Ben Silbermann at Startup School SV 2016

TL;DR

Ben Silbermann, cofounder and CEO of Pinterest, recounts his journey from a premed student in Iowa to building Pinterest. He emphasizes that early adopters can come from anywhere, that founders should treat fundraising as a tool not a goal, and that hiring people with diverse backgrounds and a builder mentality is critical.

Key insights

• Ben initially thought he would become a doctor because both parents and sisters were doctors, but he fell in love with the internet in college after getting his own laptop with high-speed internet.
• Before Pinterest, he built "toys" on the side while working a day job, such as a tool to try on glasses online and a tool to help a friend’s band promote themselves.
• He took a job at Google in online sales/operations because he wanted to be part of the internet but didn’t feel ready to start a company.