Business Leadership Conference

2024 Keynote Speaker: Matt Crisp

Originally from Washington, Matt received his undergraduate degree from East Carolina University in Finance in ‘93 and his MBA in ‘96. Upon graduation, he moved to Atlanta, GA and began working for First Data Investor Services until 1998. He then spent three years as a Research Analyst at Watson Wyatt Investment Consulting, where he conducted manager research for large institutional clients.

In 2000, he Co-Founded an Atlanta-based Financial Technology company called eVestment, a Data & Analytics organization that services the Institutional Investment industry and served as Chief Operating Officer. The company grew from 4 original partners to 400+ employees globally with offices in New York, London, Hong Kong, Sydney Australia, Dubai UAE & Tokyo Japan and regional sales offices throughout the United States & Canada. In October 2017, eVestment was acquired by publicly traded NASDAQ and remains a key component of the NASDAQ portfolio of companies to date.

As COO, Matt helped lead eVestment’s global expansion into the United Kingdom, Australia and Hong Kong from 2009-11 and was part of the Executive Team responsible for the strategic direction of the company. He also led the post-acquisition integration of nine companies, acquired by eVestment between 2010-2015, into a common operating environment and culture.

eVestment made the Inc. 5000’s list of America’s Fastest Growing Companies for 11 consecutive years from 2007-2017, qualifying it for the Inc. 5000 Hall of Fame. More importantly, eVestment was also selected by the Atlanta Business Chronicle & Atlanta Journal Constitution over multiple years as a Best Place to Work and also by Forbes magazine as a Top Technology Workplace nationally alongside Google and Amazon.

After the sale of eVestment, he now spends his time as a private investor in pre- & post-revenue companies helping fellow entrepreneurs avoid common pitfalls of start-ups and growing successful businesses. Through two private investment funds, he has invested nearly $10 million in companies currently valued at approximately $4.7 billion across multiple industries & sectors.

In addition, he is a member of the Board of Trustees of The Ron Clark Academy (“RCA”), a globally recognized education non-profit organization founded by fellow ECU alum and childhood friend, Ron Clark. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the East Carolina University Foundation and having served as Chair of the Audit Committee and currently on Budget & Finance, as well as the Investment Committee.