How Martin Mao Built a Startup from Zero to MILLION$

Hunters and Unicorns

In this episode of East Coast Elite, Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne sit down with Martin Mao, co-founder and CEO of Chronosphere.

From his early days at Uber to founding one of the most disruptive startups in observability, Martin shares what it takes to navigate uncertainty, build conviction, and win at scale. We dive into the mindset shifts behind leaving a tech giant to build something bold, how Martin sees the future of observability, and what it means to lead with clarity in a rapidly evolving market. If you're a founder, engineer, or operator seeking real insights from a builder at the top, this one’s for you.

Key Topics Covered

00:00 Intro

02:10 What Makes a Strong Founder

04:48 Why Martin Left Uber

09:22 Founding Chronosphere

13:41 Competing with Industry Giants

19:05 The Startup Learning Curve

26:38 Early GTM Decisions

33:20 Scaling with Intent

39:40 Balancing Vision and Feedback

46:14 Leadership Lessons in Hypergrowth

50:12 What’s Next for Chronosphere 52:49 Closing Reflections

3 Biggest Lessons

Leaving comfort for conviction: Martin’s leap from Uber shows that bold moves start with internal clarity, not external certainty.

Product-market fit is just the beginning: Real traction comes from execution, team culture, and continuous iteration.

Disruption requires ruthless focus: Be crystal clear on who you serve and why your product matters—then say no to everything else.

Thanks for listening! This episode was hosted by Simon Kouttis and Ollie Kuehne, founders of Hunters & Unicorns. If you enjoyed this episode, please drop a like/share and subscribe to our channel!

Connect with Hunters & Unicorns

Website: http://huntersandunicorns.com

Twitter: / huntersun1corns

Instagram: / huntersandunicorns

Blog: http://huntersandunicorns.com/blog

Notable Quotes “You don’t need to have all the answers before you start.” “It’s not about being better—it’s about being different in a meaningful way.” “Startups work when you're solving real pain, not just building cool tech.”

This episode is sponsored by SELR & PG:ai

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