Managing Member

Before founding Search Fund Capital, Matt Barnard was Operating Partner at 523 Capital. At 523, Matt searched for industries to enter and businesses to acquire while developing relationships with entrepreneurs and performing strategic evaluations, operational and financial reviews and valuation analyses.

Prior to 523, Matt was President and Chief Operating Officer of Whalen & Company, Inc., a wireless telecommunications division of Tetra Tech. Matt joined Whalen & Company out of college and advanced from Zoning Coordinator to President & COO responsible for $100 million in revenues and 300 employees. During his tenure Matt worked in a variety of positions as Whalen deployed wireless networks in dozens of major markets for customers such as Verizon Wireless, Nextel, Sirius Satellite Radio, Comcast Cellular, Metricom and others.

Matt's experience includes large and swift network infrastructure deployments, multiple start-ups, acquisition integrations and dramatic turnarounds. Throughout his career Matt and his teams accomplished many firsts and increased productivity, throughput, reliability of processes and production, and customer satisfaction while leading a firm that posted industry-leading productivity and employee retention levels.

Matt has both a BA and BM (Economics and Music, respectively) from Northwestern University and a Masters of Science from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Matt also sits on the Advisory Board of Great Circle Water.