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Cold Start
Matt Taksa's Cold Start writes seed checks into On Deck network companies, sourcing proprietary deal flow from a community of builders.
Cold Start
Matt Taksa founded Cold Start as an early-stage investment vehicle, drawing on his experience co-founding Caladan and Arcbay. The firm is headquartered in Lewes, Delaware, and operates as a generalist investor targeting seed and startup-stage companies. Taksa structured the vehicle to leverage his operator background and network, creating a capital conduit that sits between personal angel investing and a formal venture fund. The firm deploys capital primarily into pre-seed and seed rounds, with a focus on enterprise software, digital health, and fintech. Cold Start participates in the On Deck Founder network as a select investor, sourcing a significant portion of its deal flow from companies emerging from On Deck programs. Confirmed portfolio companies include Berry Street, a registered investment advisory platform, and Blossom Health, a digital health startup. The firm's exposure also extends to companies founded by On Deck alumni, giving it a distributed portfolio across sectors. Cold Start's team operates through a network of business partners embedded in portfolio companies. Noah Kotlove, founder of Berry Street, and John Zhao, founder of Blossom Health, are listed as business partners, reflecting a model where founders effectively double as sourcing and diligence collaborators. Taylor Wamsley, formerly VP of Finance at Cold Start Ventures, adds financial oversight. This lean, distributed structure keeps fixed costs low while maintaining capacity to evaluate On Deck's steady stream of graduating founders. No additional offices or affiliated philanthropic vehicles are publicly disclosed. Cold Start's structural differentiator is its integration with On Deck's founder community, which provides a curated, repeatable pipeline of pre-vetted startup talent. Rather than competing on brand or fund size, the firm operates as a capital access point for a specific network, combining the deal flow advantages of a scout program with the pooled capital of a micro-fund. This architecture allows Taksa to maintain a concentrated portfolio while surfacing opportunities that traditional venture firms miss in the earliest stages of company formation.
General information
Firm type
Generalist
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Lewes
Corporate office
Lewes, DE, United States
Principals
Matt Taksa
Founder
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at 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.
How does Cold Start source proprietary deal flow?
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.
What investment stages does Cold Start typically target?
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.
Is Cold Start a single family office or a venture firm?
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.
Does Cold Start lead rounds or participate alongside other investors?
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.
Which sectors does Cold Start focus on?
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.
How is Cold Start related to On Deck?
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.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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