Matthew has become a well-known and successful investor and creative director for his understanding of design-conscious products, brands and services, for the luxury and lifestyle markets. Through his brand consultancy, THERMAL BRANDS, Matthew consults to dozens of clients within the Fashion, Beauty/Wellness, Food, and Home/Hospitality categories. He has designed exclusive products and consumer experiences (installations, presentations, charity events, concerts, Pop-ups) for such events including the NBA Draft, Art Basel, CES, ComplexCon, KidzCon, Paris Fashion Week, NY Fashion Week, and Formula One.
Since February 2016, Matthew has served as Senior Advisor and Head of Special Projects to PUMA on Technology, Culture, & Fashion. He is involved in selecting new designer candidates, strategic corporate partnerships, retail design, product innovation, sustainability, and consumer experiences. He is also serving as the Creative Director for PUMA x YOU, the new customization studio within the NYC flagship retail store where he is responsible for programming new artists and designers for customers to interact and engage with on custom-design projects. In addition to PUMA, Matthew occasionally works with KERING USA, the luxury holding company maintained by the Pinault Family, (Gucci, Stella McCartney, Saint Laurent).
From 1998-2006, Matthew was Co-founder & Managing Director of Motorola Ventures (MV), the corporate venture capital arm of Motorola, Inc. outside of Chicago, IL. Matthew was directly responsible for building investment offices in Chicago, Boston, Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, and Beijing. By the age of 27, Matthew co-managed a $400M portfolio of 70+ companies. Matthew created the investment program in 1997 and established it as one of the premier corporate venture practices in the world. He developed MV’s investment thesis around monetizing both strategic and financial returns. He focused on emerging networks (3G, 4G, Wireline, Cable), new media, mobile devices, Web technologies, enterprise software, and material science. He was responsible for making investments in innovative companies like E Ink (Acquired), A123 (IPO), Fitsense (Acquired), Intellon (IPO), Snaptrack (Acquired), and Sportvision (Merged).
In addition to managing Motorola Ventures, Matthew was also responsible for managing Motorola’s university sponsorships with MIT Sloan School of Business, MIT Media Lab, Parsons School of Design, and RISD. He successfully built and managed these university partnerships to facilitate access to new technologies as well as new talent. Matthew has served on both the Investment Committee and the Board of Directors for Shanghai NewMargin Ventures, one of the leading domestic venture capital firms in China and has served on the Board of Advisors for Sigma Capital Partners, a specialized private equity firm in New York. Matthew is also credited with several patents in the wireless communications field.
In September 2019, THERMAL BRANDS (formerly known as Rudyard Partners) was named a “50 on Fire” Award Winner by Boston Innovation for its success and impact in the Creative and Design industry. Matthew was previously named one of Boston’s “40 under 40″ by the Boston Business Journal (2005) for his professional achievement and community contributions in New England. In 2010, Matthew also was given the Connected World “M2M PIONEERS” award for his contribution to the mobile industry. He has been a featured speaker around the world and contributed to several books both on innovation and venture capital. He currently maintains several patents in product design.
Outside of his professional investment interests, Matthew served on the Advisory Board of the Miami Symphony Orchestra in Miami, FL. Matthew previously served as Chairman of the Advisory Board for the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, a non-for-profit focused on developing national entrepreneurship criteria for low-income high school students. He has served as a Board Director for the Concord Education Fund, a privately funded organization focused on providing teacher grants to support unique innovation efforts within public schools and as a Board Director to The Umbrella Community Arts Center in Concord, MA. He was also involved with the Ad Hoc Technology Committee for the Boston Children’s Museum. Matthew serves as an active fundraiser for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and is a mentor to several young fashion designers throughout New York and Boston.
Matthew graduated from Michigan State University (BA ‘95), where he serves on the Board of the Center for Venture Capital, Private Equity, & Entrepreneurial Finance at the Broad School of Business, and New England School of Law | Boston (JD ‘00).
Matthew currently lives outside Boston with his wife, Shelley, and their three children. They enjoy a second residence in Miami and has long standing roots in both Chicago and New York City. Matthew has become an avid runner completing 8 marathons and 10 half marathons since April 2014. Matthew is fluent in French and speaks Japanese.
IG: @iamgrowney