Designer Jony Ive and OpenAI’s Sam Altman Discuss AI Hardware ProjectRead more

The Coach Behind the Coinbase and Robinhood CEOs

The turmoil of the past year has intensified the pressure on startup CEOs. That’s where Matt Mochary, part life counselor and part business consultant, comes in.

Matt Mochary. Illustration: Mike Sullivan
Matt Mochary. Illustration: Mike Sullivan
July 23, 2021 6:01 AM PDT

Matt Mochary was on a high. AngelList CEO Naval Ravikant had just told the leadership consultant and former startup founder that their 90-minute session had solved a problem Ravikant had been grappling with for decades. “He coached me out of my pit,” Ravikant later wrote in a review of Mochary’s 2019 book, “The Great CEO Within.”

Mochary’s advice has made him one of the most sought-after business coaches in Silicon Valley, according to more than half a dozen startup CEOs who have used his services. In the last few years, Mochary has counseled Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev and Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI and a former Y Combinator president, has used Mochary’s services. So has Reddit CEO Steve Huffman.

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