Speaking to an audience of over 250 people, Marc Tarpenning CS’85, Co-Founder & Former VP of Electrical Engineering of Tesla Motors, shared his experience as an entrepreneur co-founding the most disruptive and innovative company in the auto industry within the last 100 years. This event was part of the Berkeley Innovator Series designed to connect today’s students with Berkeley’s innovative founders and startups, and was co-sponsored by The Foundry@CITRIS and the Cal Startup Network.
Mr. Tarpenning ran the electrical engineering group as well as being the acting CFO during Tesla’s first three years. Tesla Motors has sold over 2,500 fully battery electric Roadsters and over 50,000 Model S sedans. It became a public company on the NASDAQ exchange in July 2010, and currently employs over 6,000 people. Since leaving Tesla Motors, Mr. Tarpenning has been Entrepreneur in Residence at Mayfield Fund, sits on several company Advisory Boards, speaks frequently on entrepreneurship, is an publicly elected School Board Trustee for the Woodside Elementary School District, a Trustee for The Neuva School, a member of the Advisory Board, Science Learning Institute at Foothill College, and an elected Member representing Area Three of the San Mateo County Committee on School District Organization.
Photo Credit: Adriel Olmos