Techstars Boulder’s managing director becomes VC partner

BOULDER — Natty Zola, managing director of Techstars Boulder, an accelerator for startup companies, has joined Matchstick Ventures as a partner.

Matchstick Ventures, a venture-capital firm founded by Ryan Broshar in Minneapolis, will be focused on investing in early-stage technology startups in Colorado, across the Rockies region and nationally through the Techstars network, Zola wrote in a blog posted Thursday.

“By joining Matchstick, I’m hoping to help direct more capital into early stage startups in the region to support its continued growth. I believe we are still in the early innings in developing a robust entrepreneurial community in Colorado,” Zola wrote.

Zola will continue his role as managing director of Techstars Boulder.

Broshar co-founded Twin Cities Startup Week and established Techstars in Minnesota.

Seth Levine, managing director of venture-capital firm the Foundry Group in Boulder, is Matchstick’s lead investor and an adviser.

Chromatic Ventures

Techstar alum David Mandell has also entered the venture-capital game. The co-founder and CEO of PivotDesk, a Techstars Boulder 2012 company that helps find room for growing businesses, recently launched Chromatic Ventures that will fund startups from a variety of industries. Last year, Mandell sold PivotDesk to New York-based coworking service Industrious for an undisclosed sum.

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