FUTURE-READY
Tyler Williams ’08
ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT
By Jessica Covello
70
Tyler Williams ’08 has inextinguishable vigor. “I love constant energy experiences – to me, that’s the essence of entrepreneurism,” says Tyler. At the age of 25, Tyler lives in Los Angeles cooking up ideas for the latest and greatest in live media. “My objective is to change the way people tell stories and connect to one another,” explains Tyler. The creativity and grit that fuels Tyler is something he credits to his nine years at The Haverford School. He found his niche studying Latin and Chinese, was a four-year athlete in water polo and swimming, and spent his Upper School career as a member of The Notables. Tyler continued singing in college, performing with Stanford University’s Fleet Street Singers a cappella group for three years. “Haverford gave me the opportunity to be expressive,” says Tyler. “I discovered how I like to learn and interact. The environment was engaging; teachers encouraged me to check in and be part of the dynamic. In Chinese, I was tasked with telling my teacher a new story each day. This invitation to be creative really tapped into my energy and fueled my drive for learning.” Tyler’s entrepreneurial fire was first stoked during his studies at Stanford. He took a class in which he was charged with generating and pitching a business idea, spent time at a tech investment banking firm, and executed on-campus marketing for various tech startups. After graduating from Stanford in 2012, Tyler went to work at The Walt Disney Co. in Burbank, California. “I had gone to Stanford to learn entrepreneurism and then I found myself in a major corporate culture,” says Tyler. “But what I discovered right away is that the spirit that built Disney is based off of a man who was extremely entrepreneurial. His story solidified that same spirit in me; I started to see how a great company operates and invests in itself, and constantly tries to expand and meet its long-term strategy.” Tyler worked at Disney for two years in corporate finance and global development, then took the plunge and set up shop in Los Angeles with two Stanford software engineers and a sizable capital investment. In December 2013, he conceived an ephemeral media app that has since evolved into a live video media platform. The new app, scheduled to launch in early 2016, gives users the ability
Winter 2016
to tell a story or share an experience in real time through video. The audience can follow categories of stories and engage with the creators through live chatting, creating a close-up, in-depth cyber community with global reach. “We had to pivot several times,” Tyler says of his team’s development of the app. “The process of iterating and being resilient in our pursuit of finding the right product idea proved to be crucial. The creative process requires a willingness to challenge your own assumptions and evolve quickly, but also smartly.”
“Haverford gave me the opportunity to be expressive,” says Tyler. “I discovered how I like to learn and interact. The environment was engaging; teachers encouraged me to check in and be part of the dynamic. In Chinese, I was tasked with telling my teacher a new story each day. This invitation to be creative really tapped into my energy and fueled my drive for learning.” So what’s the next frontier when it comes to technology, according to Tyler? “The key feature of macro trends in technology is engaging each other in real time and contributing to someone else’s story,” says Tyler. “These cyber communities have unlimited geographic reach. Technology is about supporting, fostering, and driving the human element. As the world becomes more integrated, facilitated by technology, I think we will see increased human interaction.” Tyler Williams ’08 earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in 2012. He spent two years at The Walt Disney Co. in corporate finance and global development. Tyler lives in Los Angeles as a tech entrepreneur. To read Tyler’s full story and more alumni spotlights, visit haverford.org/spotlights.