Tom Matlack
Encyclopedia
Tom Matlack is an American
entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author. In 2009, Matlack founded The Good Men Project
with the hope of sparking a “national conversation” around the question of “What does it mean to be a good man?” His most recent endeavor is a company called Game Empire Enterprises which he owns and holds the title "Emperor".
(B.A. 1986) and Yale School of Management
(M.B.A. 1991), was the Chief Financial Officer of The Providence Journal
until 1997 when the paper was absorbed in a $1.5 billion takeover by the A. H. Belo
Corporation of Dallas, owner of ‘’The Dallas Morning News’’ and a number of television stations. The deal was orchestrated by Matlack.
Matlack has led several venture investments in the technology arena, such as Art Technology Group
, where he invested at a $7.5 million pre-money valuation
and exited most of his investors at a $5 billion valuation. In 2010, Art Technology Group
was purchased by Oracle
for 1 billion.
From 1999 until 2010, Matlack founded and ran as a managing partner Megunticook Management, a venture capital firm that started more than 30 companies. Megunticook’s biggest success was a company called Telephia in which the company was a lead investor. In 2007, Telephia was sold to Neilsen for over $500 million.
Beyond his work with The Good Men Project
, Matlack continues to invest in media and technology companies on a personal basis.
Tom Matlack and his business partner, James Houghton, started The Good Men Foundation with two main objectives: to help at-risk boys by contributing money to proven nonprofits, and to initiate a broad discussion on what it means to be a good man.
The founders hope that an all-inclusive dialogue—by men, among men, and about what it means to be a man in America today—will lead to an increased awareness of the problems specific to at-risk boys and men, and, with that, progress toward real solutions.
The Foundation also put out a documentary film, "The Good Men Project: Real Stories From the Front Lines of Modern Manhood" that was released on DVD November 15, 2009. The film was directed and produced by Matthew Gannon and features Kent George, John Sheehy, Bruce Ellman, Mark St.Amant, Konstantin Selivan, Amin Ahmad, Charlie LeDuff, Stuart Horwitz, Michael Kamber and Rolf Gates.
, Boston Magazine
, Boston Globe Magazine and Newspaper, Wesleyan, Yale
, Tango
, and Pop Matters. He is a regular columnist for The Huffington Post
.
In addition to writing for The Huffington Post
, Matlack has a regular column titled “Good is Good” as part of ‘’The Good Men Magazine’’, a blog titled “The Good Man” for Men's Health
, and regularly publishes pieces on his Scribd
page
Matlack has had op-ed pieces featured in the Boston Globe as well as regular feature articles. He has also contributed multiple pieces to Boston Magazine
.
Once an avid rower at Wesleyan, he has also had pieces featured in Rowing News. His connection to Wesleyan also allowed him to interview Mad Men
creator Matthew Weiner
for the Wesleyan Magazine.
In October 2009, Matlack started the Good Men Book tour at Sing Sing
prison. According to Matlack, "My book is about manhood and redemption. I have in my mind the image of Johnny Cash going into Fulsom Prison. Like his music, my book is about manhood, raw and unvarnished. So I need to find guys who understand what that is about. It's also about the possibility of redemption, about making mistakes, and about picking yourself up. I have no idea what I am going to say to these guys but I am going to try."
In December 2009, Matlack appeared on the Tyra Banks Show where he donated, on behalf of the Good Men Foundation, $5,000 to help cover Christmas expesenes for a family who had just lost their husband and father.
Matlack has interviewed the likes of David Kohan
, creator of Will & Grace and artist Shep Fairey
He has also been interviewed by his own foundation where he discusses his reason for starting the Good Men Foundation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author. In 2009, Matlack founded The Good Men Project
The Good Men Project
The Good Men Project was founded in 2009 by Tom Matlack and James Houghton as a way to allow men to tell stories about the defining moments in their lives...
with the hope of sparking a “national conversation” around the question of “What does it mean to be a good man?” His most recent endeavor is a company called Game Empire Enterprises which he owns and holds the title "Emperor".
Career
Matlack, a graduate of Wesleyan UniversityWesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
(B.A. 1986) and Yale School of Management
Yale School of Management
The Yale School of Management is the graduate business school of Yale University and is located on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. The School offers Master of Business Administration and Ph.D. degree programs. As of January 2011, 454 students were enrolled in its MBA...
(M.B.A. 1991), was the Chief Financial Officer of The Providence Journal
The Providence Journal
The Providence Journal, nicknamed the ProJo, is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper, first published in 1829 and the oldest continuously-published daily newspaper in the United States, was purchased...
until 1997 when the paper was absorbed in a $1.5 billion takeover by the A. H. Belo
A. H. Belo
A. H. Belo Corporation is a Dallas-based media company that owns four daily newspapers and five smaller newspapers. The current corporation was formed when Belo Corporation separated its broadcasting and publishing operations into two corporations. A. H. Belo also owns a part interest in...
Corporation of Dallas, owner of ‘’The Dallas Morning News’’ and a number of television stations. The deal was orchestrated by Matlack.
Matlack has led several venture investments in the technology arena, such as Art Technology Group
Art Technology Group
Art Technology Group was an independent Internet technology company specializing in eCommerce software and on-demand optimization applications until its acquisition by Oracle on January 5, 2011...
, where he invested at a $7.5 million pre-money valuation
Pre-money valuation
A pre-money valuation is a term used in private equity or venture capital that refers to the valuation of a company or asset prior to an investment or financing....
and exited most of his investors at a $5 billion valuation. In 2010, Art Technology Group
Art Technology Group
Art Technology Group was an independent Internet technology company specializing in eCommerce software and on-demand optimization applications until its acquisition by Oracle on January 5, 2011...
was purchased by Oracle
Oracle Corporation
Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
for 1 billion.
