Matthew Mitchell

Matthew is a consultant and advisor to start ups and venture capital firms, both traditional and corporate.  He specializes in an ability to merge the strategic thinking linked to consumer insights with  the structuring and deal negotiating of capital required to deliver growth.  His work provides thinking on portfolio strategy, fund raising, exit strategies, and alliance/partnership management. A key element weaving this work together is narrative and effective communications of purpose and strategic direction.

His experience is based on a long term international career with the Coca-Cola Company.  While there, he worked in over 20 countries via diverse roles in M&A, Corporate Strategy, R&D and Finance. Most recently as SVP of Emerging Growth, he created, founded and lead a team of associates in Japan responsible for delivering new disruptive growth via partnerships, M&A and new brand development.  During this 2+ year assignment, his internal entrepreneurial and business development teams created and commercialized a powerful pipeline of emerging platforms including non-alcoholic beer, home brewed coffee, drinkable soups, and chilled non-dairy products; achieving a number of “firsts” for the highly competitive innovation market in Japan.

His connection to the U.S. entrepreneurial community was forged as a founding team member of the Coca-Cola VEB organization. This break through team was responsible for delivering the next $1 billion business to Coca-Cola North America (CCNA) by investing in start up beverage companies, partnering with them to foster further growth, and acquiring them based on successfully achieving specific financial and strategic milestones.  Matthew was the VP of Strategy and Venturing, identifying and leading over 41 investments over a 10 year period, including Honest Tea, Zico Coconut Water, Suja juice, Fairlife Dairy, and many others. His team also led alliance management for the investments, industry and competitive analysis, and annual business planning. Over time, this consumer focused portfolio created an incremental value to CCNA of +$1.7 billion.

Matthew is also an avid runner and traveler. Having run multiple marathons, he now only dreams of breaking the elusive sub 3 hour finish.