Matt Birnbaum

Talent Partner

There is no respect for others without humility in one's self.

A Bay Area native, Matt started his career at a small financial services firm before venturing into tech, where he grew Wildfire (acquired by Google in 2012) from 15 to 400 employees. Matt then founded UpStart Talent, a boutique recruiting consultancy that specialized in supporting high growth startups like Stripe, Thumbtack, Plaid, and Asana. In 2018, Matt joined Instacart as the Head of Talent Acquisition, scaling the company from 300 to 3000 employees. He also serves on the Board and as Alumni Chair for the College Preparatory School in Oakland. Matt lives in San Francisco with his wife, Katie, their son, Dougie, and their cat, Skurvy. He holds a dual degree from Gettysburg College.

At Pear, Matt and his team partner closely with founders to ensure they have access and the support needed to recruit top talent for their companies.

What is your most used emoji?

😂, 😅, 🙄, and 😑

What’s your favorite book?

A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami

What career path did you want to pursue when you were a kid?

I wanted to be a kid. The best thing about being a kid is that no one expects or needs you to be anything else.

What are your favorite sports teams?

A’s. Niners. Dubs.

What are your hobbies outside of work?

Spending time with the people I care about. Perhaps that’s more of a lifestyle choice, but it’s where I get my energy and how I choose to spend my free time.