Biography
Matthew is Managing Partner of Machina Ventures, an investment firm focused on early stage, artificial intelligence and data science enabled companies. He is also a Lecturer at UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business. Matthew also serves as a Director on the Board of Family Zone (ASX:FZO), a leading cyber security company keeping children safe.
Until recently, Matthew was Vice President, Business Operations and Strategy at Google, where he led and incubated strategic initiatives, especially mission-driven projects with high social impact. Over nine years with the company, he led efforts ranging from expanding internet access, developing clean energy, strengthening freedom of expression and democracy, innovating in robotics, establishing novel pricing strategies and extending Google’s footprint in emerging markets, especially Africa.
Prior to joining Google, Matthew was Vice President, Pharmacy for drugstore.com, a leading online health and beauty retailer (acquired by Walgreens), and Chief Operating Officer for WorldRes, an online hotel reservations network (acquired by WRI). He was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company for over 5 years, serving clients in the healthcare, financial services, energy and technology sectors. Prior to that, he was a systems consultant with Price Waterhouse. In addition, Matthew co-founded CyberJava, one of the first Internet cafes, and was a freelance software programmer from an early age.
Matthew holds a Juris Doctorate from UCLA School of Law, where he authored various papers on public policy related to technology. He has Bachelor of Science degrees in Computer Engineering and Management from Case Western Reserve University. He has served on the Board of World Affairs Council and is an inaugural Disruptor Foundation Fellow. Matthew is a member of the California State Bar.
See his full professional profile for more background.
On the personal side, Matthew lives in San Francisco and New York City. Formerly, he lived aboard a 35-foot sailboat for over 10 years. In addition to sailing, he enjoys backpacking (climbed Mount Kilimanjaro), running and diving. His personal interests include jazz piano improvisation and creative writing. He studied fine arts and enjoys drawing, painting and sculpture. Matthew is an avid traveler, having visited over 80 countries and territories. He remains an enthusiastic member of the Burning Man community since 2005. Matthew was born and raised in Cleveland with a wonderful family, and is an Eagle Scout.