Industry Coach

Brian Witlin eats, sleeps, and breathes innovation and entrepreneurship. He loves to spread his "can-do" enthusiasm at the d.school through executive education programs and student coaching. As the founder of many startup ventures, Brian tries to bring his real world experiences as an entrepreneur to the classroom.

Since graduating from Stanford with a Master of Science in Engineering and Design, Brian has co-founded and invested in multiple companies including: product innovation and disruptive design thinking firm RootPhi, llc, Golaces, llc (a footwear startup which was recently acquired), Bonzobox.com (a social homepage site), and ReClaim, llc (focused around green-tech). Brian currently holds the role of Entrepreneur in Residence at IDEO where he is launching new product and technology start-ups in the hopes of changing the world.

Prior to attending Stanford, Brian founded and ran operations at an internet start-up Leverworks which he sold two years after its inception to Leo Media (now Quasar Strategies).

Brian, a Chicago native, enjoys the mild winters and intellectually stimulating atmosphere that Silicon Valley has provided for him. Brian is a classically trained artist/draftsman with a BS in Business and Economics from Lehigh University. He draws upon his diverse background, in particular his Stanford design and engineering training, to continually innovate with an eye on the commercial and social value of what he creates.