By Sam Molitor, sophomore journalism major
In a conversation reflecting on the highs, lows, and lessons learned from founding one of the world’s largest social media platforms, Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap Inc., visited LMU College of Business Administration on April 21, 2025, to share his inspiring story with the Lion community.
“What we’ve found in our design team is that the only way to have good ideas is to have lots of ideas — and it’s really important to get over that fear of sharing something new,” Spiegel told a packed crowd of students eager to learn from his perspective and gain insight.
Since launching Snapchat from his Stanford dorm room in 2011, Spiegel has built Snap Inc. into a $14 billion company with over 850 million monthly active users. Named the world’s youngest billionaire at 24, Spiegel has played a major role in reshaping digital communication, creativity, and connection through advancements in augmented reality, social networking, and artificial intelligence.
“We really think that computing can actually bring people together and provide shared experiences, but physically together in the real world,” said Spiegel, reflecting on Snapchat’s mission to strengthen in-person connection through digital innovation. The conversation spanned a variety of themes, from the importance of failure, the low-risk environment that higher education provides, leadership styles, and the future of Snapchat.
The event was organized by students from LMU Entrepreneurship Society, who secured confirmation from Spiegel’s team in January. Co-sponsored by other CBA student organizations and the Center for International Business Education, the fireside chat filled the Hilton Center for Business auditorium to capacity.
“Every little detail was thought out beforehand, we had pages and pages of plans for the day,” said Tom Fathi, sophomore entrepreneurship major and president of the Entrepreneurship Society.
In deciding the lineup of guest speakers for the year, Fathi works closely with Shaan Parekh, the event’s host and former president of the Entrepreneurship Society. “I think one thing that students may have difficulty with when deciding on guest speakers is relevance. (Spiegel) is incredibly young. He was 21 when he started Snapchat, and our goal is to invite speakers who can relate to all of our students,” said Parekh.
In addition to his thoughts on entrepreneurship and the evolution of Snapchat, Spiegel emphasized the importance of community when pursuing one’s passion, highlighting how support from his peers at Stanford made all the difference. “It’s such an extraordinary opportunity to be in school and make the connections and friendships that you’re going to make…You have an amazing community here, with fellow entrepreneurs, with professors…schools can be such a valuable launch pad for entrepreneurship,” said Spiegel.
For the students in attendance, hearing Spiegel’s journey of success and failure reinforced a key takeaway: the importance of persistence and adaptability in the face of challenges and failure.
For those who couldn’t attend, be sure to check out the video replay.