This is an up-to-date resume of my employment history, academic credentials, and technical skills. Please note that I am not presently seeking employment and it is unlikely that I will seek employment again in the future. I just like to keep my resume up-to-date for my own purposes.
Professional Experience
Board Member, Pitchly (October ’22 to Present)
Pitchly is a data enablement platform that brings people, data, and content together to make work more accurate, efficient, and scalable.
General Partner, Homegrown Capital (Dec ’21 to Present)
Homegrown Capital is a venture capital firm that makes early-stage investments in high-growth, technology-driven companies in the Northern Plains. The firm raised $17.2 million for its first fund, Homegrown Capital Fund I, in 2022.
Board Member, Prismatic (April ’21 to Present)
Prismatic.io is an embedded integration platform that makes it easier for software companies to provide specialized integrations to their customers. I am a major investor in the company and sit on its board.
General Partner, Cresten Capital (Dec ’19 to Present)
Cresten Capital is a commercial real estate development and investment firm that owns and operates more than two-million square feet of multifamily, office and retail properties in Sioux Falls and surrounding areas.
Chairman, Falls Angel Fund (April ’16 to Present)
Falls Angel Fund is a series of community-based angel investment funds that have invested more than $5 million into early-stage, high-growth companies in South Dakota and surrounding states. Notable investments of Falls Angel Fund include Bushel, Cytotheryx, Nanopareil, Omnia Fishing, Prairie Aquatech, Prismatic, Query.AI, and WalkWise.
Founder, MarketBeat (November ’10 to Present)
MarketBeat is an Inc. 5000 financial media company that empowers individual investors to make better trading decisions by providing stock market news, real-time financial data, and best-in-class research tools. MarketBeat was recognized as the fastest-growing privately held company by Inc. Magazine in 2016 and has since been recognized by Barron’s, Entrepreneur Magazine and several other publications for its growth and success. With more than 4.5 million subscribers, MarketBeat is South Dakota’s largest digital media company.
Partner, GoGo Photo Contest (July ’13 to December 2020)
GoGo Photo Contest provides web-based fundraising software to animal welfare groups. Matt co-founded the company with Jason and Stevie Shea in 2013 and led the company’s initial software development and marketing efforts. During his time with the company, GoGo Photo Contest helped animal shelters and humane societies across the United States raise more than $20 million in charitable donations.
Partner, USGolfTV (August ’14 to September ’17)
USGolfTV (T Interactive, LLC) produces a regionally-syndicated television show available in 12 million homes and 25 states. The company regularly publishes new content on its web portal, USGolfTV.com, and has produced a variety of video training courses designed to help golfers improve their game. I provided leadership to the company in the areas of marketing, operations, and product development.
Adjunct Instructor, Dakota State University (August ’08 – August ’13)
Dakota State University is a public university located governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents. As an adjunct instructor, I developed curriculum for and instructed client-side and server-side website development courses, including CIS-275: Web Programming 1 and CIS-375: Web Programming 2.
Senior Web Developer, Factor 360, Inc. (February, ‘08 – November, ’12)
Factor360 is website design and development firm based out of Pierre, South Dakota. While at Factor360, I developed a multi-site content management system called 360WebCMS that powers more than 250 websites. I also managed a wide variety of web projects and developed custom ASP.NET web applications.
American Consumer News (December ’06 to November ’10)
American Consumer News was a network of personal finance websites including American Consumer News.com, Fine-Tuned Finances.com, Discover Debt Freedom.com, and Savings Toolbox.com. At its peak, the network had a team of 7 writers and garnered more than 400,000 page views per month.
