Entrepreneur Kevin Ryan Discusses Intersection of Tech and Public Policy

Entrepreneur Kevin P. Ryan, a founder of Internet-based businesses including Gilt, Business Insider, MongoDB, and Zola, recently visited SIPA to discuss how New York City can use innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship to address public policy challenges.

Entitled “Turning Societal Challenges into Entrepreneurial Opportunities,” the December 15 conversation with Dean Merit E. Janow of SIPA drew students from across Columbia’s entrepreneurship network, representing SIPA and other schools at the University.

In a wide-ranging discussion, Ryan and Janow touched upon several pillars at the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, and public policy, including the importance of leveraging human talent, the role of the media, and the types of regulation that can foster or inhibit entrepreneurial foundations in a society. They also considered conditions that give rise to global innovation as well as the special relationship worldwide among entrepreneurship, digital technologies, and data.

Ryan emphasized that people and ideas are the key building blocks to urban innovation, and said burgeoning opportunities in global cities can be primed by the establishment of research institutions and abundance of skilled and educated populations. Indeed, the discussion made clear that universities and urban environments are both important foundational elements in a startup ecosystem.

The event concluded with questions from the audience, including from attendees who sought practical advice for student-led startups and social impact ventures.

A recent grant from the Nasdaq Educational Foundation provided support for this event and additional programming related to entrepreneurship and public policy.

Note: Photo of Kevin Ryan is from a previous visit to SIPA, in 2015