FAQ
Founders, Press & Curious Visitors
Who is Mat Ellis?
Mat Ellis is a British-born, Portland-based technologist and investor. He founded Cloudability in 2011, which helped establish the FinOps industry and was acquired by Apptio in 2019. He currently serves as Founder and CEO of Sixty AI and Managing Partner of Sunny Ventures, with board and advisory roles across the Pacific Northwest startup ecosystem.
What companies has Mat founded?
Mat founded Cloudability (2011, acquired by Apptio in 2019), Sixty AI (2023) and Sunny Ventures (2020). Earlier in his career he founded Tecnh, Inc. and held executive technology roles at Goldman Sachs, PepsiCo, LineOne, Looksmart, Connexus and Adknowledge.
What is Cloudability?
Cloudability was a cloud cost management platform Mat co-founded in Portland in 2011 with J.R. Storment and Jon Frisby. It raised a total of $44M in venture funding and was acquired by Apptio and Vista Equity in 2019. The company is widely credited with helping establish FinOps as a formal practice and industry category.
What is FinOps and how was Mat involved in creating it?
FinOps is the discipline of managing variable cloud spending as a shared responsibility between finance, engineering and business teams. Mat's work at Cloudability from 2011 onward helped define the category before the term FinOps was formalized and the FinOps Foundation grew out of the practitioner community Cloudability helped build.
What is Sunny Ventures?
Sunny Ventures is an early-stage venture fund Mat runs as Managing Partner, based in the Pacific Northwest. It partners with founders from first check through exit, focusing on companies building products that create positive impact while achieving growth. The fund invests across education, community and fintech sectors.
Does Mat take on advisory roles with startups?
Yes. Mat advises startups across the US, with a focus on founders building SaaS, infrastructure and AI products. He brings operator experience from scaling Cloudability to exit, combined with investor perspective from Sunny Ventures and Oregon Venture Fund. He typically works with seed and Series A companies and occasionally with growth-stage SaaS CEOs preparing for acquisition.
Does Mat take fractional executive roles?
Yes. Mat takes on fractional CEO, fractional CTO and strategic-advisor-to-CEO engagements with Pacific Northwest SaaS, AI and infrastructure companies, typically at $3M to $60M in ARR. Fractional engagements are hands-on: 1 to 5 days per month on retainer, embedded in the leadership team, owning specific outcomes. This differs from advisory, which is lighter-touch guidance.
What is a fractional executive and how is it different from an advisor?
A fractional executive is a part-time member of the leadership team, typically 1 to 5 days per month on ongoing retainer, who owns real outcomes and is embedded in day-to-day decisions. An advisor gives guidance in periodic check-ins but does not execute. Fractional engagements are common for companies that need senior leadership but cannot yet justify a full-time C-suite hire.
Does Mat work with Pacific Northwest companies specifically?
Yes. Mat is based in Portland, Oregon and has deep roots in the Pacific Northwest startup ecosystem through Oregon Venture Fund, the Technology Association of Oregon, bbPDX, the PBA, North Bank Innovations and the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network. Fractional executive engagements are typically with PNW-based companies (Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia) where proximity matters. Advisory and board work extends across the US.
How do founders work with Mat as an advisor or fractional executive?
Most engagements begin with an introduction through a mutual connection or directly via matellis.com. Mat evaluates fit based on stage, sector and whether he can add specific value. Advisory engagements typically use standard advisor equity agreements. Fractional executive engagements are structured as monthly retainers with defined scope, hours and outcomes. Initial conversations are free.
What does Mat advise and lead on?
Scaling SaaS companies, cloud infrastructure and FinOps practice, preparing a company for acquisition, building early-stage go-to-market and the operational frameworks he uses at Sunny Ventures including Dignitocracy and EOS. For fractional executive engagements, he typically steps in as fractional CEO or president during founder transitions, fractional CxO for technical leadership gaps or strategic-advisor-to-CEO during scaling or pre-exit phases. He also advises on AI product strategy through his work at Sixty AI.
Where is Mat based?
Portland, Oregon. Mat is a longtime supporter of the Portland startup ecosystem and serves on the boards of the Technology Association of Oregon and the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network.
What is Sixty AI?
Sixty AI is a company Mat founded in 2023 that builds AI-powered personal relationship management software. The product is designed to eliminate time-consuming digital tasks and help users focus on what matters. Sixty AI gained investment momentum in 2024.
What is Dignitocracy?
Dignitocracy is a framework Mat developed and uses at Sunny Ventures for building workplaces where everyone is treated with dignity and can do their best work. It is one of the operational frameworks the fund offers portfolio companies alongside FinOps and EOS.
Has Mat been featured in media or podcasts?
Yes. Recent appearances include The Capital Stack podcast (2023), Authority Magazine (2023), Startup Haven Podcast (2024) and Startup Conversations in the Couve (2025). He has spoken at the Oregon Entrepreneurs Network Entrepreneurial Summit and at North Bank Innovation events.