Before joining the d.school at Stanford University, Michael Dearing spent nearly seven years at eBay serving most recently as Senior Vice President & General Merchandise Manager. In that role, he led category management, product marketing, seller development, eBay Stores, and direct-to-consumer marketing for eBay North America. While at eBay, Michael and his colleagues were also responsible for the launch and growth of many new merchandise categories, and new businesses such as Buy-it-Now, the listings upgrade business, eBay Stores, and ProStores. Prior to eBay, Michael held leadership positions at Bain & Company, Filene's Basement, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE-DIS), and Industrial Shoe Warehouse.

Michael holds an AB in Economics with a focus in economic history from Brown University, and an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School. His current interests include process design for new product development, "productizing" emerging technologies, web-based businesses, product marketing, and pricing.

Michael is a member of the Economic History Association and the Business History Conference. When he's not at the d.school, Michael enjoys working with small companies on issues of strategy and marketing, growing fruits and vegetables, hiking, and playing with his dogs.

Venture Capital, Investing, Business, Business Growth, Finance, Entrepreneurship,