About

Rodrigo Martinez is passionate about the way our understanding of how life works at the genetic, cellular, molecular and systemic levels is transforming products, business, and industries. As Life Sciences Chief Strategist at IDEO and member of the Health & Wellness practice, he tackles some of the most interesting challenges in health care, life sciences, and the emerging wellness space.

Rodrigo learned to love science-by-doing at the Exploratorium in San Francisco - first as a seven-year-old and later working there as a teenager. Before joining IDEO he was a principal with The Boston Consulting Group in the health care practice. With Juan Enriquez, Rodrigo co-founded Harvard Business School’s Life Sciences Project and coined the term ‘bioeconomy’ in a series of papers and articles starting in 1997. In 2003 he co-published the first global genetic data map selected by Rem Koolhaas to be part of a WIRED’s ‘Ultimate Atlas for the XXI Century.’ HBS Working Papers include “Biotechonomy 1.0: A Rough Map of Biodata Flow,” “SARS, Smallpox, and Business Unusual.”

Rodrigo has worked on projects in 11 countries on topics including innovation and evolution of technology, biopharma R&D, scientific and industrial partnerships, and economic growth and policy. He is a regular guest lecturer at Harvard and MIT on topics including innovation, design and entrepreneurship, health and wellness. Educated at Mexico City’s ITAM and Harvard, Rodrigo mostly learns creativity, innovation, and prototyping from his 5-year-old daughter.

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