Matt helps early stage startups raise their first round of institutional financing in his role as Director of Investment Funds & Venture Acceleration at Rev1 Ventures. Through programs like Rev1's concept Academy, Matt has been helping entrepreneurs for over 3 years validate (or disprove) market assumptions with the goal of building better products from the start. He is also active in the Columbus community as the lead organizer of Startup Weekend. Matt started his first software company in 2009, while an undergrad at the University of Dayton. This company raised venture funding and graduated from The Brandery, a top tier accelerator.