Innovation is a thrilling journey beyond conventional boundaries, but it’s not without challenges. “Out of the Box and Into the Wild: The Innovation Conundrum!” emphasizes that true innovation requires more than just creative thinking – it demands the courage to embrace uncertainty, the resilience to navigate failure, and the vision to see beyond immediate results. It’s about balancing bold experimentation with strategic foresight, turning wild ideas into practical solutions.
The Takeaway: To thrive in today’s fast paced world, we must be willing to explore the unknown, challenge the status quo, and relentlessly pursue ideas that push the limits of what’s possible. Sharmin shares her secret formula to innovation that led her unwavering and defiant journey from hesitation to hegemony!
“Rewriting the Script: Women’s Voices in the Tech Industry” highlights the transformative impact women are having in technology. The keynote underscores the importance of amplifying female voices, breaking down barriers, and challenging stereotypes that have long dominated the field. It’s a call to action for creating inclusive environments where women not only participate but lead and innovate.
Sharmin Ali is a powerhouse entrepreneur, investor, author, and change-maker whose influence spans continents and industries. Having founded multiple ventures that have collectively created over 10,000 jobs and raised more than $200 million in capital, Sharmin has become a symbol of fearless innovation and transformative leadership. Her career has been celebrated on global stages, including the NASDAQ spotlight, and recognized by Fortune, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Newsweek, TIME, and CNBC for her groundbreaking work and impact.
As the founder of the Sharmin Ali Foundation for Entrepreneurs (SAFE), she is tackling one of the most overlooked challenges in business—mental health among entrepreneurs—by providing essential support and resources for resilience in high-pressure environments. She also founded Establish.club, a first-of-its-kind digital platform often called “the Harvard for CEOs”, offering elite entrepreneurial education that blends Ivy League insight with real-world execution.
A fearless world traveler who has explored over 70 countries, Sharmin distills her global experiences into her three bestselling books, including “BITCH, STOP! PLEASE..”, a manifesto on empowerment and self-determination. As a keynote speaker, she delivers electrifying talks that ignite transformation across innovation, leadership, and mental well-being, helping audiences reimagine success and lead with authenticity.
She’s founded multiple ventures, creating over 10,000 jobs and raising $200 million in capital. Her influence extends from boardrooms to NASDAQ spotlights, where she’s been honored globally for her impact with awards for her work, and recognized by major media outlets ranging from Fortune, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Newsweek, TIME, and CNBC, for her innovation.
As the founder of the Sharmin Ali Foundation for Entrepreneurs (SAFE), she remains fervent in her commitment to tackling the mental health crisis plaguing entrepreneurs, providing critical support and resources to those navigating the high-stakes world of business. She is also the creator of Establish.club, the first-of-its-kind ‘Harvard for CEOs,’ an elite online platform democratizing access to world-class entrepreneurial education that combines Ivy League-caliber instruction with practical, real-world knowledge.
A fearless world traveler who’s explored over 70 countries, Sharmin Ali has channeled her experiences into three bestselling books, including her latest, “BITCH, STOP! PLEASE..”, an unadulterated manifesto for taking control of your destiny and rewriting the rules.
Sharmin Ali is a sought-after keynote speaker on innovation, mental health, and women in tech, delivering electrifying talks to Fortune 500 audiences that ignite change and champion possibilities. Her journey is a testament to her fiery resilience and unapologetic ambition—proving that true leadership isn’t just about success, it’s about breaking barriers and championing possibilities.
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In this bold and thought-provoking talk, Sharmin Ali challenges leaders to rethink innovation—urging them to step beyond comfort zones and lead with creativity, courage, and authenticity.
In this 13-minute, 27-second keynote, Sharmin Ali, global entrepreneur, author, and founder of Establish.club, delivers a powerful and unfiltered message about what it truly means to innovate. With her signature blend of humor, passion, and intellect, she exposes the paradox that holds many organizations back: everyone talks about thinking “outside the box,” but few are willing to live there.
Sharmin opens by sharing stories from her entrepreneurial journey—building companies that created over 10,000 jobs and raising $200 million in capital—revealing how innovation rarely happens in safe, familiar spaces. She highlights the emotional and mental toll of constant reinvention and explains why true creativity demands resilience, vulnerability, and a willingness to fail forward.
Through examples drawn from technology, leadership, and her global travels, Sharmin explores the “innovation conundrum”: how systems built for efficiency often stifle originality. She challenges audiences to shift from perfection to experimentation, from fear to curiosity, and from conformity to courage.
The talk crescendos with a call to action: innovation begins when we stop seeking permission and start leading with authenticity. Sharmin reminds her audience that the wild—where things are unpredictable and uncomfortable—is where real progress happens. Her delivery is both electric and empowering, leaving audiences ready to take bold, creative action in their own work and lives.
