More than 130 members of the Dartmouth community helped celebrate the induction of two accomplished alumni, Chris Meledandri ’81 and Lew Cirne ’93, to Dartmouth’s Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame at a dinner last week in San Francisco.
The Sept. 5 dinner in the Julia Morgan Ballroom, an event venue in the Merchants Exchange which was adorned in green and white for the occasion, was followed by the annual Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum. Both events were organized by the Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship.
Jamie Coughlin, Magnuson’s founding executive director, kicked off the Hall of Fame dinner and welcomed the two new inductees. Meledandri is a Hollywood producer responsible for Despicable Me, the most successful animated film franchise, and Cirne is a code-writing executive who created one of the leading platforms for monitoring and enhancing web and mobile software.
“Today, we induct two remarkable builders into the Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame who turned ‘what if?’ into ‘what is!’ Their passions reflect the power of Dartmouth entrepreneurship, and their legacy is proof that the future belongs to the bold. Here’s to those who build with heart and redefine what’s possible,” Coughlin said.
The Entrepreneurs Hall of Fame initiative by the Magnuson Center celebrates members of the Dartmouth community who have transformed their industry and are inspiring future generations to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. The center annually invites community members to nominate alumni from any industry.
The Hall of Fame was launched last year, and its inaugural inductees were James Coulter ’82, co-founder and executive chairman of TPG; Keith Dunleavy ’91, founder and CEO of Inovalon; Steven Hafner ’91, co-founder and CEO of Kayak; and Shonda Rhimes ’91, TV producer, author, and founder of Shondaland.
Jeff Crowe ’78, a Dartmouth trustee and Magnuson Board of Advisors member, said he hopes the Hall of Fame would inspire others.
“Starting any organization, I believe, is the ultimate expression of somebody’s desire to change the world by creating something that has not existed before. In doing that, you also have to create a mission, a team, a culture, a product, and a service,” Crowe said. “I don’t think anything is more rewarding than to create something out of nothing.”
The event showcased the strength of Dartmouth’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and Magnuson’s impact. President Sian Leah Beilock, through a recorded message to the attendees, underscored how “this recognition not only celebrates their extraordinary achievements but also highlights the values of innovation, perseverance, and leadership that define Dartmouth’s entrepreneurial spirit.”
Andrea Johnson ’91, chair of the Magnuson Center Board of Advisors, agreed, saying: “Dartmouth has a proud history of graduating entrepreneurial thinkers and doers across the spectrum of professions. Nothing provides a better foundation for future entrepreneurs than the critical thinking skills at the heart of a Dartmouth education.”
The night was followed by a busy day filled with speaker and panel sessions at the annual Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum. The event provided hundreds of Dartmouth alumni, students, faculty, and staff with opportunities to gain insights into the entrepreneurial ecosystem and network.
In just a few minutes, attendees were captivated by fireside chats by Meledandri and Cirne as they discussed overcoming fear and working with passion.
“Creative work is always personal,” said Meledandri, a self-described “late bloomer.” He shared the emotional side of leaving a comfortable post at 20th Century Fox Animation at age 47 and becoming the founder and CEO of Illumination. He is known for animated films such as Ice Age, Despicable Me, The Secret Life of Pets, and Sing.
“I was terrified for six months. I realized, though, that if something was scaring me that much, the moment I took the leap, I would experience personal growth. No matter what happened with the business, I was guaranteed equity from overcoming my fear. To me, fear is just part of it,” Meledandri said.
Similarly, Cirne shared how inspiration was often all-consuming. “There have been moments in my life where I am captivated by an idea to create something, and I can’t NOT do it. I have to drop everything and just work on it. And it’s in the hope that it’s something that other people like too. I think of these companies as a vehicle by which I get to share my ideas with other people,” said Cirne, who founded the public software company New Relic. Prior to that, he founded Wily Technology, which was acquired in 2006.
The theme of artificial intelligence was a key focus throughout the Entrepreneurs Forum. Speakers emphasized that they believe AI is enhancing the workforce, not replacing it.
Geoff Ralston ’82, a member of the Magnuson Center Board of Advisors who spoke at the event, emphasized the promise and peril of AI, saying, “AI is like a new kind of fire. We can’t begin to anticipate the opportunities and challenges it brings, and we need to be placing far greater emphasis on the challenges than we are right now. Dartmouth and our Magnuson community are great environments to begin to sort this balance out,” Ralston said.
Overall the Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum included 55 industry-leading speakers. Fifty-five startups also presented during startup office hours to 40 alumni mentors, where they had the opportunity to pitch and receive valuable advice and coaching.
“The breadth and depth of our entrepreneurial community is remarkable and it was on full display at this year’s conference,” says Coughlin. “It was also so great to see the number of students who attended the event this year. It’s exciting to think that one of them could be a future Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Hall of Famer.”
The next Dartmouth Entrepreneurs Forum will take place in the spring of 2025.