Academic Credentials and Honors
Dakota State University (May ’24)
* Doctor of Public Service
* Honorary Degree
Sioux Falls Seminary (January ’10 – May ’13)
* Master of Arts in Christian Leadership
* Specialization in Leadership Studies
* 3.9 GPA
Dakota State University (May ’08 to Aug ‘09)
* Master of Science in Information Systems
* Specialization in E-Commerce
* 4.0 GPA
Dakota State University (August ’04 to May ‘08)
* Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
* Minors in Applied Mathematics and Electronic Commerce
* Member of the Kappa Sigma Iota Honor Society
* Member of the Center of Excellence in Information Systems
* NSF/DSU Math and Computer Science Technology Scholar
* DSU Champion Scholar
* President’s Academic Honors List (seven semesters)
* Received “Campus Student Leader” award
* Graduated Cum Laude (3.6 GPA)
Mitchell High School (August ’00 to May ‘04)
* High-School Diploma
* South Dakota Board of Regents Scholar
* National Forensics League Superior Distinction
Professional & Community Leadership
South Dakota Enterprise Institute (December ’23 to Present)
Board Member
Greater Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce (September ’23 to Present)
Board Member
Augustana University (November ’22 to Present)
Fintech Advisory Board Member
Forward Sioux Falls 2026 (February ’21 to May ’21)
Campaign Cabinet Member
Eide Bailly (September ’18 – August ’19)
Advisory Board Member
Downtown Rotary (June ’18 – Present)
Member
Startup Sioux Falls (December ’17 – December ’23)
Board Member
Founder
1 Million Cups of Sioux Falls (October ’16 – August ’22)
Organizing Team Member
Rhodium Mastermind Founder’s Mastermind (October ’15 – Present)
Member
March of Dimes, South Dakota Chapter (October ’15 – October ’17)
Board Member
Sioux Falls Seminary / Kairos University (April ’15 – June ’23)
Trustee Board Member
Kiwanis International (April ’13 – September ’16)
Member
Central Baptist Church (July ’09 – May ’16)
Website Design (2010 – May ’16)
FPU Coordinator (September 2009 – April 2015)
Trustee Board (March 2011 – August 2015)
Mission Board (January 2010 – June 2011)
Awards and Recognition
Inc. Best Workplaces (June 2024)
MarketBeat was named to Inc.’s annual Best Workplaces list. After surveying employees at thousands of companies across the county, MarketBeat was ranked one of the highest-scoring businesses on this year’s list of 543 honorees.
Inc. Regionals: Midwest (March 2024)
For the last several years, MarketBeat has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing, privately-held companies in the Midwest on Inc.’s annual ranking of companies in the region. MarketBeat ranked #171 on the 2023 “Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest” list and had previously made the list in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Inc. 5000 List (August 2024)
For the last several years, MarketBeat has been consistently recognized as one of the fastest-growing, privately-held companies in the United States by Inc. in its annual Inc. 5000 rankings. MarketBeat earned an overall rank of #4270 on the 2024 Inc. 5000 list and was also included on the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 Inc. 5000 lists.
SESHRM Workplace Excellence Award – Community Involvement (December 2023)
The Sioux Empire Society for Human Resource Management, or SESHRM, awarded MarketBeat the Workplace Excellence Community Involvement award for “being an employer that is truly making a difference in the community.”
Carol Pagones Vitality Award (May 2022)
Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc. awarded MarketBeat the Carole Pagones Vitality Award for “energizing, engaging, and activating the downtown community in a notable way” during its 2022 annual meeting.
Financial Times The Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies 2022 Award (April 2022)
MarketBeat was recognized as one of the 500 fastest-growing companies in the Americas in 2022 by The Financial Times and Statista.
Spirit of Volunteerism Award (April 2021)
The Helpline Center awarded Matt a “Spirit of Volunteerism” award for importing 40,000 KN-95 masks during the pandemic, donating masks to local non-profits such as Volunteers of America and the Bishop Dudley House, and making KN-95 masks broadly available to the community at cost through a local retailer before they were stocked by major retailers.
Dakota State University – Philanthropist of the Year Award (March. 2021)
Dakota State University (DSU) recognized Matt and Karine Paulson as its “Philanthropists of the Year” at its annual gala event for their contributions to the Paulson Cyber Incubator and Entrepreneurial Center and their other charitable initiatives.
Dakota State University – Outstanding Alumni Award (Oct. 2020)
Each year Dakota State University recognizes five alumni who “exemplify the tradition of excellence that is Dakota State.” Matt was named a “2020 Outstanding Alumni” for his business and professional achievements.
U.S. Small Business Administration – Small Business Champion Award (Sept. 2020)
The U.S. Small Business Administration South Dakota District Office recognized Matt as the “Small Business Champion of The Year” during National Small Business Week in 2020.
Prairie Business – Best Places to Work Award (Sept. 2020)
MarketBeat was recognized as one of the best places to work in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota by Prairie Business in its 2020 “50 Best Places to Work” awards.
