In 2001, shortly after joining Garage, Matt became intrigued with the emerging investment opportunities in the clean energy and environmental sectors, and developed an investment thesis for Garage, which culminated in Matt's organizing one of the first cleantech-focused VC gatherings in Silicon Valley in 2003.  After completing several successful investments at Garage, including Hoku Scientific, Miasole, and ClearFuels, Matt was recruited to join @Ventures in 2005 to invest the firm's fifth fund and first cleantech-focused effort. While with @Ventures, Matt completed investments in and served on the boards of companies such as Cobalt Technologies, Earthanol, and 212 Resources, but it was his investment in Propel Fuels that really captured his imagination.

 

In 2009, Matt had the opportunity to join Propel Fuels as Chief Executive Officer, where he led the company through five years of strong growth, doubling revenue every year during his tenure, and landing the company on the Inc. 500 as one of the fastest growing private companies in America.  Propel was also named #42 on Forbes' list of America's Most Promising Companies, as well as the 4th fastest-growing private company in Silicon Valley. While at Propel, Matt was responsible for attracting nearly $40M in public and private financing to build one of the nation's largest renewable fuel retailers.  For his contributions to the industry, Matt received the Biofuels Leadership Award at the World Biofuels Markets Conference in Rotterdam.

​

In 2014, Matt joined the leadership team at Proterra, where he served as the Chief Commercial Officer, overseeing the company's product development and marketing activities, as well as holding responsibility for the company's sales effort across the transit vehicle, powertrain and energy services businesses, generating approximately $1B in total sales.  During Matt's time at Proterra, the company experienced strong customer and revenue growth, and became the leading player in the North American battery-electric bus market.  The company raised more than $500 million in private capital to pursue its vision of becoming the world's leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation.

​

After leaving Proterra in early 2020, Matt joined Azimuth Capital Management, a sustainable infrastructure-focused private equity firm with $3.4 billion under management.  As an Operating Partner on its fifth fund, Matt advises the firm on energy transition investment opportunities with a focus on clean transportation and advanced mobility.

 

Matt currently serves as Executive Vice President, Energy and Charging Solutions at Rivian Automotive, a leading manufacturer of electric adventure vehicles and Amazon's partner in delivering 100,000 electric delivery vans.  At Rivian, Matt is leading a growing team of passionate individuals to build the energy infrastructure necessary to enable the transition to fully electric transportation.

​

When he's not working on building innovative companies, Matt enjoys spending time with his family exploring the mountains, forests and beaches around their home in Pescadero.  Matt is a committed outdoorsman and conservationist, and enjoys most active outdoor sports including backpacking, rock climbing, biking, surfing, and fly fishing.  He is also an avid reader and has a passion for travel to wild, out-of-the-way places. 

​