01:45 – Lessons from entrepreneurship and building innovative ventures
04:10 – The hidden cost of comfort zones and fear of failure
06:20 – The innovation conundrum: systems that reward sameness over creativity
08:45 – Insights from global leadership and real-world experimentation
11:00 – How courage and authenticity drive lasting innovation
At Google Headquarters in New York, global entrepreneur Sharmin Ali delivers a powerful talk on innovation, mental health, and redefining leadership in a rapidly changing world.
This 8-minute, 27-second keynote features Sharmin Ali, award-winning entrepreneur, author, and founder of Establish.club and the Sharmin Ali Foundation for Entrepreneurs (SAFE), speaking to an audience at Google’s New York headquarters. In this focused and dynamic presentation, Sharmin blends data, storytelling, and personal insight to explore the intersection of innovation, leadership, and mental health—three pillars she believes will define the future of sustainable success.
Sharmin begins by highlighting how even in the world’s most innovative companies, creativity often competes with burnout. She calls attention to the “silent epidemic” of mental strain among entrepreneurs and high achievers, sharing candid reflections from her own experiences leading global ventures that created more than 10,000 jobs and raised $200 million in capital.
She introduces her mission with SAFE, her foundation dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs’ mental well-being, and emphasizes how emotional resilience is as crucial as strategic brilliance in leadership. Sharmin also discusses Establish.club, her digital learning platform often called “the Harvard for CEOs,” which democratizes access to elite entrepreneurial education.
Throughout the talk, Sharmin’s tone is both fiery and empathetic—mixing humor and humility with bold insights on how companies like Google can model a culture of innovation without sacrificing mental wellness. She concludes by challenging the audience to embrace empathy, authenticity, and vulnerability as the new markers of effective leadership in the modern age.
01:15 – Innovation’s hidden cost: burnout in high-performance cultures
03:00 – Personal journey: founding ventures and learning resilience
04:35 – Introducing the Sharmin Ali Foundation for Entrepreneurs (SAFE)
06:10 – How Establish.club redefines entrepreneurial education
07:35 – Closing message: leading with empathy, courage, and mental well-being
Global entrepreneur and author Sharmin Ali unveils her INNOVATE Formula—a simple, actionable framework to help leaders and teams turn creativity into measurable impact.
This 2-minute, 43-second video features Sharmin Ali, founder of Establish.club and The Sharmin Ali Foundation for Entrepreneurs (SAFE), introducing her signature INNOVATE Formula—a powerful method for sparking creativity, scaling ideas, and leading with impact in today’s fast-paced world.
With her trademark energy and clarity, Sharmin breaks down how true innovation isn’t about disruption for its own sake—it’s about intention, experimentation, and courage. Drawing from her experience building ventures that created over 10,000 jobs and raised $200 million in capital, she reveals that innovation is both a mindset and a process.
The INNOVATE Formula represents the stages of transformation she’s observed in successful organizations and entrepreneurs: from identifying pain points and nurturing ideas to validating through data, adapting with agility, testing, and evolving continuously. Each element reinforces her belief that innovation thrives at the crossroads of empathy, execution, and endurance.
Accompanied by fast-paced visuals and excerpts from her live presentations, the video distills years of entrepreneurial insight into a practical blueprint that anyone—from startup founders to corporate leaders—can apply immediately. Sharmin concludes with a motivational reminder: innovation isn’t accidental—it’s intentional, and it begins with how we think, not just what we create.
00:25 – Introduction to the INNOVATE Formula and its key components
01:10 – Lessons from building global ventures and scaling ideas
01:55 – How to turn creativity into consistent, actionable results
02:25 – Closing message: innovation begins in mindset and daily choices
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Sir Richard Branson is an international entrepreneur, adventurer, icon, founder of the Virgin Group, the eccentric and outspoken chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways and the founder of Virgin Records. Famous for his daring entrepreneurial style, he oversees the Virgin Group, Ltd., an extensive conglomerate encompassing over 360 companies, including recording studios, a travel business, publishing […]
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In an ever-evolving world where businesses strive for excellence, leadership and innovation go hand in hand. Melissa Majors, an accomplished business leader, is a shining example of how education, innovation, and inclusion can be strategically woven together to drive success. Not only is she a prominent advocate for inclusion, but she is also the author […]
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Julia Collins is a trailblazing figure in the world of technology and entrepreneurship, making history as the first Black woman to achieve “unicorn” status with her tech company. As the Founder and CEO of Planet Forward, she has garnered international acclaim for her innovative approach to addressing climate change through technology. With a unique blend […]
Julie Holmes is a trailblazer in the world of technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence. With an infectious enthusiasm, sharp wit, and unparalleled expertise, Julie has cemented her status as a leading voice in enterprise technology and startup ecosystems. Over a distinguished 25-year career, Julie has evolved from a tech enthusiast to a revered inventor, tech […]
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