# Ben Springwater

> Ben Springwater is the Co-Founder and CEO of Matter, a beautifully designed reading app that consolidates articles, newsletters, and emails into one distraction-free experience. A Stanford MBA and former Nextdoor product lead, Ben built Matter through Y Combinator's Summer 2020 batch and raised $9.15M from Google Ventures and others. Known for his philosophy that 'the details add up,' he steers Matter toward slow, steady growth for discerning readers rather than chasing scale - a conviction tested and hardened by personal health challenges in 2024 that led him to reimagine both his company and his life.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Matter
- **Organizations:** Matter, Y Combinator (Alumni), Nextdoor, Quad Learning, The Parthenon Group
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, Williams College, MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Matter, winner of three Apple 'App of the Day' awards, Y Combinator Summer 2020 batch alumnus, Raised $9.15M from Google Ventures, Y Combinator, and angels including Calvin French-Owen

## Career timeline

- **2004-2008** — Studied Psychology at Williams College
- **2008-2012** — Principal at The Parthenon Group (strategy consulting, M&A, private equity)
- **2012-2014** — Director of Analytics at Quad Learning Inc. (higher education enrollment management)
- **2014-2016** — MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **2016-2018** — Product Lead, Marketplace at Nextdoor - met co-founder Robert Mackenzie here
- **2019** — Co-founded Matter with Robert Mackenzie
- **2020** — Raised angel round, began development; accepted into Y Combinator Summer 2020 batch
- **2021-10** — Closed $7M Series A led by Google Ventures (GV), total funding $9.15M
- **2022** — Both Ben and co-founder Rob became fathers, three weeks apart
- **2024** — Both founders diagnosed with cancer; Ben underwent radiation and two major surgeries; team reduced by half
- **2025** — Both founders recovered; elevated Sky Lan and Hunter Clarke to co-founder status; committed to long-term independent path for Matter

## Achievements

- Co-founded Matter, winner of three Apple 'App of the Day' awards
- Y Combinator Summer 2020 batch alumnus
- Raised $9.15M from Google Ventures, Y Combinator, and angels including Calvin French-Owen
- Grew 'Words That Matter' Substack curation newsletter to 139,000+ subscribers
- Featured in TechCrunch, Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and Product Hunt
- Built Matter from zero to tens of thousands of active users and thousands of paying subscribers
- Maintained company and product through simultaneous founder cancer diagnoses in 2024

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Published candid 2025 founder letter on Twitter addressing company direction, health recovery, and elevation of Sky Lan and Hunter Clarke to co-founder status.
- **2025-01** — Both Ben and Rob recovered from cancer diagnoses; team stabilized and refocused on sustainable growth.
- **2021-10** — Announced $7M Series A round led by GV (Google Ventures).

## Links

- Website: https://getmatter.app
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benspringwater/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/benspringwater

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/ben-springwater
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-30