Tesla: Founding Story

How one car brand and its bought-in founder rose to fame.

In 2003, the car market was a busy place 🤯

Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning wanted to disrupt the industry with an electric car.

Two more co-founders, JB Straubel and Ian Wright joined and left in 2004, right before a successful financing round led by Elon Musk 🤑

After re-purposing Toyota's old factory, Tesla now had access to 1.5 miles of assembly lines 🏭

They could produce more cars than previously imagined!

In 2008, Tesla announced Musk’s new position as CEO! 🚗

And then Musk announced the brand new Roadster sports car.

In 2010, Tesla raised $226 million to go public ⚡️

The company has continued to bring new car models to market, with a CEO that often ends up in press headlines 🦜

Test your knowledge

In 2003, the car market was. . .

Choose an option

When did Musk get involved with Tesla?

Choose an option

Tesla’s first car was the. . .

Choose an option

What's next?

icon

Nike: Founding Story

Teamwork makes the dream work, and sometimes even companies 👟

icon

Nike: Growth

Great products don’t grow alone. Here's how Nike won the marketing race.

icon

Nike: Modern Obstacles

Every athlete takes some Ls, and so does Nike.

Featured Lessons