A successor, not just an investor.

Who runs it

The person who will show up every day.

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Matt grew up the youngest of five in a small town in southern Virginia on Lake Gaston, the kind of place where the start of hunting season was bigger than Christmas and the people who ran the local businesses were the ones who held the community together. His father flew helicopters for the Air Force for 23 years before retiring to the classroom alongside his mother. From both of them, he learned that fulfillment comes from showing up every day for the people who need you and investing in them heavily.

Before stepping into business, Matt spent two years doing volunteer service in southern Spain, coordinating teams of people from wildly different backgrounds and learning what it actually takes to lead. He came away with a conviction that the strength of any organization comes down to the quality of the relationships inside it.

He went on to spend his career learning how businesses actually work, first as a management consultant and then as an investor. Studying dozens of founder-run companies, he came away with real respect for what owners sacrifice to build something that lasts, and a conviction that he would rather run one than analyze many. What drives him most today is the chance to build something meaningful that will outlast him.

At home, Matt is constantly trying to keep up with his three young boys, who keep him on his toes and force him to stay in shape. He loves taking them to far-off places to teach them about the world and playing sports together. Whenever he can, he is back on the lake at first light, teaching his boys to love the same glass-still water he grew up on.