Prairie Business (December 2019)
Prairie Business’s annual “40 under 40” list recognizes “up and coming leaders in the Dakotas and western Minnesota” under the age of forty years that “show unusual devotion to their communities and to volunteer service.” I was included in Prairie Business Magazine’s 2019 “40 under 40” list.
605 Magazine (November 2019)
Startup Sioux Falls and the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship were recognized for their collaborative efforts to help small business owners and entrepreneurs by 605 Magazine in its annual 605 Best Awards.
Entrepreneur Magazine (October 2019)
MarketBeat was recognized as one of the “Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America” in Entrepreneur magazine’s 2019 Entrepreneur360™ List, a premier study delivering the most comprehensive analysis of private companies in America. MarketBeat was the only South Dakota-based company to make the list, coming in at #158. The study recognizes MarketBeat as a well-rounded company that has mastered a balance of impact, innovation, growth, leadership, and value.
Sioux Falls Young Professionals Network – 4 Under 40 Award (August 2019)
The Sioux Falls Young Professionals Network (YPN) “4 Under 40 Award” is an award that recognizes individuals under forty years of age “who have displayed demonstrable impact in their business and community.” I was selected as one of four recipients of the award during its inaugural year at the 2019 YPN Crossroads Summit.
Fit Small Business – Top Small Business Influencer of 2019 (May 2019)
I was recognized as a top small business influencer of 2019 by Fit Small Business for his “outstanding credentials, expertise, and industry skills as well as his impressive number of social media followers.”
Global Gurus – Top 30 Startup Guru of 2019 (March 2019)
I was recognized as one of the “world’s top 30 startup gurus for 2019” by GlobalGurus.org. Global Gurus selects its winners by identifying “remarkable leaders who make an impact through their speaking, training materials, books, and other media.”
Hey Sioux Falls – Investor of the Year (September 2018)
Falls Angel Fund was named “Investor of the Year” by the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, the Zeal Center for Entrepreneurship and 1 Million Cups at the inaugural Hey Sioux Falls awards for helping “grow the local economy by investing in small businesses and startups in the Sioux Falls area.”
American Association of Individual Investors – Best of the Web Award (December 2017)
MarketBeat received a “Best of the Web” award in 2015, 2016 and 2017 from the American Association of Individual Investors’ Computerized Investing publication for “its simplicity” and “its straightforward approach to providing investors with daily ratings moves.”
The Enterprise Institute – Spirit of Enterprise Award (October 2017)
The Spirit of Enterprise is an award given annually by the Enterprise Institute at South Dakota Innovation Expo to an individual in recognition of personal commitment, dedication, and achievement in entrepreneurship. I was the 2017 recipient of the Spirit of Enterprise award.
The American Small Business Awards – Executive of the Year – Internet/New Media (May 2017)
I was recognized as the executive of the year in the Internet and new media category of the annual American Small Business Awards (“The Stevies”).
Campus Student Leader Award (May 2008)
I was one of three students that received a campus student leader award during his graduating year of college, which is given to students that “exemplify the highest degree of skills in management, communications, personal relations, vital involvement, and university accomplishments.”
Conferences Attended
Capital Camp: 2022
The Capitalism Conference: 2015, 2016 (speaker), 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023
Content & Commerce: 2017
DynamiteCircle Austin: 2014
Financial Marketing Summit 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
Global Leadership Summit: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Microconf: 2015, 2017, 2019.
Microsoft Mix: 2009
Now What? 2014
OTA: 2014, 2015
Rhodium Weekend: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023.
South Dakota Code Camp: 2011, 2012, 2013 (sponsor), 2018 (sponsor)
South Dakota Innovation Expo: 2010, 2014 (sponsor), 2015 (sponsor, speaker), 2017, 2018 (sponsor), 2019 (sponsor, speaker), 2020 (speaker, sponsor), 2021 (speaker, sponsor), 2023 (sponsor).
Startup Weekend Sioux Falls: 2013 (sponsor), 2014 (sponsor), 2015 (sponsor), 2017 (sponsor)
Traffic & Conversion: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021.
TrenDigital: 2014, 2016, 2017, 2022, 2023 (speaker), 2024.
YPN Crossroads Summit: 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 (speaker, sponsor).