Filipino expert on psychology of startup teams recognized by Thinkers50 Radar
MARTIN GONZALEZ, an expert on the psychology of startup teams and creator of Google’s Effective Founders Project, a global research program that uses people analytics to uncover what makes the best startup founders succeed, was recently recognized by the Thinkers50 Radar.
Every year, the Thinkers50 Radar list identifies 30 individuals across the globe with breakthrough ideas predicted to make an important impact on management thinking in the future. Dubbed by the Financial Times as the “Oscars of management thinking,” Thinkers50 tags itself as the world’s most reliable resource for identifying, ranking, and sharing current leading management ideas.
“I feel honored to be recognized by this year’s Thinkers50 Radar. It underscores the critical role of building healthy, resilient teams in driving innovation and scaling businesses,” Mr. Gonzalez said.
Mr. Gonzalez, the only Filipino on the 2024 list alongside management scholars and published authors across America, Europe, and Asia, was recognized for his research anchored on the notion that most startups fail not because of fund mismanagement, bad product timing, or bad product design but because of people problems.
Further dissecting this idea, Mr. Gonzalez, together with the co-founder of the Google for Startups Accelerator Josh Yellin, is launching a book entitled
The Bonfire Moment, where they discuss the common traps and challenges that hinder the growth of startups. Messrs. Gonzalez and Yellin also conduct one-day workshops of the same name with companies of various sizes worldwide to help founders effectively navigate these traps.
In the Philippines, Mr. Gonzalez continues to work as a startup advisor to the portfolio companies of Kickstart Ventures, a corporate venture capital (CVC) firm whollyowned by Globe Telecom, and has recently become a venture partner at Kaya Founders, a VC firm that backs industry-shaping digital companies. He has also shared his expertise in startups and people development at DigiCon, People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), and IdeaSpace.
Mr. Gonzalez was also recognized by The Aspen Institute as a First Movers Fellow last year, the first Filipino to achieve this recognition, for his pioneering work at Google. He is currently a principal of organization and talent development at the world’s leading search and advertising company, working with senior leaders to shape team culture, develop their people, and expand their leadership.
Apart from Google, he is a frequent lecturer on entrepreneurship, organization design, and people analytics at Stanford, Wharton, and INSEAD.
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to learn more about Mr. Gonzalez’s insights on why building teams is essential to startup success.