The Innovator Next Door
The Innovator Next Door is a podcast about outliers think— not just what they build. Hosted by Stanford student Isabella Delbakhsh, these aren’t celebrity founders or household names. They’re students, researchers, investors, and builders who are solving problems that matter.
This isn’t a startup playbook. It’s a window into how ideas are born, how people follow their curiosity, and how you can learn to think that way too. Because conversations about going from 0 to 1 shouldn’t only happen in pitch meetings or Stanford classrooms; they should happen at your dinner table, in your group chats, or with your next door neighbor.
You don’t need to be in Silicon Valley to build something interesting. And you don’t need to go viral to be worth listening to. This podcast is about making ideas feel relatable, accessible, and maybe even surprising. It’s about catching outliers while they’re still in their beta phase.
Isabella sits down with people who are thinking deeply, building intentionally, and in some ways, building the rocket as they are flying it.
How do they spot opportunities others miss? What ideas shape their worldview?What content do they consume, and how do they learn?
If any of those questions are interesting to you, this podcast is for you. And hopefully, we will also answer the question: “So… how did you think of that and what did you do from there."
The Innovator Next Door
Voices of Change: How the UCLA Iranian Student Group is Amplifying Women's Voices
In this episode, I am joined by Melody Khoshneviszadeh, the co-president of the Iranian Student Group at UCLA. We discuss the role Iranian women play in shaping the future of their country as well as how other communities can help amplify the cause. Melody shares her experiences as an Iranian American, the impact of her work at UCLA, and her insights on keeping Iranian culture alive.