Meet The Connect Team: Matt Alamo

Get To Know Connect’s Programs Manager

Hi Y’all! My name is Matt Alamo and I’m the Programs Manager at Connect. My goal is to help amazing companies succeed by providing access to capital and education. I am very grateful to be in the position to make an impact on these companies and our community. One of the reasons I love San Diego is the collaboration throughout the community. San Diego’s startup ecosystem strives to help each other and exemplifies the saying, “A rising tide raises all ships.” When a local company succeeds, the whole community feels it. More startups, companies and investors are flocking to San Diego than ever before and it’s no surprise.

I’ve been a part of the Connect family for over two and a half years. My journey began assisting with Springboard where I was able to become a sponge and soak up the knowledge of incredible mentors, entrepreneurs, and our Springboard Director, Petra Stegmann. I then moved on to marketing and events where I led our Meet a Mentor, Office Hours and Frameworks programs. Now, I am extremely excited to be leading Cool Companies where I have the ability to directly work with and assist companies. One of my favorite parts of the job is meeting all of the incredible entrepreneurs, advisors, and investors. With almost every conversation, I learn something new.

I grew up in a small slow-paced country town in Northern California called Red Bluff. It was amazing to grow up in a place that encouraged being outside and had every aspect of nature at your disposal. I moved to San Diego soon after high school for college and it was a big adjustment getting accustomed to the big city life. I often miss the serenity and slow pace of a small town. I earned a Bachelor’s Degree in General Business from San Diego State University. At SDSU I was a member of the Entrepreneurship Society and ZIP Launchpad. My brother and I always had the dream of starting a business together and we came up with the idea of creating an all-in-one adjustable roof rack for your vehicle that was easily removable. We took this idea through the ZIP Launchpad which gave us a taste of entrepreneurship and proved to be a viable business idea. We put this company on the shelf but hopefully one day we will revisit it!

Catching a flight

Outside of work most of my time is dedicated to family. I’m a new dad to an amazing son, who has enhanced my life more than words can explain. I’m extremely fortunate to work remotely and have the ability to spend so much time with him. He can change a bad day into a good day with just a smile. With the remaining time I have, I love to surf and ride BMX. My first passion was BMX and is something I still highly enjoy and do as much as I can. Through BMX I met my best friends, traveled the world, and learned many life lessons. I owe a lot to BMX and will always be a skatepark kid at heart. 

I look forward to meeting with you all and would love to hear your best dad jokes.