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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)
