# Matt Rappaport

> Matt Rappaport is General Partner at Future Frontier Capital, a pre-seed frontier technology VC fund based in Berkeley, California. A former professional musician who studied West African Sabar drumming in Senegal, Rappaport brings an unconventional lens to deep tech investing - 20+ years of IP strategy expertise, a faculty role at UC Berkeley's Fung Institute, and a data-driven methodology using patent landscape analytics to identify emerging sectors before mainstream adoption. He co-founded FFC with longtime partner Mark Garner in late 2023, building a portfolio of 100+ early-stage startups across AI, biotech, robotics, climate, and advanced materials - achieving nearly 11X TVPI on previous investments.

- **Role:** General Partner at Future Frontier Capital
- **Organizations:** Future Frontier Capital, IP Checkups, Inc., UC Berkeley - Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership, Deep Tech Innovation Lab (UC Berkeley), Center for Intellectual Property (CIP)-Berkeley
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Music Performance and Ethnomusicology, Metropolitan State University, Music studies, New England Conservatory of Music, Additional music studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- **Known for:** Named to IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders list every year since 2011 - one of the world's leading IP strategists, Built Future Frontier Capital portfolio to 100+ early-stage companies with nearly 11X TVPI, 75% of FFC portfolio companies secured follow-on funding within 18 months

## Career timeline

- **1991** — Moved to Senegal as a young professional musician to study West African Sabar drumming
- **1991-2003** — Worked as a professional musician studying African Diaspora music traditions in Senegal, Brazil, Peru, and Mississippi
- **2004** — Founded IP Checkups, Inc., an intellectual property strategy and patent landscape software firm
- **2011** — First named to IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders list - a recognition he has received every year since
- **2016** — Joined UC Berkeley's Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership as faculty, teaching engineering leadership and technology commercialization
- **2017** — Began managing innovation and intellectual property programs at Canopy Growth Corporation, building their patent portfolio pre-IPO
- **2020** — Co-founded the Deep Tech Innovation Lab at UC Berkeley (Tusher Strategic Initiative, Haas School of Business)
- **2023** — Co-founded Future Frontier Capital with Mark Garner as a pre-seed frontier technology VC fund
- **2024** — Grew Future Frontier Capital portfolio to 100+ early-stage startups with nearly 11X TVPI
- **2025** — Named again to IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders 2025; published major essay 'The Deep Tech Valley of Death: A $68 Trillion Dollar Capital Orchestration Problem'
- **2026** — Launched Future Frontier Capital accelerator program; began recruiting for Fall 2026 cohort

## Achievements

- Named to IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders list every year since 2011 - one of the world's leading IP strategists
- Built Future Frontier Capital portfolio to 100+ early-stage companies with nearly 11X TVPI
- 75% of FFC portfolio companies secured follow-on funding within 18 months
- Co-founded Deep Tech Innovation Lab at UC Berkeley (Tusher Strategic Initiative)
- Co-founded Center for Intellectual Property (CIP)-Berkeley, an academic and executive education program
- Built and managed patent portfolio for Canopy Growth Corporation prior to and following IPO
- Developed proprietary patent landscape analytics software for identifying emerging sectors
- Faculty at UC Berkeley Fung Institute for Engineering Leadership since 2016
- Studied West African Sabar drumming directly in Senegal in 1991
- Managed hundreds of innovation and patent landscape analysis projects through IP Checkups over 20 years

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Future Frontier Capital launched its accelerator program and began recruiting for the Fall 2026 cohort at Berkeley Gateway Accelerator HQ
- **2026-02** — FFC accelerator program officially launched
- **2025-09** — Published major essay 'The Deep Tech Valley of Death: A $68 Trillion Dollar Capital Orchestration Problem' on Ignore the Confusion Substack
- **2025-01** — Named to IAM Strategy 300 Global Leaders 2025 list for the 14th consecutive year

## Links

- Website: https://www.ignoretheconfusion.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattrappaport-futurefrontier

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/matt-rappaport
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18