Ep 198. Anne Driscoll and Chris Schultz: Partners at Work and in the Rest of Life
“We believe the future of work is a world where innovation happens everywhere, success requires working entrepreneurially, and strong community inspires our sense of belonging.”
Anne Driscoll and Chris Schultz are co-founders of an organization called Launch Pad. Anne serves as CEO and Chris is the Chief Community Officer and they are a married couple. Launch Pad was started in New Orleans following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. Anne was a long-time Silicon Valley Executive. She was an early Google employee and post-Google she has taken her expertise to the Valley’s high-growth startup scene, championing emerging ecosystems and creating platforms to support small businesses such as Ning, Dwolla and GoDaddy. Chris was born in Nigeria to American parents (working in the Peace Corps) and he was inspired by the hustle, grind, and entrepreneurship he saw daily at the Nigerian marketplaces of his youth. He’s an active angel investor and has spent 15+ years bringing together the “doers” of the world—startups that have raised over $160 million in venture capital and created 5,000+ jobs.
In this episode, Stew talks with Anne and Chris about how and why they started Launch Pad, the communities it serves, what they’ve had to do to pivot their business during the pandemic, what it takes for a married couple to run a company together, how their philosophy of investing in long-term relationships in growing their business affects their relationship beyond work, and more.
Here then is an invitation, a challenge, for you, once you’ve listened to the conversation, especially the part about how Anne and Chris like to “go long,” as they say. How might you take a longer-term view than you now have on a business relationship that matters to you and how by doing so would you benefit? Share your ideas and any reactions to this episode by writing to Stew at friedman@wharton.upenn.edu or via LinkedIn.
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