Hugh Massie

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Henry Harrison:
I want to welcome to the show Mr. Hugh Massie—Executive Chairman and Founder of DNA Behavior.

Entrepreneurs, Business, and Finance is always our focus, and we’re fortunate to have Hugh on because he’s a repeat entrepreneur.

Welcome, Hugh.

Hugh Massie:
Great to be with you, Henry. I’m really excited for the discussion.

Background & Career

Henry Harrison:
You’ve had a long entrepreneurial journey. You’re focused on DNA Behavior full-time, but you’ve also:

• Founded a wealth management company

• Run a venture capital firm

• Spent about 10 years at Arthur Andersen

You’ve also been deeply involved in Entrepreneurs’ Organization globally.

Tell us what you’re doing now.

What DNA Behavior Does

Hugh Massie:
DNA Behavior is a behavioral data analytics company.

We built our own psychometric system—similar to:

• DISC

• StrengthsFinder

• Kolbe

• Myers-Briggs

These tools measure:

• Talents and strengths

• How people think and behave

• How people relate to money

The money component came from my wealth management background. I wanted to hyper-personalize financial advice—understanding the person first, then aligning strategy to their behavior and goals.

Behavioral Economics & Personalization

Hugh Massie:
Behavioral economics tells us people have biases—like loss aversion—but those biases vary by individual.

The key insight is:

• People behave differently under pressure

• Financial stress often triggers “true” behavior

You might see one version of a person socially—and a completely different version when money or risk is involved.

That led to my core mission:
Help people become financially self-empowered through understanding behavior.

Evolution with AI

Hugh Massie:
Originally, people completed a behavioral profile manually:

• Took ~30 minutes (now ~10.5 minutes)

But there’s still friction—people have to do it.

Two years ago, we asked:
What if we could scale to a billion people?

The answer was AI.

We built a digital scan that uses public data to generate behavioral insights without requiring manual input.

Today:

• We have ~275 million people with behavioralized data

• That number continues to grow

We’ve shifted from:

• Consulting & coaching

To:

• Behavioral data infrastructure

This is what we call behavioral intelligence—layering behavior on top of demographic and transactional data.

Organizational Insights

Henry Harrison:
I saw your dashboard—like a heat map for organizations.

Hugh Massie:
Exactly.

We can:

• Map leadership teams

• Analyze employee behavior

• Align advisors with clients

For example:

• Match advisors to clients based on behavioral fit

• Route leads more effectively

• Improve communication and outcomes

Previously, this required thousands of manual profiles. Now it can be done digitally at scale.

Real-World Example

Henry Harrison:
Give us a practical example.

Hugh Massie:
Two business partners:

• One sales-driven and aggressive

• One operational and risk-averse

They grew to $5M revenue but hit conflict when expanding:

• Sales partner wanted growth and financing

• Operations partner feared risk and guarantees

The conflict escalated.

Through behavioral profiling, they:

• Understood each other’s wiring

• Recognized the root cause of conflict

They adjusted their structure to meet both needs—saving the partnership.

That’s why we measure both:

• Talents

• Money behavior

They are inseparable.

How “Scanning” Works

Henry Harrison:
Explain the scanning process.

Hugh Massie:
Two approaches:

1. Self-Profile

• Takes ~10.5 minutes

• ~97% accuracy

2. Digital Scan

• Uses public data (career history, content, signals)

• ~70–75% accuracy

The scan:

• Reduces friction

• Provides quick insights

But for high-stakes situations (like partners), we recommend full profiling.

Business Impact

Hugh Massie:
Most people communicate based on their own wiring.

That creates:

• Misalignment

• Weak trust

• Lost opportunities

Behavioral insights help:

• Adapt communication

• Increase engagement

• Improve decision-making

A salesperson may connect with 40% of prospects naturally—but struggle with the other 60%. Behavioral intelligence helps close that gap.

Company Structure

Henry Harrison:
Where is your team based?

Hugh Massie:

• Leadership: Atlanta

• UX/Engineering: Pakistan

• Database: India

• Analytics: Sri Lanka

• Additional teams: Philippines, Australia

We’re global—but building more leadership presence in Atlanta for culture.

Culture & Leadership

Hugh Massie:
Our culture is built on three principles:

• Know people

• Engage people

• Grow people

Leaders must go first.

If a CEO won’t:

• Complete a profile

• Share it transparently

We won’t engage.

Trust and openness are essential to making this work.

Privacy Considerations

Henry Harrison:
Privacy is a concern for many.

Hugh Massie:
Yes, especially in low-trust environments.

We don’t store sensitive data like:

• Financial accounts

• IDs

We focus on behavior—not personal records.

The key is how the insights are used:

• They must build trust—not harm it

Personal Journey

Henry Harrison:
Were you always people-focused?

Hugh Massie:
Interestingly, I’m naturally:

• Results-driven

• Numbers-oriented

Entrepreneurial from a young age—always building things.

Arthur Andersen was a practical starting point—but entrepreneurship was always the goal.

I had to develop empathy over time.

A key moment was feedback in Singapore—I learned I needed to adapt my communication style. Behavioral insights helped me grow.

Leadership Philosophy

Hugh Massie:
Leadership requires balancing:

• Results

• Relationships

Key traits:

• Compassion

• Courage

• Accountability

You don’t have to be soft—but you don’t have to be harsh either.

Great leaders:

• Set people up for success

• Put them in the right roles

• Provide tools and support

Closing

Henry Harrison:
If someone wants to connect?

Hugh Massie:
Visit the website or find me on LinkedIn—Hugh Massie in Atlanta.

Henry Harrison:
I admire what you’ve built. Thanks for coming on the show.

Hugh Massie:
Thank you, Henry. I enjoyed the conversation and look forward to staying in touch.