MATR Ventures

# MATR Ventures: Investing in Underestimated Founders Building Deep Tech

High-Level Overview

MATR Ventures is a Toronto-based venture capital firm that invests in underestimated founders—particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds including Black, Indigenous, LatinX, persons of color, women, 2SLGBTQ+, and persons with disabilities—who are building transformative solutions in deep tech and digital infrastructure.[1][2][3] The firm's mission centers on inclusive investing with economic empowerment, targeting founders with what the firm calls a "Mamba Mentality"—a reference to relentless execution and competitive drive.[1][2]

MATR Ventures focuses on four core sectors: energy, health, cybersecurity, and fintech, with particular emphasis on semiconductor solutions, applied AI, robotics automation, edge computing, and machine learning.[2] The firm targets early-revenue and scaling-stage companies, deploying check sizes between $250,000 and $1 million across Canada and the United States.[3] Rather than simply providing capital, MATR positions itself as a value-add partner, leveraging its network and operational expertise to accelerate portfolio company growth.

Origin Story

MATR Ventures was founded by Giselle Melo, whose background uniquely positions her to bridge the worlds of technology entrepreneurship and institutional capital markets.[4] Before launching the venture firm, Melo co-founded Niche Labs, an engineering and design company that developed an advanced logistics system. The company was acquired before market launch—a pivotal moment that led to a partnership with a prominent family office, who became MATR's anchor investor.[4]

Prior to founding MATR, Melo served as a partner and head of investment banking at a leading Toronto advisory firm, where she oversaw more than $5 billion in assets under management.[4] This dual experience—as both a tech founder navigating the challenges of building and scaling, and as an institutional finance professional understanding how capital flows through private markets—shaped her investment philosophy. Her firsthand understanding of both technology infrastructure and capital markets dynamics informed her conviction that underestimated founders, particularly from underrepresented communities, represent untapped alpha opportunities that traditional venture capital overlooks.

Core Differentiators

Proprietary Deal Flow & Network Advantage

MATR's secret sauce is its curated network of 400+ advisors, called the PowerUp Network, which the firm positions as arguably more valuable than capital itself.[1][2] While other venture firms have access to major ecosystem players like Nvidia, Harvard, MIT, Intel Ignite, and Techstars, MATR's differentiation lies in the depth of engagement within its private advisor network. This network efficiently drives both deal tonnage and quality, surfacing proprietary opportunities beyond where larger VCs are typically looking.[1][2]

Operator-Led Investment Committee

MATR's investment committee comprises exited founders and operators who bring hands-on operating experience to portfolio support.[2] This is not a purely financial investment model; it's a partnership model where committee members actively create value through their networks and operational playbooks.

Inclusive Thesis with Alpha Potential

Rather than framing diversity as a social mandate alone, MATR explicitly positions investment in underestimated founders as a market inefficiency—a source of alpha.[1] The firm recognizes that systemic barriers and biases create a talent arbitrage opportunity: exceptional founders from underrepresented backgrounds often have better valuations and less competition for capital than their majority-background counterparts building similar solutions.

Sector Specialization

The firm's focus on deep tech (semiconductors, AI, robotics) and digital infrastructure across energy, health, cyber, and fintech reflects a thesis around foundational technologies and mission-critical systems—areas where technical excellence and founder resilience are paramount.

Role in the Broader Tech Landscape

MATR Ventures operates at the intersection of two major trends reshaping venture capital: the democratization of startup funding and the recognition of diversity as a competitive advantage.

Traditionally, venture capital has concentrated capital among founders who fit a narrow demographic profile, often connected to existing investor networks through elite universities or prior exits. This has created both a moral and economic inefficiency—exceptional technical talent and entrepreneurial drive exist across all demographics, yet capital allocation remains concentrated. MATR's thesis directly challenges this market failure.

The firm also rides the wave of deep tech and infrastructure investment, which has gained momentum as geopolitical competition (particularly around semiconductors and AI) and energy transition imperatives have made foundational technologies strategically important. By combining this sector focus with an inclusive founder thesis, MATR positions itself at a unique intersection: backing founders building the infrastructure of tomorrow while correcting historical capital allocation biases.

Additionally, MATR's emphasis on the PowerUp Network reflects a broader shift in venture capital away from pure financial returns toward ecosystem value creation. Portfolio companies increasingly expect their investors to provide operational support, strategic introductions, and access to talent and customers—not just capital. MATR's model, where investment committee members are operators themselves, aligns with this expectation.

Quick Take & Future Outlook

MATR Ventures represents a thesis-driven, operator-backed venture model that combines inclusive investing with deep tech focus. The firm's ability to generate alpha will ultimately depend on execution: whether its PowerUp Network genuinely accelerates portfolio company growth, and whether its founder selection process successfully identifies exceptional talent that traditional VCs undervalue.

Looking ahead, MATR's influence will likely grow as several forces align in its favor. First, the venture capital industry continues to face pressure to diversify its portfolio and LP base—MATR's track record with underestimated founders will become increasingly relevant as institutional LPs prioritize ESG and diversity metrics. Second, the deep tech sectors MATR targets (AI, semiconductors, robotics) will remain hot, and founders with resilience and grit—qualities often forged through navigating systemic barriers—may prove particularly valuable in capital-intensive, technically demanding spaces.

The firm's challenge will be scaling its network advantage without diluting it, and proving that inclusive investing is not just ethically sound but economically superior. If MATR can demonstrate that its portfolio companies outperform traditional venture benchmarks, it will validate a powerful thesis: that venture capital's historical homogeneity has been a feature, not a bug—and that correcting it unlocks real returns.