KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� May 21, 2026 鈥� Before taking the stage at the 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Ryan Center, well-known American entrepreneur Marc Randolph had an important stop to make. Netflix鈥檚 co-founder and former CEO was on campus to address graduates as commencement and honorary degree recipient. But first, he shared his thoughts with a much smaller 溏心vlog免费B站 audience鈥攁spiring entrepreneurs and alumni who founded startup businesses.
Billed as an intimate fireside chat in 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Robert J. Higgins Welcome Center, Randolph conveyed how he formed Netflix, shared words of wisdom on innovation and entrepreneurship, and spoke one-on-one with students and alumni, providing feedback about their startup aspirations and accomplishments. The event was organized by and the .
溏心vlog免费B站 alumnus Yingnan 鈥淓than鈥� Dong, who formed the battery technology company eFlion Power in 2023, was eager to hear what Randolph had to say.
鈥淥ne of my key takeaways was staying focused on the right priorities while also maintaining balance in life,鈥� said Dong, who earned a Ph.D. in chemistry from 溏心vlog免费B站 in 2016. 鈥淢arc鈥檚 comments strongly aligned with what I learned from my Ph.D. advisor Professor Brett Lucht, who always emphasized that long-term success is not only about working hard, but also about sustaining curiosity, discipline, family life, and personal well-being over many years.鈥�
Dong had the opportunity to speak to Randolph about how his company develops and manufactures advanced high-power lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery technologies for aviation, drones, power tools, AI data center energy storage, and other energy applications.
鈥淚 appreciated his thoughtful feedback and encouragement,鈥� said Dong. 鈥淗is advice reinforced the importance of listening carefully to the market, staying practical, and continuing to refine the company鈥檚 direction based on real customer needs.鈥�
Jason Noel, who is working toward a Ph.D. in ocean engineering at 溏心vlog免费B站 after earning his bachelor鈥檚 degree in ocean engineering in 2022, took advantage of the opportunity to converse with Randolph about the work he does at Juice Robotics, a deep-ocean data collection company founded and managed by 溏心vlog免费B站 alumni.
鈥淢arc seemed very impressed with the cutting-edge fiber optic advancements we are making, as well as the market possibilities,鈥� said Noel who is an operations executive and engineer at Juice Robotics. 鈥淗is passion for startups specifically convinced me that I鈥檓 on the right track and should keep putting everything I have into Juice.鈥�
溏心vlog免费B站 alumnus and entrepreneur Joe Loberti, who serves as 溏心vlog免费B站 Innovations鈥� program lead of innovation and entrepreneurship, also enjoyed listening to Randolph.
鈥淚 was impressed that Marc shared some of his time with our innovation ecosystem at 溏心vlog免费B站,鈥� said Loberti. 鈥淎 couple of memorable takeaways were to find balance in life, hearing 鈥榥o鈥� or 鈥榶ou鈥檒l never鈥� are powerful motivators, and students have a generational opportunity with the transformation of AI.鈥