Dubbed a “pop entrepreneur” by New York magazine, Patrick J. McGinnis is a venture capitalist, bestselling author, and creator of the hit podcast FOMO Sapiens.

He coined the term FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and its lesser-known twin, FOBO (Fear of a Better Option), in a 2004 article at Harvard Business School.  FOMO has since been added to the dictionary, and FOBO was the subject of Patrick’s popular TED Talk “How to Make Faster Decisions.” His work on FOMO, FOBO, and decision-making has been covered by the New York Times, Le Monde, FT, and El País.  

The author of The 10% Entrepreneur and Fear of Missing Out: Practical Decision-Making in a World of Overwhelming Choice, Patrick is currently the brand ambassador for Latin American tech titan MercadoLibre’s award-winning “Fear of Missing Audience” campaign. He also appears in the cautionary crypto documentary This is Not Financial Advice, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. 

Patrick’s passion lies in harnessing the power of words to elevate humanity. In that spirit, he serves on the boards of Bridge USA, a campus-based youth movement fighting political division through dialogue, and the Planet World Museum in Washington, DC.

A graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard Business School, Patrick has visited more than 115 countries and is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and French.