Paul Ferri is a Matrix Partners founder who brought an unusual engineering discipline to venture capital, creating structured approaches to risk assessment and profit-sharing that became models for the industry. Born in Rome during WWII and trained as an electrical engineer before earning his MBA, he built Matrix around backing proven operators from great tech companies rather than unproven visionaries, establishing the firm as a bi-coastal platform from inception in 1982. Paul Ferri is a Matrix Partners founder who brought an unusual engineering discipline to venture capital, creating structured approaches to risk assessment and profit-sharing that became models for the industry. Born in Rome during WWII and trained as an electrical engineer before earning his MBA, he built Matrix around backing proven operators from great tech companies rather than unproven visionaries, establishing the firm as a bi-coastal platform from inception in 1982.