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Donald Wood
Donald Wood
Lecturer, Accounting
Contact Info
+1 (650) 233-9000
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DonaldWood
Lecturer in Management
Academic Area: 
Accounting

Research Statement

Don's interests include all aspects of entrepreneurship, leadership and team building, and business strategy. He has a particular interest in promoting innovative startups in the sustainable energy industry. Don is interested in helping to integrate the many different Stanford programs, departments, and research centers that focus on "sustainable energy and efficiency" so that Stanford can become a more effective leader in solving the global climate crisis. Don is also interested in promoting new sources of investment capital for sustainable energy and efficiency startups.

Research Interests

  • Venture Capital
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Leadership and Team Building
  • Business Strategy
  • Sustainable Energy
  • Energy Efficiency

Teaching Statement

Don has been a founder or executive in four companies, provided venture funding to dozens, and served on 15 public and private Boards. He has a passion for helping entrepreneurs refine their product plans and strategy. He is interested in promoting more innovation in the clean energy industry. His teaching at the Stanford GSB leverages his decades of industry experience. Don teaches all phases of the start-up process in multiple “StartUp Garage” classes and in the “Clean Energy Opportunities: Business Models and Innovations” class. He also guest lectures in several engineering department classes.

Bio

In addition to his teaching at the Stanford GSB, Don is a partner at the venture capital firm DFJ and senior advisor to Energy Impact Partners, PIVA Capital, and the Xfund. Don spent the first 20 years of his career as a consultant at McKinsey and as a founder of and executive in Silicon Valley tech companies. He has been a venture capitalist for the last 20 years in partnerships that have invested in over 400 hundred technology startups, including 35 companies that have achieved valuations of over $1Billion (e.g. Tesla, SpaceX, SolarCity, Vocera, Box, Redfin, Twilio, Skype). He has worked and invested in the communications, enterprise software, consumer web, and sustainable energy industries. Don has served on 15 public and private Boards. He has a passion for helping entrepreneurs refine their products and strategy.

Academic Degrees

  • BA, Economics, Stanford University, 1976
  • MBA, Stanford GSB, 1980

Professional Experience

  • DFJ, 2006-present
  • Vanguard Ventures, 1998-2006
  • Octel Communications, 1991-1994
  • Metricom, 1995-1998
  • Wood-Howard Products, 1989-1990
  • International Power Technology, 1984-89
  • McKinsey and Company, 1980-1983
  • US EPA, 1976-1978

Teaching

Degree Courses

2019-20

GSBGEN 532: Clean Energy Opportunities

This course examines business models and opportunities related to clean energy, specifically to low-carbon energy. We examine emerging trends for this sector in the context of technological change, business opportunities and the parameters set by...

STRAMGT 356: The Startup Garage: Design

Startup Garage is an intensive hands-on, project-based course, in which students will apply the concepts of design thinking, engineering, finance, business and organizational skills to design and test new business concepts that address real world...

2018-19

GSBGEN 532: Clean Energy Opportunities

This course examines business models and opportunities related to clean energy, specifically to low-carbon energy. We examine emerging trends for this sector in the context of technological change, business opportunities and the parameters set by...

STRAMGT 356: The Startup Garage: Design

Startup Garage is an intensive hands-on, project-based course, in which students will apply the concepts of design thinking, engineering, finance, business and organizational skills to design and test new business concepts that address real world...

STRAMGT 366: The Startup Garage: Testing and Launch

Teams that concluded at the end of the fall quarter that their preliminary product or service and business model suggest a path to viability, continue with the winter quarter course. In this course, the teams develop more elaborate versions of...

Stanford University Affiliations

Greater Stanford University

  • Board of Directors, Stanford DAPER Fund

School News

writtenNew Faculty Combine Academic Rigor and Real-World Experience
September 9, 2014
Stanford GSB welcomes seven tenure-line faculty and 17 lecturers from a range of disciplines who will infuse the school’s curriculum with fresh perspectives.