WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following the success of last year’s Summit, NPR is pleased to announce the How I Built This Summit with Guy Raz, supported by American Express, will return to San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on October 22 and 23.
The Summit will feature on-stage interviews by podcast creator and host Guy Raz with founders of major U.S. companies, representing a wide range of industries including technology, consumer products, wellness and music. Confirmed speakers include the founders of Atom Factory, Away, Bliss, Edible Arrangements, Instagram, JetBlue, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, Slack, Stacy’s Pita Chips and Urban One. Additional guests will be announced in the months leading up to the Summit.
This year’s Summit has expanded to two days of programming, starting on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 22nd, followed by a full day on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Summit is a unique opportunity for current and aspiring entrepreneurs to build connections, exchange ideas and draw inspiration from a variety of powerful stories from leading business owners.
The Summit will bring some of the most popular guests from the How I Built This podcast to the main stage, where Guy Raz will further explore specific themes and ideas from their episodes. Programming will also include facilitated track sessions where attendees will examine topics related to business fundamentals, personal and organizational leadership and entrepreneurial innovation.
American Express, a multi-year sponsor of NPR and the How I Built This franchise, will continue its support as the Presenting Sponsor of the How I Built This Summit with Guy Raz.
“I have been to many conferences in my life. At last year’s inaugural HIBT Summit, I was blown away at the energy, the generosity and incredible kindness I saw in the entrepreneurs and builders who attended,” says podcast creator and host Guy Raz. “I can’t wait to spend two days with this remarkable community at this year’s Summit. These aren’t just entrepreneurs at different stages in the development of their businesses, but also idealists who are coming with new ways to innovate, problem-solve and create. And this year’s Summit will provide even more opportunities for those gathered to forge lasting connections and friendships and to build real-world skills that will help in the development of their personal and professional growth.”
The Summit’s track sessions are intended to foster learning and the exchange of entrepreneurial ideas. The Fundamentals Track will deepen participants’ understanding of key business topics, and will include a facilitated ‘Pitch to your Peers’ activity to encourage networking and help participants practice getting the word out about their business ideas. The Leadership Track will focus on the development and refinement of personal and organizational leadership skills, challenging participants to reflect on and share their own paths to leadership. The Innovation Track will explore today’s technological and business trends with industry experts and provide participants with concrete strategies and tactics to employ in their own business planning.
“We want to continue to foster and grow the community of entrepreneurs that were drawn to the first How I Built This Summit,” adds Jessica Goldstein, NPR Senior Director of Events and Strategic Initiatives. “Surveys from the Summit revealed that our attendees are at various points in their entrepreneurial journeys, ranging from just starting to hatch a business idea to fully relying on a business as a primary source of income. This year we hope to once again create an atmosphere where you can learn, collaborate and share encouragement and support.”
The sold-out 2018 Summit combined a clear intention of entrepreneurship and values, and diversity of vision was a key component: attendance was 42% men and 58% women -- 50% of whom were women of color -- and the speaker lineup for the event earned How I Built This Summit the Gender Avenger Gold Stamp of Approval.
How I Built This is now one of the 15 most-downloaded podcasts in the United States according to Podtrac and is consistently a top-ranked business podcast on the Apple charts. Last year, Guy Raz was been profiled in The New York Times and appeared as a guest on The Tonight Show, where host Jimmy Fallon called HIBT his favorite podcast. HIBT was featured in Barron’s The 7 Best Podcasts in Business and Finance in March of 2019, Business News Daily’s 10 Best Business Podcasts in December of 2018, and Digital Trends The Best Podcasts of 2018.
Listen to How I Built This on NPR One and wherever podcasts are available.
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