Founder & CEO of RISE, Harvard University Visiting Scholar, Innovation Authority, and Bestselling Author
Suneel Gupta teaches innovation at Harvard University and is the author of the upcoming book, Backable – exploring how to get people to believe in your ideas. The book is rooted in Suneel’s journey from first-time entrepreneur to being named “The New Face of Innovation” by the New York Stock Exchange. Suneel’s ideas have been backed by firms like Greylock and Google Ventures, and he served as an Entrepreneur in Residence inside Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. He has personally backed startups including Impossible Foods, AirBnB, 23&Me, Calm, and SpaceX.
Keynote Speaker
In presentations, Suneel looks at how to spark and accelerate innovation, capitalize on disruptions to build a digital product from scratch, and manage the hyper-growth that follows. Audiences leave his talks with memorable stories, science-based insights, and immediately usable techniques to turn their ideas into an inspiring vision that captivates attention and inspires action.
RISE
In 2018, Suneel ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Michigan’s 11th Congressional District. Before running for Congress, Suneel co-founded and served as CEO of RISE, a mobile health company that partnered with Michelle Obama to lower the cost of quality care for thousands of patients. Just two years after launch, One Medical acquired Rise and was named the most innovative company in health by Fast Company.
Innovation and Growth
An expert at accelerating growth and innovation, in less than two years, Suneel helped grow Groupon from a tiny startup into a multi-billion-dollar company. Prior to serving as Groupon’s first vice president of product, he built products for Mozilla as their director of product development.
Democratic Party
Suneel is also a lawyer and filmmaker. He started his career in the Clinton White House where he served as a speechwriter, learning from West Wing staffers like Michael McCurry and Rahm Emanuel. A few years later, he was asked to co-author the national platform for the Democratic Party.
Media
In the media world, Suneel blogged for MTV and produced the Kahani Movement, an interactive film project about the first generation of Indian-Americans, which debuted at South by Southwest with his brother, Dr. Sanjay Gupta (CNN). He also worked for the president of Sony Pictures Television when the studio was investing in new creative concepts like Breaking Bad.
Education
Suneel has always moved quickly. In less than six years total, he earned a BS from the University of Michigan, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and a JD from Northwestern University School of Law. He also is the co-founder and board director at Gross National Happiness Center, America.
Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind Breakthrough Ideas
As the world speeds up, it’s become way too easy to get left behind. What keeps us fresh and relevant are our ideas. But why is it that some ideas inspire and move people to action, while others tend to fizzle out? In this talk, you’ll learn the surprising truth about Innovation and why some innovators get ahead while others get ignored. You’ll leave with memorable stories, science-based insights, and immediately usable techniques to turn your idea into an inspiring vision that captivates attention and inspires action.
Storyboard Thinking
Innovative startups like AirBnB are now adopting the same discipline of “storyboard thinking” that originated in Walt Disney's personal studio lot. In this talk, Suneel Gupta, who is both a film producer and technologist, teaches you how to bring storyboard thinking into your organization and unleash creativity like never before.
Managing Hyper-Growth
Suneel led product development for Groupon, a company that grew from around $1 million in revenue to around $1 billion in revenue, in one year. In this talk, you’ll learn about how to build and manage teams and innovation when everything around you is growing at break-neck speed.
Accelerating Innovation
Moving fast is both an art and a science. In this talk, Suneel shares lessons learned through building new products that quickly reached hundreds of millions of people and produced billions of dollars in revenue. In this talk, you’ll get an inside look at how to build a digital product from scratch and the pitfalls to avoid along the way.
Back to the Garage: Thinking and Acting like an Entrepreneur
Moving fast is both an art and a science…and organizations (and leaders) that understand how to excel in both aspects of ‘speed’ are primed for success. Suneel’s experiences from the White House to Sony to the forefront of digital media at Groupon provide a unique framework for managing decision-making and strategy for lean organizations. Understanding the lessons learned through building new products that quickly reached hundreds of millions of people and produced billions of dollars in revenue, audiences gain an inside look at how to build a digital product from scratch, and the pitfalls to avoid along the way.
Hidden Genius: Releasing Untapped Potential in Yourself and Others
Human progress depends on bringing breakthrough ideas to life. And yet, some of the greatest inventions - including Penicillin, the Silicon Chip, and the iPhone - almost never came to be. In this talk, you’ll learn why certain cultures help or hinder creative expression. As a leader, you’ll walk away with a specific handbook for expressing creative ideas and creating the systems around you for others to do the same.
All Suneel Gupta Books
Backable: The Surprising Truth Behind What Makes People Take a Chance on You
Purchase Book"Suneel Gupta was a bright spot at our recent West Coast Boardroom Summit conference! His insights were both refreshing and thought provoking—and his on-the-ground experiences at the forefront of some of the most successful entrepreneurial ventures in recent years leant true credibility to his presentation. His lively keynote kept everyone in the audience engaged!"
- | New York Stock Exchange
"Suneel left our digital team smarter and ready to innovate. I'd have him back to speak anytime."
- Walgreens | President of Ecommerce
"It was a pleasure having Suneel speak to our alumni and students in Guadalajara. His speech was really motivating for our audience, who left the event inspired. We really appreciated how he spoke from his heart, I am sure none of the participants will forget his charming talk. We could not have asked for a better closing of Alumnitec 2013, Suneel has definitely set the tone for future speakers in our event."
- | Tecnologico de Monterrey, Campus Guadalajara
"Suneel Gupta's engaging remarks on entrepreneurialism and business innovation were thought-provoking and inspiring, and resonated deeply with our audience."
- | Barron's
