Introduction: Matt D. Wall

My name is Matthew D. Wall. I am the Director of Business Development a Start-Up out of Seattle called Pyreus.

A little about me:

I was born in Vancouver, BC and grew up in Richmond (known for a significant population of Chinese immigrants). This allowed me the experience of growing up a minority in my area. In my elementary school classes there were 20 Chinese students for every 5 Canadian/Caucasian students.

I also have a rich heritage as I have German and South American roots. I was the first in my family to be born in Canada as my grandparents on both sides of my family had immigrated to Canada when my parents were in their teens. In 1994, my family immigrated to the US, as my father had a job transfer. So my middle and high school years were in the Seattle area. Having finished my High School Degree, I went back up to Canada for my University. While earning my degree in Theology, I expanded my work experience in construction and then in Sales.

Having graduated, I moved back to Seattle and apprenticed in Fine Carpentry for a shop that specialized in custom wood stairwells. In November of 2006, I made the decision to move to China. A one-way ticket later, I had arrived in Shanghai, where, after a month of job searching, I was asked to start and direct a non-profit. We were the first youth organization on the Chinese mainland and it is an experience that I will always cherish. In our first year we had over 1000 students participate in our programs and fundraised over $60,000.

In March of 2008, I began to speak with James Schively and began to think about moving back to the US to take a position with his start-up, Pyreus. In June, I made the move and am currently the Director of Business Development.

This blog is intended to share the journey of my experiences in this position as well as highlight the stories behind the companies that we meet along the way.

Thanks for joining me in this. Please leave comments and thanks for sharing in the journey with me!