Matthew I. Growney

Matthew has become a well-known and successful investor and creative director for his understanding of design-conscious products, brands and services, for the luxury and lifestyle markets. Through his brand consultancy, Thermal Brands, Matthew consults with dozens of clients within the Fashion, Beauty/Wellness, Food, and Home/Hospitality categories. He has designed exclusive products and consumer experiences (installations, presentations, charity events, concerts, Pop-ups) for such events including the NBA Draft, Art Basel, CES, ComplexCon, KidzCon, Paris Fashion Week, NY Fashion Week, and Formula One.

Since February 2016, Matthew has served as Senior Advisor and Head of Special Projects to PUMA on Technology, Art, Culture, & Fashion. He is involved in selecting new designer candidates, strategic corporate partnerships, retail design, product innovation, sustainability, and consumer experiences. He is also serving as the Creative Director for PUMA x YOU, the customization studio within the NYC flagship retail store where he is responsible for programming new artists and designers for customers to interact and engage with on custom-design projects. In addition to PUMA, Matthew occasionally works with KERING USA, the luxury holding company maintained by the Pinault Family, (GUCCI, Stella McCartney, Saint Laurent).

Matthew (through Rudyard Partners) diversified his focus to include making investments in non-technology consumer opportunities including business of fashion, home and hospitality, beauty and wellness, and food and beverage. Such holdings include(d) GPShopper, True Botanicals, FazeClan, REZA, Quadpay, and Mount Avery.

In September 2019, Rudyard Partners was named a “50 on Fire” Award Winner by Boston Innovation for its success and impact in the Creative and Design industry. Matthew was previously named one of Boston’s “40 under 40″ by the Boston Business Journal (2005) for his professional achievement and community contributions in New England. In 2010, Matthew also was given the Connected World “M2M PIONEERS” award for his contribution to the mobile industry. He has been a featured speaker around the world and contributed to several books both on innovation and venture capital. He currently maintains several patents in product design.

Outside of his professional investment interests, Matthew has served on the Advisory Board of the Miami Symphony Orchestra in Miami, FL. Matthew has also served as Chairman of the Advisory Board for the National Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship, a non-for-profit focused on developing national entrepreneurship criteria for low-income high school students. He has served as a Board Director for the Concord Education Fund, a privately funded organization focused on providing teacher grants to support unique innovation efforts within public schools and as a Board Director to The Umbrella Community Arts Center in Concord, MA. He was also involved with the Ad Hoc Technology Committee for the Boston Children’s Museum. Matthew serves as an active fundraiser for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Matthew graduated from Michigan State University (BA, Business Pre-Law), where he serves on the Board of the Center for Venture Capital, Private Equity, & Entrepreneurial Finance at the Broad School of Business, and New England School of Law | Boston (JD).