Active Capital

Hi, I'm Pat. I'm an entrepreneur turned investor. I've spent my career starting, scaling, and investing in startups. I started Active Capital because I love backing technical founders and helping them reach their potential. I've spent more than 20 years building and investing in software, cloud infrastructure, and AI, and I believe the future is brighter than ever. If you're a founder building an AI-native company, I'd love to hear from you. I welcome warm intros and cold emails.

How We Invest

Pre-Seed Investing

AI-Native Software

$100k - $1M Checks

Technical Founders

B2B, Infra, Dev Tools

Building in the US

About

Active Capital is a venture firm focused on pre-seed investing in technical founders building AI-native software, infrastructure, and products that solve real business problems. We love working with founders who stay small and scrappy until they find true product-market fit. We typically invest $100K to $1M, with the ability to invest significantly more as companies grow and our relationship develops. We like to invest early and be a meaningful part of the first capital raised.

Portfolio

Testimonials

“Pat is my first call with good news, bad news, or hard decisions I need help thinking through. He's an exceptionally founder-focused investor. He's been a founder and an operator. He's the type of investor and person I'd want on any cap table, and I'd highly recommend him to any founder.”

Fynn Glover

Co-founder & CEO of Schematic

“Pat shows up like someone who's built before, not just invested before. He'll challenge a narrative, pressure-test assumptions, and help tighten the plan without draining momentum. The operator lens is real.”

Ashley Rose

CEO of Living Security

“Active Capital was in our seed, and they are the most founder-centric VC we could have ever hoped to work with. For any early stage company that reads this…call Pat Matthews at Active Capital.”

Chris Cochran

Founder of ProsperOps

“Pat is the first person you want to share news with, good or bad. He's the perfect blend of coach, problem solver, cheerleader, and introduction machine that every founder looks for in an investor.”

Bethany Stachenfeld

Founder of Sendspark

“I won't be able to say this enough to you specifically Pat but thank YOU. I genuinely appreciate all the help and trust you have given us. Please count me in as an LP in the next fund!”

Rami Essad

Founder of Finmark

“I'm a huge fan of Pat and what he can bring to a company outside of purely capital. He's the type of person you want on your side, fighting the good fight. I'm now excited to be an investor in him!”

Zac Mauris

Founder of Favor