Matchstick Ventures
Venture capitalMinneapolis · Pre-Seed–Seed · 6 people tracked
Also known as MATCHSTICK VENTURES, LLC
Investment thesis
Matchstick Ventures focuses on pre-seed and seed stage startups built outside the traditional coastal tech hubs, believing great companies can be built anywhere. Founded by former entrepreneurs who started, scaled, and exited their own companies, the firm emphasizes a founder-first, relationship-driven approach, building deep and enduring relationships with the founders it backs. It contributes not only capital but also its experience and network to help founders realize their ambitions. Since 2015 the firm has invested in over 100 companies that have collectively gone on to raise billions.
Source: firm website, verified Aug 3, 2026.
Team · 6 people
from the firm's website
What they invest in
from 67 of 171 portfolio companiesAI & Machine Learning ×26SaaS ×23Enterprise Software ×14Fintech ×12E-commerce ×10Consumer ×9Developer Tools ×8Future of Work ×7
HQs:United States×74Canada×3
Investments · 171 tracked
founders shown can be your intro pathDenver, US
Board seatNathaniel Zola· per SEC Form D · $17.5M raise · filed Aug 2024
Greenville, US
Board seatRyan Broshar· per SEC Form D · $2M raise · filed Jun 2021
An AI-powered returns management portal for Shopify merchants that automates returns processing, prevents fraud, and optimizes exchange and refund decisions to reduce costs and boost customer retention in ecommerce.
AI & Machine LearningE-commerceSaaSAustin, US
Bailey Newton(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardYenn Lei(Director)
Board seatRyan Broshar· per SEC Form D
Dallas, US
Board seatRyan Broshar· per SEC Form D · $500K raise · filed Jul 2024
Upsie offers consumer protection plans for devices, positioned as an alternative to plans sold by retailers and manufacturers, with lower prices, transparent coverage terms, and 24/7 claims service.
ConsumerFintechInsurTechBurnsville, US
Clarence Bethea(Founder & Executive Chairman)David Baer(Director)Ryan Broshar(Director)Brett Brohl(Director)Will(CEO)Katie(VP of Customer Experience)
Board seatRyan Broshar· per SEC Form D
Airspace Link provides a unified platform (AirHub Portal) for airspace security, drone operations management, and air traffic coordination, serving government agencies, defense organizations, and commercial enterprises operating unmanned aircraft systems.
Defense TechGovTechIoTNorthville, US
Jonathan Struhl(Director)Michael Healander(Executive Officer, Director)Dillon Krasnigor(Director)Daniel Bradshaw(Executive Officer, Director)
Digital sport network focused on local sports
Denver, US
Base provides executive assistant placement and support services, and builds technology to help executive assistants and leaders work more effectively together.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaS
Paige McPheely(Founder)inCasey Putschoegl(Founder)inSara Altuna(CEO)in
Blueprint is a product team that was acquired by David's Bridal in August 2018 and focuses on delivering user experiences within the bridal industry.
ConsumerFintechMarketplacesSeattle, US
Elizabeth Ellingson(Executive Officer, Director)Nevin Shetty(Executive Officer, Director)j P Whaley(Director)
Borrowing Magnolia is a marketplace platform that connects women who own wedding dresses with brides-to-be seeking to borrow dresses for their weddings.
Circular EconomyMarketplacesArlington, US
Catherine Ashley Steele(Manager)Elizabeth Calvert Freeman(Manager)Stephanie Alice Olvey(Manager)
Clicktivated transforms existing video content into interactive, clickable experiences that capture viewer intent signals and enable performance measurement.
AdTechMarketing TechRetail TechBirmingham, US
Bazaarvoice is a user-generated content platform that helps e-commerce brands and retailers collect, distribute, and analyze customer reviews, photos, and social content across digital channels and retail partners.
E-commerceMarketing TechRetail TechSaaSAustin, US
Nick Shiftan(Executive Officer, Director)Harry Weller(Director)Apu Gupta(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Dayna Grayson(Director)
Dalton Mills provides software tools for home service operators to manage their businesses.
AI & Machine LearningEnterprise SoftwareFuture of WorkSaaS
Sean Bave(Executive Officer, Director)Todd Saunders(Executive Officer, Director)
BoardDavid Frankel(Director)
DataRobot develops an AI and machine learning platform that automates model development and deployment for enterprises.
AI & Machine LearningData & InfrastructureDeveloper ToolsEnterprise SoftwareBoston, US
Jeremy Achin(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Harry Weller(Director)Thomas de Godoy(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Christopher Lynch(Director)
Dynepic operates a skills-based platform offering on-demand learning, mentorship, and credentialing tools for individuals and creators in a knowledge-based economy.
AI & Machine LearningCreator EconomyEdTechFuture of WorkFolly Beach, US
Christine Osborne(Director)Krissa Watry(Executive Officer, Director)inLenna MacDonald(Director)David Wyman(Director)Jacqueline Arn(Executive Officer)in
Edify develops learning software programs focused on music education and AI-personalized reading.
