Dakota Stipp '17

Dakota Stipp’s focus, flexibility, and curiosity have shaped his journey. As CEO and Co-Founder of Amuse Technologies, he began by studying computer science at Knox, but soon channeled his interest in sound design and music into a broader mission. After Knox, he attended the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale for an MFA in sound design. He also worked on Broadway productions in sound design before founding Amuse Technologies—a platform for short-form storytelling in public spaces. 

Now based out of Chicago, Stipp returned to Knox to engage students and faculty in multiple discussions and meetings.

You were back on campus for a few discussions this week. Who are some of the groups you spoke with, and what did you talk about?

I got to visit a couple of business classes, which were really fun. I spoke at a StartUp Term kickoff event with a lot of students. I had one-on-one lunches with various students, talking about their projects, some start-ups they’re working on, graduate schools, how to maximize their time at Knox and where to go after, possible internships, and how to apply for jobs.

How much does your curiosity drive your entrepreneurship?

There’s a common wisdom, people tend to say you have to be irrationally passionate about something to found a start-up. I think that is generally true; you can run a start-up that is focused on something you’re not passionate about, but I don’t think you’ll have a lot of fun doing it. 

You sort of dipped your toe in the water in theatre at Knox, which led to you becoming more involved and active in the program, and eventually led to attending the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and earning a Master of Fine Arts in sound design. How did starting small lead to bigger things for you?

There’s a certain level of patience that I exercised at the time. I enlisted in a low-pressure role. It was a sound operator; you basically press ‘go’ when you’re told to do so. There’s a level of patience, maybe something isn’t the biggest and most life-changing thing, but it’s interesting right now. I didn’t go into it thinking it was going to lead to my next big opportunity, but in hindsight, I can connect how saying yes to a small thing opened new doors.

What do you think is more valuable for a student just starting out: flexibility and curiosity, or creating a plan of where you want to be?

My approach won’t work for everybody. There’s a level of risk tolerance. I had a lot of confidence that I would figure it out, that it would be OK. A lot of that came from my parents and faculty members, who encouraged and supported me. Being able to relax and take a chance made that work out. I do like to plan things out. I did have a plan here; it was to get the most out of it. I didn’t know exactly what that meant because you never know what opportunities will be available in the future. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a very clear vision and wanting to pursue that. There’s merit in knowing your destination and mapping out your steps to get there, but you do need to have a certain amount of flexibility to understand that you might be wrong about what steps you exactly must take. 

What is it like to share your experience with students trying to figure out life and create a plan for their future?

It is amazing. It was a lot of fun to talk with them and see what they’re passionate about. I was surprised by how many questions they have. It feels good to be somebody the students see as someone who can offer something useful to them, and even some of the faculty I talked to are interested in my perspective on the world and how it influences classes. It’s a reward to be here, spending time with the students.