Hardware Podcasts

How I Built Resilience: Jessie Woolley-Wilson of DreamBox

How I Built This · 8 Aug 2020 · 20m

What this episode covers

Jessie Woolley-Wilson, CEO of DreamBox Learning, discusses how the company navigated the rapid shift to remote learning during the pandemic. She explains the decision to open the platform for free to existing school districts, which resulted in adding over two million new students in five weeks. Woolley-Wilson details the operational 'stretch marks' this growth caused, the leadership challenges of managing remote teams, and her philosophy of 'benevolent friction' to drive product improvement.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
U.S. Bank
Products
DreamBox
Also
Cares Act

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • EMS@C-LEVEL · 21m

    EMS@C-LEVEL Season #1 Episode #2 with Creative Electron's Dr. Bill Cardoso

    Dr. Bill Cardoso, CEO of Creative Electron, explains how his company pivoted its manufacturing operations during the COVID-19 crisis by decentralizing assembly to eight locations in San Diego County to maintain production of x-ray systems. He details the adoption of AI-driven autonomous inspection and the shift to 'X-ray as a Service' (XAS), allowing remote operation of equipment via virtual laboratories. Cardoso also discusses leadership strategies, including a '20-mile march' philosophy and a results-oriented culture, which allowed the company to avoid layoffs and sustain growth despite supply chain disruptions.

    Manufacturing partners & offshoringAI & machine learning
    8 chapters

  • Being an Engineer · 50m

    S6E29 Joshua Tarbutton | Lessons From the Military Applied to Engineering

    Joshua Tarbutton, founder of Bravo Team, discusses applying military leadership principles to build a product development firm that restores dignity and psychological safety for engineers. He details the company's rapid scaling from a solo consultancy to a 50-person firm, highlighting the critical role of a major partnership with Siemens and the challenges of managing cash flow during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tarbutton also shares how the company pivoted to manufacturing face shields during the crisis and emphasizes the importance of core hours and vulnerability in fostering an innovative engineering culture.

    Leadership, teams & cultureScaling production
    7 chapters

  • The Startup CPG Podcast · 37m

    #88 Undaunted Leadership with Hint Founder Kara Goldin

    Kara Goldin, founder of Hint, discusses scaling her unsweetened flavored water company from a garage startup to over 30,000 retail locations, emphasizing leadership lessons from the pandemic and early growth. She explains how Hint grew 40% in 2020 by pivoting operations, securing deals with Costco, Walmart, and Aldi, and managing supply chain disruptions through direct store engagement. Goldin highlights the importance of hiring 'creators' rather than just managers, maintaining transparency with employees, and the strategic value of lacking prior CPG industry experience. The episode covers her book 'Undaunted,' detailing key decisions like losing Starbucks to focus on Target and refusing unfavorable promotions from Whole Foods to protect brand equity.

    Leadership, teams & cultureScaling production
    6 chapters

  • Embedded.fm · 1h 15m

    386: Not Managing Robots

    Ingo Muschenetz, VP of Architecture at Axway, discusses his transition from startups to enterprise management, emphasizing the importance of psychological safety, mentorship, and maintaining a 'shield' for engineering teams. He shares insights on managing remote teams during the pandemic, the challenges of monetizing open-source developer tools, and the value of listening to podcasts for context-switching and inspiration. Muschenetz also reflects on his career path, starting at Harvey Mudd College and founding Zamlon (which became Aptana), and offers advice on finding mentors and avoiding burnout.

    Leadership, teams & cultureCareers & education
    8 chapters

  • Oxide and Friends · 1h 57m

    The Future Of Work

    Bryan Cantrill and Adam Leventhal of Oxide Computer Company host a discussion on remote work, joined by Lucas Ives from Apple and Matt Campbell from VMware. They analyze the shift from office-centric models to hybrid and fully remote arrangements, highlighting how tools like Google Meet, Webex, and Microsoft Teams have evolved to support asynchronous communication and recorded meetings. The group debates the value of in-person 'pilgrimages' for team bonding against the benefits of remote flexibility, noting that while large tech companies like Apple and Google are mandating return-to-office policies, many employees prefer the autonomy and reduced commute of remote work. Key decisions discussed include Oxide's strategy of recording all meetings to create an searchable knowledge base and their commitment to periodic in-person gatherings despite the costs.

    Leadership, teams & cultureCareers & education
    12 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by How I Built This. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.