AI & Machine LearningEdTechBoulder, US
Rhys Lindmark(Director and Treasurer)Jacob Zax(Director, President and Chief Executive Officer)Zachary Sulsky(Director and Secretary)
ATTOM (formerly Estated) provides a property data API that gives developers access to comprehensive real estate datasets covering over 160 million U.S. properties, including ownership, valuations, mortgage information, demographics, and market analytics.
Data & InfrastructurePropTechSaaSKelowna, CA
Flytedesk builds software that colleges use to manage on-campus media operations and connect student audiences with national brands.
AdTechEdTechFintechMarketing TechSaaSBoulder, US
Sally Brophy(Director)Alex Kronman(Executive Officer, Director)inAlda Abbracciamento(Director)Matthew Entenza(Director)
Goally builds a dedicated tablet device and app suite for toddlers and young children (ages 2-8), offering visual schedules, chore charts, reward systems, and interactive lessons for executive function, emotional regulation, speech, life skills, and early education.
Digital HealthEdTechHardwareLouisville, US
Sasidhar Movva(Executive Officer, Director, Promoter)Daragh Brangan(Executive Officer, Promoter)
Rows marked “SEC filing” are inferred from directors named on the company's SEC Form D — public regulatory data, not a portfolio list published by the firm.
Frequently asked questions
- What stage does Matchstick Ventures invest at?
- Matchstick Ventures invests at the Pre-Seed, Seed stages.
- What is Matchstick Ventures's typical check size?
- Matchstick Ventures typically writes checks of $500K – $1.5M.
- What sectors does Matchstick Ventures focus on?
- Matchstick Ventures focuses on Sector Agnostic.
- Where is Matchstick Ventures located?
- Matchstick Ventures is headquartered in Minneapolis, US.
- Does Matchstick Ventures lead rounds?
- Yes, Matchstick Ventures leads investment rounds.
Media · Podcasts & interviews
featuring the teamColorado Startup Week 2025 // Natty Zola, Partner, Matchstick Ventures
PBS12 · Natty
Images
Co-investors · 27
Techstars is a startup accelerator and early-stage investor that funds ambitious founders and provides capital, mentorship, and access to a global network of investors, operators, and corporate partners.
High Alpha is a venture firm that creates and funds B2B SaaS companies, partnering with founders to build enterprise software businesses. It operates a venture capital arm (Capital) and a company-building arm (Studio).
Royal Street Ventures is a venture capital fund that backs early-stage companies building scalable, tech-enabled solutions to real-world problems, with a focus on undercapitalized markets where institutional seed capital is scarce.
Next Frontier Capital (NFC) is a venture capital firm founded by former operators that invests in technology startups across sectors it knows well, offering hands-on founder support and mentorship.
Restive Ventures is an early-stage investment firm run by former founders and senior operators, backing founders building technology companies focused on transforming financial services.
Atland Ventures supports early-stage startups, primarily from the Midwest, that leverage disruptive technologies across diverse industries. The firm is staffed by analysts supported by experienced Twin Cities venture capitalists and University of Minnesota alumni and faculty.
Everywhere Ventures is an early-stage venture firm that backs founders globally, supported by a community of founders and operators as LPs.
Susa Ventures operates two early-stage technology funds that invest in companies leveraging data, network effects, and economies of scale.
boldstart ventures is an early-stage venture firm that partners with technical founders at company inception, leading pre-product rounds and helping build enterprise software companies.
Renegade Partners is a founder-led early-stage venture firm that makes a small number of high-conviction investments each year, focusing primarily on Series A rounds with select seed and Series B deals, and providing hands-on partnership around people operations and strategy.
Mucker Capital is a venture capital firm that provides Seed and Series A capital and hands-on guidance to startups located outside Silicon Valley, across the United States, Canada, and beyond. It also runs MuckerLab, a pre-seed accelerator working with 20-25 companies per year.
Climate Capital runs a "Network Fund" as an AngelList rolling micro-fund that writes many small checks ($10k–$25k) into the top 10–20 climate startups per quarter, giving individual LPs "large fund" diversification with low minimums through a structure much closer to an angel-syndicate model than a traditional closed-end VC fund. The firm has deliberately built a very large, democratized LP base of 2,000+ individual LPs via its rolling Network Fund and syndicate, turning climate-interested operators and angels into co-investors and creating a distribution/mentorship network for founders that is structurally different from the small institutional LP bases of most VC funds.
▶15 more co-investors
Allison Pickens VenturesConvictionTenOneTen VenturesRoot Ventures Manager, LlcEarly Light VenturesPi LabsAcadian Ventures Management, LlcSoftBank GroupSpringTime VenturesHeadwater VenturesNetwork VenturesDNA CapitalGreat Wave VenturesRevTech VenturesDundee VC
Firms observed investing alongside Matchstick Ventures, from public investor directories. Shared companies are the overlap with Matchstick Ventures's recorded portfolio.
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