ABOUT
MATT LERNER
Hi! I’m Matt, co-founder of SYSTM (formerly Startup Core Strengths),
I'm obsessed with the idea of leverage in early stage startups. Specifically, how a team of a dozen or so talented people can create a business, and in just a few years, grow that business to be worth billions, help millions of people, and change the world.
I saw this first-hand when I joined PayPal in 2004. And I've spent my working life for the last eight years with early stage startups — studying, experimenting, and looking for patterns of success and failure. I study what consistently works consistently across companies, and what consistently fails.
Above all, I've come to believe Steve Blank’s edict that “a startup is not a small version of a big company.” The systems and tools corporations use aren’t applicable to startups. Taking something from a good idea and turning it into a big successful company requires an entirely different approach, a different process and mindset.
I couldn’t find a single resource that pulled all the pieces together with step-by-step instructions.
So I wrote a book to explain my approach called Growth Levers and How to Find Them.
Each year at SYSTM, we work directly with up to 80 companies through our 10-week coaching program. I also share ideas each week in my two-minute newsletter for impatient founders.
This is my lifestyle business – I love working directly with companies, and when they find a big growth lever, it’s thrilling. Plus, my work helps me learn and refine my approach. But my favourite part about this line of work is that it lets me connect with incredibly brilliant and interesting people around the world. From my early days at PayPal to lectures at Stanford Business School and my time as a VC, I've developed friendships with some of the great thinkers of our generation. I'm truly grateful for the time and experiences they’ve shared with me.
My work has been featured in the First Round Review and on the Harvard Business School Disruptive Voice podcast and 20VC. I’ve spoken at dozens of events across Europe and the US including Business of Software, SaaStock and Tech Open Air in Berlin.
I live just outside of London, England with my wife, a molecular biologist turned consultant, and my two wonderful daughters. When I'm not working or spending time with the people I love, I'm probably riding my bike in the Surrey Hills, or looking for ways to optimize my health.
If you're interested in hiring me to speak, email me. Check out our coaching program to learn more about working with us. You can grab a copy of my book here, but if that’s too much commitment, I new share ideas each week in my two-minute newsletter and in a series of LinkedIn posts.
