TRUSTED BY LEADERS AT
TRUSTED BY LEADERS AT
KEYNOTES
Subtraction as the ultimate competitive advantage.
The best strategies, products, and experiences are defined not by what's been added — but by what's been removed. Drawing from two decades of work with companies like Toyota, Amazon, and Microsoft, Matthew makes the case that the discipline of subtraction — systematically removing what doesn't matter — is the most underused lever in business. This keynote reframes how leaders think about strategy, innovation, and decision-making.
strategy · innovation · simplicity · leadership
Lean principles for sustainable growth.
Built from four years of embedded work with growth-stage technology companies at Insight Partners, this keynote introduces the S.C.A.L.E. framework — a field-tested approach to removing the forces that slow companies down: drag, inertia, friction, and waste. For audiences navigating rapid growth, scaling challenges, or operational complexity.
lean principles · scaling · entrepreneurship · operational excellence
Clearing the cognitive traps that block breakthrough thinking.
Smart people get stuck in predictable ways. This keynote identifies the seven cognitive traps that derail creative problem-solving and gives audiences practical techniques for breaking through them. The most broadly applicable of Matthew's keynotes — relevant to any team or leader facing complex challenges.
creative thinking · problem solving · cognitive bias · leadership
BOOKS
TECHCRUNCH RECOMMENDATION
"Matt May's lessons will spark your creativity and help you grow your company."
— Robert I. Sutton, NYT Bestselling Author
Available on Amazon →
SOUNDVIEW TOP 30
"This book should be a must-read for any innovator, leader or problem solver."
— Brad Smith, Chairman/CEO, Intuit
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SBA BOOK AWARD
"A compelling case for achieving the maximum effect with minimum means."
— Kevin Hunter, President, CALTY Design
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AXIOM GOLD MEDAL
"This little gem sheds light on the hidden potential of our everyday struggles."
— Scott Belsky, Founder, Behance
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BUSINESSWEEK BEST
"Matthew May reveals the hidden elements beneath genuine innovation."
— Dan Pink, Bestselling Author, Drive
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WSJ BESTSELLER
"The lessons in this book are fast becoming LAPD's roadmap to innovation."
— Patrick Findley, Commander, LAPD
Available on Amazon →AS FEATURED IN
ABOUT
Matthew E. May is the author of six bestselling books on strategy, innovation, and the discipline of subtraction. His first, The Elegant Solution (Simon & Schuster, 2006), was the world's first insider account of Toyota's approach to innovation. His most recent, What A Unicorn Knows (BenBella Books, 2023), captures the lean methodology he deployed across the portfolio of Insight Partners, one of the world's leading technology-focused private equity firms.
Matthew spent nearly a decade as an exclusively retained advisor to Toyota Motor Sales USA, where he helped develop and launch the University of Toyota. He later studied strategic choice-making under Roger Martin and completed Stanford d.school's Design Thinking Bootcamp.
His work has appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Strategy+Business, and Inc. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from Johns Hopkins University — but counts winning the New Yorker cartoon caption contest among his most creative achievements.
He is the founding partner of Stratechia, a strategy and innovation advisory based in Los Angeles.
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