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SENSA

URBANST 131

VIP

Very Impactful People is SENSA’s speaker series, taught as a Stanford course. 102 founders and leaders have spoken at it since 2016.

The course

URBANST 131: Very Impactful People (VIP)

Social Innovation & the Social Entrepreneur

Our VIP team runs this speaker series as a Stanford course. Each week a founder of a leading social venture talks with students about how they built it: finding a high-impact idea, building the team, measuring impact, raising money and scaling.

Enrollment
200–300 students a quarter
When
Fall and Spring quarters
Credit
1 unit, S/NC, repeatable
Enroll: find URBANST 131 on ExploreCourses

Past speakers

  • Spring 2025

    • Brij KothariBillion Readers
    • Anne TobaYaji Spice
    • Diego Saez GilPachama
    • Don GipsSkoll Foundation
    • Shawon JacksonVocal Justice
    • Maricel SaenzCompound Foods / Minus Coffee
    • Jim BildnerDraper Richards Kaplan Foundation
    • Debra CleaverVote America
    • Sofie RouxBloomBox Design Labs
    • Zooey WilkinsonWind & Rain

  • Fall 2024

    • John RousselColorwave
    • Anshu GuptaGoonj
    • Elizabeth KlodasStep One Foods
    • Serita CoxiFoster
    • David GoryAirBuild
    • Jim BildnerDraper Richards Kaplan Foundation
    • Matt FlanneryBranch
    • Christina FialhoRewrite the BiLine
    • Mathis WackernagelGlobal Footprint Network
    • Homegrown from StanfordFounder panel

  • Fall 2023

    • Alex BrownAlga Biosciences
    • Kjell ClarysseForestbase
    • Keenan WyrobekZipline
    • Anne TobaRipples
    • Nadya OkamotoAugust
    • Maricel SaenzMinus Coffee
    • Tracy McCurtyBlack Belt Justice Center
    • Michelle ZhuHuue

  • Fall 2022

    • Troy CarterEarthshot Labs
    • Sami InkinenVirta Health
    • Diego Saez GilPachama
    • Tyler HugginsMeati Foods
    • Joi Jackson-Morgan3rd Street Youth
    • Joel MakowerGreenBiz
    • Hannah SieberArtyc
    • Michael CharleySunski

  • Spring 2022

    • Sal KhanKhan Academy
    • Austen AllredLambda School
    • Cheryl DorseyEchoing Green
    • Lia EllisSublime Systems
    • Rick AubryHomeRise
    • John Boyd Jr.National Black Farmers Association
    • Paola SantanaGLASS
    • Becca HellerInternational Refugee Assistance Project

  • Fall 2021

    • Ethan BrownBeyond Meat
    • Chris AndersonTED
    • Muhammad YunusGrameen Bank
    • Marjorie ScholtzVerbhouse
    • David KeithCarbon Engineering
    • Raj PanjabiLast Mile Health
    • Linda RottenbergEndeavor
    • Marc KoskaApiJect
    • Vineet SingalCareMessage
    • James KanoffThe Farmlink Project
    • Nicolas PinkowskiNitricity
    • Kimberly SchreiberNeuroNav

  • Fall 2020

    • Cheryl DorseyEchoing Green
    • Keller RinaudoZipline
    • Paul RiceFair Trade USA
    • Muhammad YunusGrameen Bank
    • Durreen ShahnazIIX
    • Ndidi NwuneliLEAP Africa
    • Marcos IgrejaGenecis
    • Wendy KoppTeach For America
    • Marc KoskaApiJect

  • Spring 2019

    • Daniel KishWorld Access for the Blind
    • Joanna StroberKurbo Health
    • Brian HillEdovo
    • Seth GoldmanHonest Tea
    • Daniela FernandezSustainable Ocean Alliance
    • Leva ZandARTogether
    • Bart MyersCountable
    • Rob JoyceSocial Impact Designs
    • Jake WoodTeam Rubicon

  • Spring 2018

    • Karen TseInternational Bridges to Justice
    • Adam BraunPencils of Promise
    • Melanie EdwardsMobile Metrix
    • Sakena YacoobiAfghan Institute of Learning
    • David MikkelsenRefunite
    • Gregg TreinishAdventure Scientists
    • Yuja ChangAira
    • Ruth ShapiroCenter for Asian Philanthropy and Society
    • Ohad ElheloOur Generation Speaks
    • Aerica BanksBEACON

  • Fall 2017

    • Pamela HawleyUniversalGiving
    • Kola MashaBabban Gona
    • Christa GannonFresh Lifelines for Youth
    • Anne MosesIGNITE
    • Marcello PalazziB Lab Europe
    • Nick TilsenThunder Valley Community Development Corporation
    • Doniece SandovalLava Mae
    • Steve DavisPATH
    • Lesley MarincolaAngaza Design
    • Lucy BernholzStanford Digital Civil Society Lab

  • Spring 2017

    • Laura Arrillaga-AndreessenLaura Arrillaga-Andreessen Foundation
    • Chris AtegekaRides for Lives
    • Lucy SandersNational Center for Women & Information Technology
    • Eren BaliUdemy
    • Christopher GrayScholly
    • Susan N. HermanAmerican Civil Liberties Union
    • Marc FreedmanEncore.org
    • Larry KramerWilliam and Flora Hewlett Foundation
    • Vince SicilianoNew Resource Bank
    • Ann Mei ChangU.S. Global Development Lab, USAID

  • Fall 2016

    • Jim BildnerDraper Richards Kaplan Foundation
    • Xavier HelgesenOff Grid Electric
    • Zac BookmanOpenGov
    • Alexandra BernadotteBeyond 12
    • Jini KimNuna Health
    • Matt FlanneryKiva / Branch
    • Laura StachelWe Care Solar
    • Saru JayaramanROC United