Matt Safko
Analyst
For Matt, a natural born musician and talented chef, variety truly is the spice of life.
Growing up with a father in the U.S. Air Force, Matt has lived on both coasts and in many states in between. His interest in food, music, math, and psychology runs deep, and his parents (musicians themselves) fostered his love of music as well as his interest in psychology, each having earned their degrees in the subject. Forever intrigued by the human condition, Matt graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Montana and he still believes it is the most important discipline for any profession.
Pursuing his many interests, Matt started cooking in restaurants at age 14 and kept working through college. After graduation, his natural cooking talents had him running a kitchen in Florida and living on the beach. He eventually left Florida to cook at a resort in the woods of Idaho where he later met his wife. After two years without internet or cell phone service in the Idaho woods, the two moved to Oregon where he immersed himself in the Portland restaurant scene.
After several years of working long hours in food service, Matt set his sights on finance. With a lifelong love of numbers and a passion for economics, he enrolled in business school at Portland State University and graduated with an M.S. in finance. After studying investments and the history of Wall Street, he realized that what he actually loved about the food industry was the entrepreneurial spirit of the restauranteurs.
As a member of our analytics team, Matt draws on all of his experience and education to build financial pro forma models for our clients. When he’s not working, you can find him rocking his Martin guitar or Flatiron mandolin and exploring nature with his wife and three kids.
