# Matt Wilsey

> Matt Wilsey is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned biotech founder and CEO of Grace Science, a company building gene therapy and small-molecule programs for NGLY1 deficiency, an ultra-rare genetic condition that his daughter Grace was diagnosed with in 2013. A Stanford BA and MBA who started his career at the White House and the Department of Defense before co-founding Zazzle and CardSpring (acquired by Twitter), Wilsey applied a startup operator's playbook to drug discovery, funding roughly 75 scientists across 20 medical centers in five countries and partnering with Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi to turn a tiny patient community into a research enterprise.

- **Role:** Co-founder & CEO at Grace Science, LLC
- **Organizations:** Grace Science, LLC, Grace Science Foundation, CardSpring, Zazzle, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), Howcast.com
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A., Stanford University, M.B.A., Stanford Graduate School of Business
- **Known for:** Co-founded Grace Science, LLC with Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi to develop treatments for NGLY1 deficiency, Funded roughly 75 scientists across 20 medical centers in five countries, Co-founded CardSpring, acquired by Twitter

## Career timeline

- **2000** — Worked at the White House and the Department of Defense; regional political coordinator on Bush-Cheney 2000
- **2005** — Co-founder and VP of Business Development at Zazzle.com
- **2011** — Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer of CardSpring, a payments infrastructure company
- **2013** — Daughter Grace diagnosed with NGLY1 deficiency; CardSpring acquired by Twitter in 2014
- **2014** — Founded the Grace Science Foundation and raised roughly $3 million
- **2015** — Began collaborating with Stanford chemist (and future Nobel laureate) Carolyn Bertozzi
- **2017** — Launched Grace Science, LLC; partnered with Stanford biobank to accelerate research
- **2024** — Featured on a16z's Raising Health podcast discussing rare disease and gene therapy

## Achievements

- Co-founded Grace Science, LLC with Nobel laureate Carolyn Bertozzi to develop treatments for NGLY1 deficiency
- Funded roughly 75 scientists across 20 medical centers in five countries
- Co-founded CardSpring, acquired by Twitter
- Co-founded Zazzle, a major online custom-print marketplace
- Built a global rare-disease research network and biobank from a tiny patient community
- Board member at the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health, Global Genes, and the EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases

## Latest updates

- **2024-12** — Appeared on a16z's Raising Health podcast with Jorge Conde to discuss rare disease, gene therapy and the Bertozzi collaboration.

## Links

- Website: https://gracescience.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mattwilsey
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/mattrwilsey

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/matt-wilsey
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-22