Where does Nicole Glaros work?

Nicole Glaros is General Partner at Matchstick Ventures.

What boards does Nicole Glaros sit on?

Nicole Glaros holds tracked board seats at Greater Colorado Venture Fund, GreatHorn, Nextbite, One Way Ventures, Pana, Simple Energy.

Where did Nicole Glaros go to school?

Nicole Glaros studied at University of Florida (M.S., Sport Psychology); University of Florida (Bachelor's degree, Psychology).

What awards has Nicole Glaros received?

Named one of the Coolest People in New York Tech and an Extraordinary Woman in New York Tech by Business Insider. Named to Marie Claire's NewGuard list. Named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the 7 Most Powerful Women to Watch.

What podcasts and interviews feature Nicole Glaros?

Tracked appearances include "Mastering the Pitch with Nicole Glaros", "Denver Business Journal feature", "Nicole Glaros boxing".

Nicole Glaros

Investor

General Partner at Matchstick Ventures · Advisor at One Way Ventures

Boulder, Colorado

About

Nicole Glaros co-founded a property-management tech startup while earning a master's in sport psychology at the University of Florida, then helped build Colorado's early startup ecosystem through the CTEK incubator starting in 2002. She was among the first employees at Techstars, rising from Managing Director to Chief Product Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, Partner, and Chief Investment Strategy Officer, and helped grow it into a global accelerator managing roughly $750M and investing in over 100 startups. After a roughly two-year pause following her 2022 departure, she returned to venture capital as a venture partner at Matchstick Ventures, a seed-stage firm investing in startups between the coasts. She also founded Phos and co-founded ForDenverFC, the effort that became Colorado's women's professional soccer team, the Denver Summit.

Beyond investing

Founded: Co-founded a tech startup retailing products to the property management industry while in graduate school. Founded Phos, which invests in early-stage technology-based startups. Co-founded ForDenverFC, the effort to launch a women's professional soccer team in Colorado that became the Denver Summit.
Education: Earned a master's degree in sport psychology at the University of Florida. Is a graduate of NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School).
Boards: Serves on the Vitalant Board of Trustees. Previously served on the board of the National Venture Capital Association. Previously served on the board of the Application Developer's Alliance. Previously served on the board of Pledge1Percent Colorado. Previously served on the board of the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado. Previously served on the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, Denver Branch.
Charities: Lives by the #GiveFirst mantra and does one philanthropic thing every year.
Communities: Helped launch Techstars Colorado, a locally owned and governed startup community partnership.
Awards: Named one of the Coolest People in New York Tech and an Extraordinary Woman in New York Tech by Business Insider. Named to Marie Claire's NewGuard list. Named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the 7 Most Powerful Women to Watch.
Hobbies: Has been a competitive swimmer, triathlete, and boxer. Summited Mt. Rainier and has guided adventure travel trips with backcountry medicine knowledge. Enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, volleyball, martial arts, reading, and traveling.
Family: Lives with her husband and two kids.

From Nicole's own website — common ground for a warm intro.

Experience

Matchstick VenturesGeneral Partnercurrent2025 — present
VitalantMember Board of Trusteescurrent2024 — present
PhosCEO & Foundercurrent2009 — presentBoulder, CO
For Denver FCCo-Foundercurrent2023 — presentDenver, Colorado, United States
Divirod Inc.Business Advisorcurrent2023 — presentBoulder, Colorado, United States
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas CityBoard Of Directors, Denver Branch2019 — 2024Greater Denver Area
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas CityEconomic Advisory Council Member2018 — 2019Greater Denver Area
University of Colorado Boulder - Leeds School of BusinessBoard Director - Leeds Board of Alumni & Friends2017 — 2024Boulder, CO
TechstarsChief Investment Strategy Officer2018 — 2022Boulder, CO
TechstarsPartner2018 — 2022Boulder, CO
TechstarsChief Innovation Officer2017 — 2018Boulder, CO
TechstarsChief Product Officer2015 — 2017Boulder
TechstarsManaging Director2009 — 2015Boulder, NYC, Texas
NextbiteBoard Observer2018 — 2022Los Angeles, California, United States
National Venture Capital AssociationBoard Member2021 — 2022
PanaBoard Of Directors2015 — 2021Greater Denver Area
GreatHornBoard Of Directors2018 — 2019Greater Boston Area
Simple EnergyBoard Director2015 — 2018Boulder
Pledge 1% ColoradoBoard Director2013 — 2016Boulder, CO
Application Developers AllianceBoard Director2013 — 2015
SnapImpactBoard Member2009 — 2010
Solidware TechnologiesDirector2007 — 2008
CTEK Venture CentersVP Programs & Services2002 — 2007
AAVEAdventure Travel Guide2002 — 2003
PropertyManagementShop.comFounder & COO1997 — 2003

Skills & more

Strategy52Leadership28Management30Public Speaking1Strategic Planning18Negotiation1SaaS7Board of DirectorsInvestmentsVenture Capital22Executive Management7Entrepreneurship83

+12 more

MarketingStart-upsFundraisingStrategic PartnershipsGrowth StrategiesProduct DevelopmentCompetitive AnalysisProduct ManagementCorporate DevelopmentE-commerceNonprofitsPublic Relations

From Nicole's professional profile.

Investments

Board seats

Greater Colorado Venture FundGreatHornNextbiteOne Way VenturesPanaSimple Energy

Per the investor's own website.

Podcasts & interviews

featuring Nicole Glaros

Mastering the Pitch with Nicole Glaros

Techstars Education

Denver Business Journal feature

youtube.com

Nicole Glaros boxing

youtube.com

Colleagues at Matchstick Ventures

Natty

Investor at Matchstick Ventures

Ryan

Investor at Matchstick Ventures

Shannon Shroyer

Head of Network and Operations at Matchstick Ventures

Frequently asked questions

Who is Nicole Glaros?: Nicole Glaros co-founded a property-management tech startup while earning a master's in sport psychology at the University of Florida, then helped build Colorado's early startup ecosystem through the CTEK incubator starting in 2002. She was among the first employees at Techstars, rising from Managing Director to Chief Product Officer, Chief Innovation Officer, Partner, and Chief Investment Strategy Officer, and helped grow it into a global accelerator managing roughly $750M and investing in over 100 startups. After a roughly two-year pause following her 2022 departure, she returned to venture capital as a venture partner at Matchstick Ventures, a seed-stage firm investing in startups between the coasts. She also founded Phos and co-founded ForDenverFC, the effort that became Colorado's women's professional soccer team, the Denver Summit.
Where does Nicole Glaros work?: Nicole Glaros is General Partner at Matchstick Ventures.
What boards does Nicole Glaros sit on?: Nicole Glaros holds tracked board seats at Greater Colorado Venture Fund, GreatHorn, Nextbite, One Way Ventures, Pana, Simple Energy.
Where did Nicole Glaros go to school?: Nicole Glaros studied at University of Florida (M.S., Sport Psychology); University of Florida (Bachelor's degree, Psychology).
What awards has Nicole Glaros received?: Named one of the Coolest People in New York Tech and an Extraordinary Woman in New York Tech by Business Insider. Named to Marie Claire's NewGuard list. Named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the 7 Most Powerful Women to Watch.
What podcasts and interviews feature Nicole Glaros?: Tracked appearances include "Mastering the Pitch with Nicole Glaros", "Denver Business Journal feature", "Nicole Glaros boxing".