Valley.

Welcome to Duke in Silicon Valley! Here, in the heart of innovation, we are embarking on a journey to not only learn about entrepreneurship – but to experience the vibrant environment that is Silicon Valley. From the classrooms to the exciting startup culture that surrounds us, every moment is an opportunity to question, explore, and create. And I’m going to walk you through our first week.

A:

 This first week, we dove headfirst into the root of entrepreneurial thinking. Our class lessons revolved around the power of habitual questioning—a fundamental skill for any aspiring entrepreneur. By reverting back to our toddler tendencies of constantly asking “why,” we learn to see the world through a lens of opportunities that could be transformed into profitable ventures.

For example, we considered the question “Why are school buses yellow?” It’s all about visibility. “School bus yellow” is the last color to fade in low light, making it crucial for safety.

Another example: why is toilet paper white? What’s the first thought that comes to mind? Yes, that one. Don’t overthink it. Toilet paper’s role is to check for cleanliness so it would not make sense for it to be any color other than white.

These questions, while seemingly trivial, illuminate the deeper principle that every product is designed to fulfill a specific need or “job”. Understanding these needs is the first cornerstone of successful entrepreneurship.

B:

We then shifted our focus to the financial mechanics behind business decisions. It’s not enough to find a great market opportunity; understanding the economic forces at play is equally critical. To help us grasp this, we used the question: “How does this make money?”

Professor Aaron Dinin exemplified this question with a case study on Duke’s vending machines.  Estimating about 200 buildings with vending machines, an average purchase price of $2.50, an average of 80 purchases per day, vending machines generate $5 million in annual revenue. This example underscores the intricate web of costs and profits every entrepreneur must navigate to build a successful business.

C:

With these two questions covered, we investigated the third: “How did we start using this?” Humans are creatures of habit, often using products without questioning why. However, behind every decision we make lies a carefully crafted marketing strategy. By recognizing the subtle influences on our choices, we can better understand how to reach and engage our own target audiences. We explored the fine balance between inbound and outbound marketing, understanding that neither is inherently superior. The key lies in striking the right balance. This nuanced approach is essential for creating a robust business model.

Site Visit to Y Combinator

It’s Easy as 1 2 3?

There’s no calculated formula for entrepreneurship. What works for one business might cause the downfall of another. Each venture is a unique adventure, shaped by market conditions, timing, consumer behavior, and unexpected circumstances. However, at the heart of every successful venture is a questioning mindset. This mindset drives entrepreneurs to dig deeper, look beyond the obvious, and challenge the norm. By continually asking the three questions—Why does this make sense? How does this make money? How did we start using this? —we can uncover opportunities that others might overlook. It’s this relentless pursuit of understanding that enables entrepreneurs to navigate the complex and dynamic world of innovation with confidence and clarity.

BAT Improv Class

We Escaped! Team Building at an Escape Room

While the lessons we learned this week were invaluable, it wasn’t all sitting in a classroom here at Duke in Silicon Valley. We’ve also been soaking up the vibrant tech world with enlightening guest speakers, site visits to industry giants like Nvidia, alumni dinners, and even a two-hour improv lesson that had us all knocked out during the drive back to the hotel. The program has been an exciting blend of learning and fun with amazing people who were just strangers one week ago. Stay tuned for more blogs as we explore, innovate, and transform our entrepreneurial journey together!

Site Visit to NVIDIA

Sara is a rising sophomore from Fairfax, VA. She plans to major in Biomedical Engineering while pursuing a certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. At Duke, she dances with two groups, Devils en Pointe and Defining Movement, provides pro bono consulting to healthcare startups on Duke BioByte’s healthcare consulting team, and gives campus tours to prospective students. Outside of classes, she loves dancing, video editing, and spending time with family and friends. She is so excited to take part in the Duke in Silicon Valley program this summer and looks forward to meeting incredible people while gaining invaluable entrepreneurial skills.