The essential user’s manual for the entrepreneurial spirit.

—Justin McLeod, Founder & CEO of Hinge

Entrepreneur

Psychology

Education

For Venture Firms by Jessica Carson

Jessica Has Been Featured By:

Jessica Carson is a leading expert on the

psychology of entrepreneurs

She is a Professor of Entrepreneur Psychology at NYU,

an Expert in Residence on Entrepreneur Psychology at Georgetown,

author of Wired This Way on entrepreneur psychology,

and a venture capital and startup executive.

Jessica works with your venture firm

to educate your partners

and portfolio companies

on the unique wiring

of the entrepreneurial mind

  • Partner training

  • Portfolio support

  • Due diligence

  • Founder coaching

  • Culture diagnostic

  • Team audit

Entrepreneur

Psychology

Training

Overview: This training provides a rich introduction into the unique psychological, social, and cultural underpinnings of entrepreneurship. Ideal for everyone from investors to founders, this training offers a dynamic roadmap to the entrepreneurial personality, with the aim of understanding its gifts and mitigating its liabilities.

Topics include the mental health of entrepreneurs; the role of neurodiversity in entrepreneurship; the genetic underpinnings of entrepreneurship; the personality traits that support and hinder entrepreneurial success; the biopsychology that influences entrepreneurial behavior; the cognition behind the entrepreneurial mindset; the cultural and gender norms that influence entrepreneurial attitudes.

You will walk away with:

  • A deep understanding of the mental and physical health of entrepreneurs, including mental illness, stress, and lifestyle factors

  • A roadmap to the entrepreneurial personality, including the strengths and drawbacks of traits, like passion and charisma

  • An awareness of the cognition of entrepreneurs, including neurodiversity, risk perception, motivation, and learning styles

  • A knowledge of entrepreneurial culture, including media coverage and engendered practices

1. Entrepreneurial Motivation, From Prehistoric Times to Modern Day 

In this session, we explore the history of entrepreneurship — from the prehistoric era to the Industrial revolution to modern times — to map the evolution of entrepreneurial motivation from the lens of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.

2. Mental Health & Neurodiversity in Entrepreneurs

In this session, we explore why the rates of mental illness, neurodiversity, and dark triad characteristics are so high among entrepreneurs, as well as the surprising adaptations these traits may provide in the entrepreneurial context.

3. Entrepreneurial Culture, Gender Norms & Media Coverage 

In this session, we explore the impact of culture — from values to gender norms to media coverage — to understand how America’s entrepreneurial lore came to be, as well as why entrepreneurship thrives in some nations more than others.

4. The Light & Dark of the Entrepreneurial Personality I

In this session, we explore the light and dark side of common entrepreneurial personality traits, including openness to experience, passion, charisma, and sensitivity. 

5. The Light & Dark of the Entrepreneurial Personality II

In this session, we continue to explore the light and dark side of common entrepreneurial personality traits, including ego, disagreeableness, achievement motivation, and self-actualizing tendencies.

6. Entrepreneurial Mindset

In this session, we explore the cognition that underlies the entrepreneurial mindset, including cognitive tuning and goal orientation, heuristic-based decision logic, alertness, prior knowledge, social interaction, meta-cognition, and cognitive adaptability.

Schedule a free intro call with Jessica to discuss your firm and its unique needs.

Praise

  • The essential user’s manual for the entrepreneurial spirit...I only wish I’d received this profound, comforting guidance when I began my journey.

    —Justin McLeod, Founder & CEO of Hinge

  • Points the way to a healthier life as an entrepreneur, as the first step in any worthy personal or professional pursuit is being honest about one’s own experience.

    —Jon Staff, Founder & CEO of Getaway

  • The shared language we have has enriched our daily interactions, allowing for greater insights to how each of us operate, provoking empathy, confidence and above all, trust.

    —Carissa Brady, Partner of Latticework Investment Group

  • Her sessions are a must for any venture firm or high-horsepower company. We've invited her back a half-dozen times — our founders can't get enough.

    —Stephen Hays, Founder & Managing Partner of What If? Ventures

  • This is a message that should be emphasized in universities, incubators, and institutions responsible for educating the next generation.

    —Howard W. Buffett, Columbia University

  • The psychiatrist’s dream come true—clinically robust, empathetic, and actionable.

    —Nina Vasan, MD, MBA, Director of Brainstorm: Stanford

  • Deep insights and a road map for enhancing entrepreneurial success.

    —Harris Eyre MD Ph.D., Brain Health Entrepreneur, Neuroscientist & Innovation Diplomat

  • Like a Canterbury Tales of entrepreneurs, you will soon be walking your journey with fellow pilgrims... she will show you that creativity and disorder go hand in hand.

    —Andy Dunn, Co-Founder of Bonobos & Founder at Red Swan Ventures

  • If you are a parent, you read The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer. If you work with founders, you should read [Carson’s} Wired This Way.

    —Osnat Benari, VP, WeWork Labs

  • An endearing, ageless guidebook for the entrepreneurial spirit.

    —Martin Ditto, Founder & CEO, DITTO

  • A unique formulation of a path to wellness and wholeness for entrepreneurs... she helps us to understand that entrepreneurs are not only people, but people who matter.

    —Michael Freeman, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCSF

  • A unique and much-needed perspective on the mental and emotional health challenges faced by those trying to create a new world.

    —John Stokes, Founding Partner at Real Ventures

  • Carson attends to the whole experience of being a creator—not just the photoshopped and edited versions we often see in the media.

    —Luke Arthur Burgis, Professor at Catholic University & Author of Wanting

  • Refreshingly unravels the oft-repeated platitude ‘bring your whole self to your work.

    —Jessica Straus, Venture Partner at Dundee Venture Capital & Kauffman Fellow

  • Part self-exploration, part examination of the creative spirit, and part manifesto. But the sum is even greater than the excellent parts.

    —Allen Gannett, Founder of TrackMaven & Author of The Creative Curve

  • She provides a clear message to any aspiring entrepreneur that IT IS OK TO BE YOU.

    —Jeff Reid, Founding Director & Professor, Georgetown University Entrepreneurship Initiative

  • Should not only be required for anyone that aspires to build products in the 21st century, but also for those people who work with them...insights are relatable and rare.

    —Chris Messina, Inventor of the Hashtag

  • A user-manual for the creative mind, and a guide for those who live in their wake.

    —Jason Silva, Futurist & Former Host of Host Brain Games

  • If you are an entrepreneur, you MUST read this book if you want to understand yourself and succeed in business... you can’t afford not to.

    —John Gartner, Ph.D., Author of The Hypomanic Edge

  • Carson demonstrates the complexity of a creator’s mind...composed harmoniously to shape a beautiful work of art. Breathtaking.

    —Christian Busch, Ph.D. Faculty at NYU & Author of The Serendipity Mindset