MATT TARA
Experience:
Tucker Blair - CEO, A General Catalyst Portfolio Company
General Catalyst Partners - Principal, Growth Equity
GTCR LLC - Associate, Buyout Investing
Summit Partners - Associate, Growth Buyouts
I am dedicated to working with entrepreneurs on a mission to build sustainable businesses. I value growth-oriented, rational and strategic investment partners. As a former entrepreneur, I understand the many ups and downs of building a business and aspire to be a both a strategic and financial support for a company's next phase. I've played traveling salesman, set-up trade show booths, haggled with vendors, and managed teams. I'm here to bring that experience to bear and help you any way I can.
As a prior investor at General Catalyst Partners, I led growth equity investments in the consumer internet and software sectors. I worked with the team at Warby Parker and other hyper-growth businesses to achieve their goals.These experiences afforded me the opportunity to reflect on the growth at all costs mentality of venture capital investing and the need in the market to provide entrepreneurs a new kind of investment partner focused on sustainable and profitable growth.
Before GC, I was an investor at GTCR, a Chicago-based buyout firm focused on consumer products and services and worked closely with the team at Prestige Brands. I also worked at Summit Partners in Boston sourcing and executing growth buyout investments.
Originally from California, I currently live in Boston with my wife Nickole and our young son, Will.
Education:
University of Notre Dame, BBA, Finance
Evan Kornack
Experience:
Data Point Capital - Principal, Venture Capital
RainDance Technologies - Business / Corporate Development Professional
UBS - Summer Associate, Investment Banking
Leerink Swann - Analyst, Investment Banking
I am passionate about working with entrepreneurial teams to better understand their businesses, and delving into the financials of a company to find profitable growth avenues. I've always enjoyed the problem solving aspect of investing as well, and think a lot of this stems from my hidden love of digging into the raw, underlying numbers of a business. The informative years of my career were spent in the investment banking industry, so you can frequently find me working with portfolio company CFOs, and their finance teams to create and demystify convoluted spreadsheets.
Before co-founding Carom Growth, I invested in consumer internet and technology companies at Data Point Capital. My investment experience includes working with the teams at Blitsy and Paintzen (among others), where I helped guide strategy around marketing spend, expense management, future capital raises, and hiring. These experiences allowed me to see firsthand, how the world of venture capital can impact corporate strategy, and in many cases lead to unsustainable growth. With Carom Growth, I look to work with management teams who are eager to partner with long-term investors who are focused on profitable growth. I also have experience working with emerging growth healthcare companies, and actively look for opportunities within the consumer internet and wellness sectors.
My life outside of Carom Growth is mainly spent enjoying Boston with my wife Kinsey, and our young children. I am an avid skier, sailor, very marginal golfer, and can frequently be found in our kitchen practicing my love of cooking.
Education:
Darden School of Business, MBA
Bates College, BA, Economics