Cold Start

Matt Taksa, the firm's founder, leads all investment decisions. Taksa previously co-founded Caladan and Arcbay, bringing an operator's lens to early-stage investing. His background in building and scaling startups informs Cold Start's concentrated, founder-aligned investment approach.

Cold Start operates as a select investor within the On Deck Founder network, which gives the firm early access to companies founded by On Deck program participants. This relationship provides a curated pipeline of pre-vetted founders before they enter broader venture fundraising processes. The firm also draws on Taksa's personal network from his prior ventures.

Cold Start focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage companies, occasionally participating in startup rounds. The firm writes first-check capital into companies still forming their initial product and go-to-market strategy. This stage preference aligns with the On Deck network's concentration of founders at the earliest stages of company building.

Cold Start is structured as an asset manager and operates more like a networked seed fund than a traditional venture firm. It is not a family office. The vehicle pools capital from operators and angels to deploy alongside the On Deck network, giving it characteristics of both a scout fund and a micro-VC.

Cold Start typically participates alongside other early-stage investors rather than leading rounds. The firm's check size and stage focus position it as a co-investor in On Deck network companies, often filling out seed rounds alongside angel syndicates and other micro-funds.

Cold Start is a generalist firm with confirmed exposure to enterprise software, digital health, and fintech. Portfolio companies Berry Street and Blossom Health reflect the firm's active investments in fintech infrastructure and digital health platforms respectively. The firm's deal flow is shaped by the sectors emerging from On Deck cohorts.

Cold Start is listed as a select investor for On Deck companies and participates in the ODF network. This relationship is a partnership rather than an ownership stake—Cold Start gains early access to On Deck founder companies, and On Deck's ecosystem benefits from having a dedicated capital source for its graduating founders.