The Science of Startups: Decoding the DNA of Unicorns.
Oxford Startups Research Leader, Best-Selling Author and Keynote Speaker.
What actually drives startup success? It’s not just luck. Breakthrough research led by McCarthy and his colleagues at the University of Oxford, published in Nature Scientific Reports (100k+ downloads) reveals the hidden personality data that predicts which teams become unicorns.
2026 Speaking Topics
Professor McCarthy is a global leader in the “science of startups”, technology and innovation mapping and the use of AI and machine learning to uncover business, social and economic insights.
Topic 1: The Science of Startups
"Moneyball" for Venture Capital. How data predicts winning teams.
Target Audience: Investors, Founders, Policy Makers.
Topic 2: The Science of High-Performing Teams
How lessons about team diversity in startups can help shape better performing leadership teams
Target Audience: Corporate Leadership, HR, Transformation Teams.
Topic 3: From Lab to IPO
How governments (like Tokyo) are using data science to cultivate winning innovation ecosystems.
GovTech, Economic Forums, Trade Summits.
As Heard on Oxford University’s The Human Interface
Go behind the headlines of the breakthrough research. In this deep-dive episode, 'The Science Behind Successful Start-ups', Prof. Paul X. McCarthy and Dr. Fabian Braesemann sit down with the Veena McCoole to discuss the hidden patterns in 21,000 companies. Discover how the 'Science of Startups' lab is decoding the DNA of unicorns.
Global Impact
Selected Keynotes:
China: Addressed 30,000+ delegates at the Big Data Expo, sharing the stage with Alibaba founder Jack Ma.
India: Keynote alongside cultural icons Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar at the IAA Silver Jubilee (2,000+ delegates).
Australia: "Future of Work" headline address at Vivid Sydney, the world’s largest festival of light, music, and ideas.
Europe: Innovation keynote for the Hartmann Group Annual Conference (Vienna), addressing global healthcare leadership.
Selected Past Enagements
Keynote address at Big Data Expo China.
With David Yu, Managing Director of LinkedIn China holding a hot-off-the-presses signed copy of 引力 — the Chinese Edition of Online Gravity.
Founder and CEO of Alibaba, Jack Ma address the Big Data Expo China.
Pony Ma, CEO Tencent at Big Data Expo.
With Shengnan Liu in Beijing from Tencent News after an in-depth interview about the Chinese Edition of Online Gravity.
30,000 delegates attended Big Data Expo.
Keynote address in India at the IAA Silver Jubilee Summit.
IAA Silver Jubiliee Keynote alongside cultural icons Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar.
Global Corporate Keynote Keynote Hartmann Group Annual conference
ABC TV News interview about our Vocation Compass Research findings that revealed all jobs have their own personalities.
Interviewed by ABC TV on the growth and ongoing success of Spotify in Australia, Europe and now the US.
Keynote Speaker Vivid Sydney about the future of Work