Episode Details

Fresh out of undergrad, Christos Shepherd started – and later sold – Air Thalassa, a Greek airline. He went on to help governments and entrepreneurs in Africa to start airlines of their own. And during a stint at JetBlue, he launched award-winning products like Mint, Americas first-ever lie-flat experience.

Born in Jamaica but given a Greek name, raised in London but now living in New York, married to a Nigerian and learning Chinese, Christos story spans the world. He fronted his own TV show in China, wrote for The Economist, and last year got an MBA from Stanford.

These days, Christos is a co-founder at Campfire, a revolutionary audio app that pays users to ask great questions to their favorite experts, celebrities, and podcasters. Besides eliciting and sharing intimate audio stories, users can donate their earnings to their favorite charities. On Campfire, social media does social good.

During This Show We Discuss…

What the process to start an airline is really like

How to raise venture capital to fund your business

Influential projects at JetBlue that Christos was involved in, and where he got his ideas

What it was like to be part of the team that designed one of JetBlue's signature comfort features

Important lessons learned when working in the airline industry that are applicable to other industries

When to know if it makes sense to seek out venture capital

Things about venture capital that most people don't know, until they learn the hard way

What Campfire is and how does it work

The types of icons using Campfire now

The personal favorite questions that have been asked on Campfire

Things that can help social media deliver a more positive experience

Of the 100 countries Christos has traveled to, which ones are his favorite and why

What it was like traveling to North Korea

Graduating from Stanford, some things they don't teach in business school that they should

And much more...