Transcript: Jennifer Morris on Effective Models for Sustainable Growth

CONFERENCE TITLE: Effective Models for Sustainable Growth
SPEAKER: Jennifer Morris
CONFERENCE DATE: April 06, 2011

Operator:: You are listening to the “DFJ Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Series” brought to you weekly by the Stanford Technology Ventures Program. You can find podcast and videos of these lectures online at ecorner.stanford.edu.

Moderator: So Jennifer Morris, she’s from Conservation International in DC. She’s the Executive Vice President for this organization that you may or may not have heard about. I’ve had the pleasure and honor of knowing about this organization for quite a while. They’re in the same sort of ballpark as World Wildlife Foundation, and others like that.

But this – what’s interesting about Conservation International is they bring an entrepreneurial spirit to environmental non-profit work. Then what is ironic, like it, feels like an internet start-up company.

Even though they have offices in 60 companies — countries, excuse me — offices in 60 countries all over this planet, Jennifer in particular, is interesting. She’s on the leadership team. One of the senior, senior management of the – this NGO, but she also is responsible for their connecting with business. And all – and running it – running even funds that feel like a Venture Capital Fund.

So they’re – so what’s fun is to compare this to the principles of Silicon Valley. How are the principles of Silicon Valley being able to be used by organizations that are in social innovation?

So without further ado, let’s welcome a graduate of Emory University and Columbia University. Let’s welcome her at Stanford University — Jennifer Morris.
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