Matrix Partners traces its roots to the 1977 breakup of Hellman Ferri Investment Associates, when co-founder Paul Ferri chose to focus exclusively on very early-stage technology investing while his former partner built a separate later-stage firm - giving Matrix unusually deep roots in the formative era of American venture capital. The firm has deliberately kept its U.S. fund sizes modest, capped around $450 million, even as many peers raised multi-billion-dollar vehicles, preferring to stay a close-knit team of former founders investing from idea through Series A. That contrarian discipline backed Oculus VR at an early stage, a bet that returned dramatically when Facebook acquired the company for approximately $2.3 billion in 2014, and the firm's partner David Skok has become widely known for SaaS metrics essays that remain standard reading for founders industry-wide.
Oculus VR's 2014 acquisition by Facebook for approximately $2.3 billion - Matrix backed the company at an early stage