When you need product and design expertise for your portfolio
Your portfolio companies occasionally need product and design leadership support that goes beyond what you can provide. I coach and advise portfolio companies on product strategy, team building, and execution challenges. I also provide strategic assessments when you need to understand what's really happening with product capabilities, execution velocity, or leadership effectiveness.
Portfolio company leadership development + strategic investment advisory
I work with your portfolio companies to develop product and design leadership capabilities, while providing you strategic insight for evaluations and investment decisions.
Portfolio Company Leadership Development
Your founders and emerging leaders need coaching that goes beyond generic startup advice. I help them develop the specific product and design leadership skills that drive execution and retention.
Strategic Investment Advisory
When you need to evaluate product strategy, design quality, and leadership capabilities—whether for potential investments or portfolio company assessments—I provide strategic insight across both the work and the people.
The portfolio company problems that don't have obvious solutions
Most advisors see symptoms—missed milestones, leadership turnover, execution problems. I help you understand the underlying product and design leadership dynamics that determine whether companies can scale successfully.
Is this company's product strategy actually sound, or are they building the wrong thing well?
I'll evaluate their product roadmap, market positioning, and strategic assumptions. You'll understand whether they have product-market fit, a viable growth strategy, or if they're optimizing for metrics that don't matter. I can work with their team to fix strategic gaps while giving you honest assessment of what you're really investing in.
Why can't this promising startup seem to hire and retain strong product and design talent?
It's rarely about compensation. Usually it's about product vision clarity, design process maturity, or leadership capability. I'll assess both their product/design work quality and organizational dynamics to understand what's really driving turnover—and work with them to fix it.
What's really broken when a portfolio company keeps missing product milestones?
Execution problems stem from strategy, process, or people issues. I'll evaluate their product planning, design systems, team capabilities, and leadership effectiveness to diagnose root causes—whether it's unrealistic roadmaps, capability gaps, or organizational dysfunction.
Testimonials
It is not an exaggeration to say that Matte has transformed my life. Matte's approach strikes the perfect balance between high-level conceptual frameworks, long-term strategy, and tactical feedback that can be implemented immediately. I always left our sessions with clear action steps and a renewed sense of purpose.
[Matte] evolved our thinking from a couple of engineers in a room to a startup that identifies it's values and chases them.
He was able to pick up on the nuances of our business and help us craft a product vision and strategy that has helped unify our team and charted a path to the next phase of our evolution.
Ready to understand what's really happening with product and design across your portfolio?
Let's talk about the strategic, execution, and leadership dynamics that are driving the results you're seeing. Most investors are surprised by what we uncover when we look at both the work and the people.
Free strategic discussion • No sales pitch • You'll walk away with clarity on what's really happening