Save your mind
from the grind.
Startup life is tough.
Get the right support
as a founder, a manager,
or a team member.
more focus // more control // more resilience
less stress // less anxiety // less loneliness
About me
I'm a startup veteran turned
clinical & industrial psychologist.
After seven startups, three CMO roles, a few successes,
several failures, experiencing the unique lifestyle and needs of founders, and employees,
I "pivoted" to psychology.
Inspired by the highly persistent, goal-oriented, cerebral, and dedicated startup people I closely knew, I decided to develop a specialized approach.
It aims to preserve their most valuable asset: 'mental equity', and fit their constantly shifting, uncertain, and unbalanced reality, where little time or bandwidth is available to take care of yourself.
So far, I have been privileged enough to help unicorn founders and first-time solopreneurs, cofounders, CTOs, and CEOs efficiently manage the inevitable strains of startup life.
Who said rollercoasters Have to be scarry?
RESEARCH BYTES
72% of founders report an impact on their mental health. Many of these founders mask their stress, and it ends up costing them in the long run.
Source: Startup Snapshot’s Seventh Edition, April 2023 report — The Untold Toll: The Impact of Stress on the Well-Being of Startup Founders and CEOs, startup-snapshot.com
RESEARCH BYTES
When developers are unhappy, they are more likely to produce low-quality code, take shortcuts, and introduce bugs.
Source: Graziotin, D., Fagerholm, F., Wang, X., & Abrahamsson, P. (2018). What happens when software developers are (un)happy. Journal of Systems and Software, 140, 32–47.
RESEARCH BYTES
Emotional stability and resilience are key predictors of an entrepreneur’s ability to maintain good mental health in the face of high work demands
Entrepreneurs’ mental health and well-being: A review and research agenda. Academy of Management Perspectives, 32(3), 290-322.
RESEARCH BYTES
A founder's passion can inspire greater effort within a startup team
Source: Murnieks C.Y., Mosakowski E, & Cardon M.S. (2014) Pathways of passion: Identity centrality, passion and behavior among entrepreneurs.. Journal of Management, 40(6), 1583-1606.
RESEARCH BYTES
A strong bias persists among investors, accelerators, and experts who continue to favor teams over solo founders when considering funding opportunities.
Source: Greenberg, J., & Mollick, E. (2017). Sole Survivors: Solo Ventures versus Founding Teams. SSRN, 2-5.
RESEARCH BYTES
Entrepreneurs frequently display resilience, potentially buffering them from the negative effects of mental health conditions while harnessing their strengths, such as creativity and risk-taking.
Source: Freeman, M. A., Johnson, S. L., Staudenmaier, P. J., & Zisser, M. R. (2015). Are Entrepreneurs Touched with Fire? Pre-publication manuscript.
RESEARCH BYTES
Entrepreneurs who find their work meaningful and significant experience higher levels of eudaimonic well-being, which relates to thriving and self-realization.
Source: Stephan, U. (2018). Entrepreneurs’ mental health and well-being: A review and research agenda. Academy of Management Perspectives, 32(3), 290-322.
RESEARCH BYTES
Developers who are happy report increased motivation, which in turn improves task engagement and performance.
Source: Graziotin, D., Fagerholm, F., Wang, X., & Abrahamsson, P. (2018). What happens when software developers are (un)happy. Journal of Systems and Software, 140, 32–47.
RESEARCH BYTES
Entrepreneurs were significantly more likely to report a lifetime history of mental health conditions (49%) compared to the control group (32%).
Source: Freeman, M. A., Johnson, S. L., Staudenmaier, P. J., & Zisser, M. R. (2015). Are Entrepreneurs Touched with Fire? Pre-publication manuscript.
RESEARCH BYTES
Entrepreneurs optimism and self-efficacy have been found to impact the performance of their companies.
Source: Hemieleski, K. M. & Baron R. A, (2008). When does entrepreneurial self-efficacy enhance versus reduce firm performance? Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 2(1), 57-72 & Hemieleski, K. M. & Baron R. A, (2009). Entrepreneurs' optimism and new venture performance: A social cognitive perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 52(3), 473-488
Co-founders Sessions
Joint meetings for startups co-founders where important and delicate matters can be raised with safety and discretion.
In these of face-to-face or online sessions, co-founders get can tackle interpersonal, professional or group issues, aiming at enhancing performance, resolving conflicts or defusing complex situations.
Workshops
Engaging and practical workshops that develop soft skills and psychological safety.
Check out my updated catalogue below.
My workshops provide an interactive opportunity for acquiring knowledge or practicing selected subjects such as: efficient stress control, managing co-founder crises, qualiative decision-making, and more.
Public Speaking
Talks, pannels, podcasts and peer circles are crucial to raise awareness to the specific psychological needs of startups and founders - my main mission.
Exposing wider audiences to this uniquely complex industry will contribute to develop a better informed ecosystem, with more cooperative investors and VCs, supportive board members, and higher rates of peak-performing startup professionals.
SERVICES
Startup Psychology is...
...an adapted approach to help tackle the burdens of startup life, while remaining productive, active, and vital, using practical psychological tools and assistance.
It acknowledges that the demanding work and unstable conditions most startups operate in can heavily impact personal, emotional, and mental well-being.
Startup Psychology relies on accumulated academic and clinical research that underlines the distinctive characteristics associated with founders and tech professionals. It sees the individual as a dominant, multi-layered actor, that operates in an extremely dynamic, uncertain, and competitive ecosystem.
Startup Psychology looks at the individual who operates within an extremely demanding setting. Instead of improving an ability, it focuses on the human aspects and the meaningful dynamics that impact one's mental and emotional state.
It's About You.
Not Your Skills.
Developed to serve as a startup-centric resource, Startup Psychology can be used to get advice, analyze processes, planning, training, and other business strategy needs.
It's a Strategic Resource
Aimed at providing value from the get-go, Startup Psychology can be used for one session or many, a project or a sprint, focus on a specific topic, or pre-defined to fit the client's necessities.
It's Flexibile & Adaptable
Startup Psychology is NOT...
Get in touch
Interested in booking a session for you or your cofounder? Want to know more about workshops for your startup? Need a speaker for your next event? Looking for valuable and specialized content? Here's where you do it
In the MEDIA
FOUNDer: Personality or identity
A deep-dive into the specific emotional and cognitive qualities of founders.
Soft skills for tough founders
The underdeveloped skills crucial for today’s competitive startup landscape.
authenticity in fast-growth businesses
Staying true to yourself under stressful startup conditions and avoiding Imposter Syndrome.
Mental Health Help 101
Identifying and treating the most common mental issues of startup professionals.
Workshops
& Talks
FIND & FOUND
How to select a co-founder that's right for you.
UNTANGLING CO-FOUNDERS' COMPLEXITIES
Constructive crisis management for co-founders.
Anxiety, the "A-Round" no founder wants to raise
Learn to manage anxiety so it doesn't manage you.
Growth Pains
Coping with inevitable prices of working in a startup.
Biases of Startup Professionals
Overcoming "thought traps" and avoiding your logic's snags.
Psychological flexibility under stress
Staying mentally agile and highly efficient in startup reality.