1855 Capital Management Team

Matt Rhodes is a senior executive with experience ranging from start-up funding and management to leading $1B+ semiconductor business. He has a track record of leading product development teams and business organizations to profitable, market winning positions in hyper-competitive environments.

Matt garnered broad business experience as President of Conexant Systems, a then publicly-owned communication semiconductor solutions provider, where Matt managed an organization of over 2000 including Sales, Marketing, Engineering and Business Development. His Business Organization included multiple US locations and over a dozen design centers in US, Europe and Asia. His work drove revenue growth by over 40%, expanded Product Gross Margins by over 10% and drove net profitability from -10% to +10% thereby increasing Conexant’s stock value by 500% through the period.

Subsequently, he was CEO of Teranetics, a 1st tier VC-backed bay area start-up focused on high-speed communication semiconductors. As CEO, he raised two rounds of funding totaling $45 Million and grew the company to over 70 employees, establishing international presence. He also secured 1st tier design wins for the company’s products establishing Teranetics as the clear leader in the space.

Matt is deeply invested in the Penn State community. He is a 1979 graduate of the Eberly College of Science, receiving a BS in Physics while also a member of the Men’s Soccer team. He has been on the College of Science Dean’s advisory board for many years and has participated as a board member for the Penn State Research Foundation where his conviction of the need for local funding sources in the Penn State community first emerged.

Matt focuses on innovation and is skilled in organization leadership, strategic and financial planning and investor communication.

Matt holds a BS Physics from Penn State University, an MSEE from Lehigh University and an MBA from UCLA.