From 1999 until 2010, Matlack founded and ran as a managing partner Megunticook Management, a venture capital firm that started more than 30 companies. Megunticook’s biggest success was a company called Telephia in which the company was a lead investor. In 2007, Telephia was sold to Neilsen for over $500 million.
Beyond his work with The Good Men Project
The Good Men Project
The Good Men Project was founded in 2009 by Tom Matlack and James Houghton as a way to allow men to tell stories about the defining moments in their lives...
, Matlack continues to invest in media and technology companies on a personal basis.
The Good Men Foundation
The Good Men Foundation is a registered New York State nonprofit charitable corporation dedicated to helping organizations that provide educational, social, financial, and legal support to men and boys at risk. A portion of the proceeds from the publication and sales of the book and the companion DVD, The Good Men Project: Real Stories from the Front Lines of Modern Manhood, are distributed to the foundation and are used for the charitable mission of the foundation. The Foundation has not-for-profit tax-exempt status under Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.Tom Matlack and his business partner, James Houghton, started The Good Men Foundation with two main objectives: to help at-risk boys by contributing money to proven nonprofits, and to initiate a broad discussion on what it means to be a good man.
The founders hope that an all-inclusive dialogue—by men, among men, and about what it means to be a man in America today—will lead to an increased awareness of the problems specific to at-risk boys and men, and, with that, progress toward real solutions.
The Foundation also put out a documentary film, "The Good Men Project: Real Stories From the Front Lines of Modern Manhood" that was released on DVD November 15, 2009. The film was directed and produced by Matthew Gannon and features Kent George, John Sheehy, Bruce Ellman, Mark St.Amant, Konstantin Selivan, Amin Ahmad, Charlie LeDuff, Stuart Horwitz, Michael Kamber and Rolf Gates.
Publications
Tom Matlack’s work has appeared in Rowing News, Boston CommonBoston Common
Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the "Boston Commons". Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. The Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street, Park Street, Beacon Street,...
, Boston Magazine
Boston magazine
Boston is a monthly magazine concerning life in the Greater Boston area and has been in publication for more than 40 years.-About the magazine:The magazine is self-described as:...
, Boston Globe Magazine and Newspaper, Wesleyan, Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
, Tango
Tango Magazine
Based in New York City, Tango Magazine was a national lifestyle magazine focusing on love and relationships. First published in the spring of 2005, the magazine was published by Tango Media, a privately held company owned by Andrea Miller...
, and Pop Matters. He is a regular columnist for The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
.
In addition to writing for The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, Matlack has a regular column titled “Good is Good” as part of ‘’The Good Men Magazine’’, a blog titled “The Good Man” for Men's Health
Men's Health (magazine)
Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...
, and regularly publishes pieces on his Scribd
Scribd
Scribd is a Web 2.0 based document-sharing website which allows users to post documents of various formats, and embed them into a web page using its iPaper format. Scribd was founded by Trip Adler, Tikhon Bernstam, and Jared Friedman in 2006...
page
Matlack has had op-ed pieces featured in the Boston Globe as well as regular feature articles. He has also contributed multiple pieces to Boston Magazine
Boston magazine
Boston is a monthly magazine concerning life in the Greater Boston area and has been in publication for more than 40 years.-About the magazine:The magazine is self-described as:...
.
Once an avid rower at Wesleyan, he has also had pieces featured in Rowing News. His connection to Wesleyan also allowed him to interview Mad Men
Mad Men
Mad Men is an American dramatic television series created and produced by Matthew Weiner. The series premiered on Sunday evenings on the American cable network AMC and are produced by Lionsgate Television. It premiered on July 19, 2007, and completed its fourth season on October 17, 2010. Each...
creator Matthew Weiner
Matthew Weiner
Matthew Weiner is an American writer, director and producer of television drama. He is the creator, executive producer, head writer, and show runner of the AMC television series Mad Men. He is also noted for his work on the HBO series The Sopranos, on which he served as a writer and producer...
for the Wesleyan Magazine.
Appearances and Interviews
Tom Matlack has been on the radio and TV all over the country as both the interviewer and interviewee.In October 2009, Matlack started the Good Men Book tour at Sing Sing
Sing Sing
Sing Sing Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison operated by the New York State Department of Correctional Services in the town of Ossining, New York...
prison. According to Matlack, "My book is about manhood and redemption. I have in my mind the image of Johnny Cash going into Fulsom Prison. Like his music, my book is about manhood, raw and unvarnished. So I need to find guys who understand what that is about. It's also about the possibility of redemption, about making mistakes, and about picking yourself up. I have no idea what I am going to say to these guys but I am going to try."
In December 2009, Matlack appeared on the Tyra Banks Show where he donated, on behalf of the Good Men Foundation, $5,000 to help cover Christmas expesenes for a family who had just lost their husband and father.
Matlack has interviewed the likes of David Kohan
David Kohan
David Sanford Kohan is an American television producer. After writing for The Wonder Years and The Dennis Miller Show, Kohan co-created and produced Will & Grace, Good Morning, Miami, Twins and Four Kings with Max Mutchnick. Kohan has won an Emmy and a People's Choice Award. He has been nominated...
, creator of Will & Grace and artist Shep Fairey
He has also been interviewed by his own foundation where he discusses his reason for starting the Good Men Foundation.