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Carina Cunha

Persuasion Architect - Author of First Principles - Developing the M-theory of Human Behavior - CMO at Messaging Studio - Board Advisor & Strategist - Follow the energy

Professional Background

I run experiments on human behavior for a living: on organizations, audiences, individuals and myself.

Y42 is my consultancy and laboratory. I identify the problem, develop the strategy and translate it into execution across capital, communication, positioning, commercial growth, market expansion, partnerships and operations. Pattern recognition makes leverage visible. I identify where deliberate interventions produce disproportionate returns.

I am CMO of Messaging Studio, where I lead commercialization, product positioning and messaging. I am also an Investor & Capital Strategy Advisor at STATERA, an advisor to KinPay and GiveMagix, and an Advisor to the Board at Align AI Foundation.

I have 17+ years of experience as a founder, investment banker, corporate strategist and consultant. I have advised 100+ organizations, from startups to FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies.

Thought Leadership & Expertise

I am developing my own M-theory of human behavior: a framework connecting physics, evolutionary biology, neuroscience, psychology and behavior. Natural selection shaped how we allocate energy and attention within the constraints of physics. Every decision is an energy allocation.

Carl Jung had his sessions with patients. I have my sessions with businesses. Companies, founders, customers, investors and audiences provide the observations through which I develop and test the framework.

First Principles is my body of work. I publish these ideas in my First Principles newsletter: “See life at a different resolution. Experiments in time, energy & mastery. The objective is fidelity to reality.” My forthcoming book, First Principles of Persuasion (2027), develops the framework beneath sales, marketing and persuasion. Persuasion is physics expressed through behavior.

Core expertise: Business Strategy, Capital Markets, Investment Banking, P&L, Fundraising, Revenue Growth, Go-to-market Strategy, Commercialization, Brand Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions, Board Advisory, Positioning (Marketing), Capital Strategy, Deal Structuring, Strategic Partnerships, International Expansion.

Key Positions Held

  • Founder & Researcher of the Ultimate Question, Y42
  • Chief Marketing Officer, Messaging Studio
  • Investor & Capital Strategy Advisor, STATERA
  • Advisor, KinPay
  • Strategic Advisor, GiveMagix
  • Advisor to the Board, Align AI Foundation
  • Founder & CEO, Satori (May 2022–November 2025)
  • Advisor (Chief Strategy Officer), The KINN (March 2023–November 2025)
  • Director, Meta Strategy (May 2020–September 2021)

Related Questions

How does Carina Cunha apply her M-theory of human behavior to business strategy?
What ideas does Carina Cunha explore in her First Principles newsletter?
What will Carina Cunha’s forthcoming book, First Principles of Persuasion, cover?
How does Carina Cunha run Y42 as both a consultancy and a laboratory?
What does Carina Cunha lead as Chief Marketing Officer of Messaging Studio?
How does Carina Cunha support STATERA as an Investor & Capital Strategy Advisor?
What role does Carina Cunha play as an advisor to KinPay, GiveMagix and the Align AI Foundation?
How has Carina Cunha’s investment banking background shaped her approach to capital strategy and deal structuring?
How does Carina Cunha identify where deliberate interventions produce disproportionate returns?
What has Carina Cunha learned from advising 100+ organizations, from startups to FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies?
Carina Cunha
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Experience

Y42, Founder & Researcher of the Ultimate Question, January 2024-present
Messaging Studio, Chief Marketing Officer, October 2026-present

Location

New York, New York, United States