Cover With his years of experience as a venture-backed startup founder and innovation leader, Earl Martin Valencia is distilling his hard-earned lessons in his new book, Startup Mindsets.
With his years of experience as a venture-backed startup founder and innovation leader, Earl Martin Valencia is distilling his hard-earned lessons in his new book, Startup Mindsets.
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With his book ‘Startup Mindsets’, venture-backed founder Earl Martin Valencia decodes the entrepreneurial thinking behind tech’s most successful ecosystems, making it accessible to a wider audience
A venture-backed startup founder, investor and corporate innovation executive, Gen.T Leader of Tomorrow Earl Martin Valencia has traversed the worlds of Silicon Valley, Wall Street and tech districts of Southeast Asia with a keen eye for emerging opportunities.
Now, with his book Startup Mindsets: A Blueprint to Thrive in an Innovation-Driven and Globally Connected World, he’s distilling hard-earned lessons from tech’s most robust ecosystems into an accessible guide for the next generation of entrepreneurs.
But Startup Mindsets, co-authored with Dan Gonzales and published by Penguin Random House, isn’t just another business book. It’s a call-to-action.
“Silicon Valley feels like an exclusive club,” Valencia shares. “If you’re in it, you’re in it. But if you’re not, you feel out of it. We wanted to break down that barrier and show that it’s not about location, it’s about mindset.”
The making of the book
Writing a book was never in Valencia’s original plan. “Who would have known that I would be an author?” he muses. “Even my friends from high school would not have imagined it.”
He started on Wall Street with Bridgewater Associates, became a young executive at Smart-PLDT by 29, co-founded the Philippines’ top startup incubators (IdeaSpace and QBO), and helped scale fintech startup Plentina before selling its operating business last year. Now, he’s at Microsoft working on AI and cloud strategy, while also serving as an executive member of the Philippines’ National Innovation Council.
Yet, the idea of writing Startup Mindsets took shape in the most organic way possible: through a conversation. “Dan and I were walking the streets of San Francisco right before the pandemic, wondering what makes Silicon Valley different?” Valencia recalls.
That moment sparked a deeper exploration into the philosophies and habits that drive innovation in the world’s most famous tech hub. The duo realised that the secret of Silicon Valley wasn’t geography but a way of thinking. They set out to translate that mindset into a practical guide, one that could empower founders, business leaders and even policymakers in emerging markets.
“If only we could unlock the secret of Silicon Valley, maybe we could inspire more entrepreneurs, especially in places like the Philippines, Africa and Latin America,” Valencia says.
Decoding the secret sauce
At its core, the book is about developing habits and perspectives that differentiate successful entrepreneurs from the rest. Valencia highlights three fundamental principles, one of them is the ability to embrace failure.
“A lot of people measure success by whether their company does well,” Valencia explains. “But the best founders, even if they fail, see the chance to work on something meaningful as the reward itself.”
Another defining characteristic is what he calls “exponential scale thinking.” Unlike traditional small business owners who prioritise short-term returns, startup founders must think in terms of massive, global impact. “Most of us don’t ask, ‘Can I build a company that can scale to hundreds of millions of people?’ That’s the mindset that drives true innovation,” he says.
Then, there’s the concept of “wannapreneurs” vs. entrepreneurs. “A lot of people love the idea of being a startup founder, but the real question is, are you in love with solving a problem or just the idea of being an entrepreneur?” he challenges.
The book isn’t just for startup founders. Valencia argues that the startup mindset applies to leaders in government, education and beyond. “If you want to create massive change, you have to think like an entrepreneur—constantly adapting, testing and scaling ideas.”
Read more: The founder’s farewell: Why and when to leave your startup
A blueprint for leaders
Above Valencia has worked in Silicon Valley, New York and Southeast Asia (Photo: Earl Martin Valencia)
Valencia has worked in Silicon Valley, New York and Southeast Asia (Photo: Earl Martin Valencia)
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More than just a guide, Valencia aims to make Startup Mindsets a manual for leaders in the modern world. “Every global leader must employ a startup mindset,” Valencia asserts. “The world is changing too fast, whether it’s in politics, climate or technology. If you’re not thinking in terms of impact, scale and adaptability, you won’t be able to lead effectively.”
He believes that anyone, regardless of industry, can benefit from adopting this mindset. “It’s about surrounding yourself with the right people, asking the right questions and putting yourself in environments that push you to grow,” he says.
Read more: 5 ways to cultivate the innovator’s mindset in your company
Writing the book was a deeply personal journey. “It reinforced a lot of what I already knew, but also reminded me of lessons I need to keep applying in my own life,” he admits. “Sometimes I find myself rereading passages and thinking, ‘Oh yeah, I should be doing that.’”
Valencia’s own experiences lend credibility to the book’s insights. His current role at Microsoft, where he leads cloud and AI initiatives, keeps him at the forefront of technological advancements.
“I feel incredibly lucky to be in one of the few places where AI is front and centre,” he shares. “The goal is to make AI more accessible, not just for developed countries but for emerging markets as well.”
Beyond his corporate work, Valencia is deeply invested in the Philippines’ innovation landscape. As an executive member of the National Innovation Council, he is spearheading initiatives like the Philippine Innovation Awards, which recognise groundbreaking solutions in agriculture, healthcare and climate change.
“I hope this reaches a young Filipino in Mindanao, an aspiring entrepreneur in Africa, or someone who’s always felt like innovation was out of reach,” Valencia says. “If they read this and feel empowered to start, then we’ve done our job.”
Read more: 6 up-and-coming innovators from Asia leading the AI charge
Tackling challenges
Above Valencia’s current role at Microsoft, where he leads cloud and AI initiatives, keeps him at the forefront of technological advancements (Photo: Earl Martin Valencia)
Valencia’s current role at Microsoft, where he leads cloud and AI initiatives, keeps him at the forefront of technological advancements (Photo: Earl Martin Valencia)
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When asked what kind of startup he would launch if he were to build another company today, he doesn’t hesitate. “I’d focus on applying emerging technologies to agriculture, climate resilience or the future of BPO,” he says. “These are the biggest challenges, not just in the Philippines, but across Southeast Asia.”
Read more: How Asia’s impact startups can weather the economic storm, according to industry experts
He gives this advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: “Ask yourself, what is success? If success means just making money, don’t start a company. But if success means changing lives at a scale you never imagined, then do it. Because even if it doesn’t work out, you’ll never regret trying.”
With his deep expertise, relentless drive, and now a book that aims to democratise startup knowledge, Valencia is instilling that the startup mindset isn’t about where you are—it’s about how you think.
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Syrah is Tatler Philippines’ Power & Purpose editor, where she spotlights extraordinary journeys shaping the Philippines and Asia. She covers business, innovation, impact, and culture—chasing the people, ideas and forces shaping how we live and think today.
