Book a 15 minute one-on-one session with me on Intro! Love this app. Click here for more: intro.co/matthiggins

Founder. Operator. Investor. Educator. No matter the role, I’ve always believed in trusting your instincts and never outsourcing your judgment.
 
That mindset has led me down an unconventional path from poverty to investor. I grew up in Queens, hawking flowers on street corners and working at McDonald’s to help put food on the table. On a mission to transcend poverty as fast as possible, I dropped out of high school at 16 to work full-time and enroll in college early.
 
Over the next decade, I earned a law degree from Fordham at night and began a career as the youngest press secretary in NYC history, where I helped manage the global press response to 9/11.
 
I went on to be an executive for two NFL teams, found/invest in some of the most dynamic brands through RSE Ventures, and become a guest shark on ABC’s Shark Tank (seasons 10-11) as well as an executive fellow at Harvard Business School, where I co-teach "Moving Beyond Direct-to-Consumer." 
 
Always looking to meet great founders and the people who invest in them.

Follow me on Twitter @MHiggins.

Matt Higgins

Some of the world’s most transformative technologies don’t start in labs. 

They start in elite competitive arenas where performance demands are highest, failure is immediate, and innovators are forced to redefine what is possible.

Think about Ferrari. 

Ferrari began as a racing company, not a consumer brand.

Founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1929, it used Formula 1 as a proving ground where engineering was tested under the harshest conditions imaginable. The road cars the world covets were not born from showroom whiteboards or hypothetical demos. They were forged on unforgiving circuits where speed, reliability, and performance determine the difference between success and failure. 

Only after technology was validated on the track was it transferred to road cars, making Ferrari a rare example of a company where the consumer product is the byproduct of elite competition. Racing was not a marketing exercise. 

It was the foundation of Ferrari’s engineering DNA.

That same dynamic is happening in drones today.

Almost a decade ago, I wrote the first check into The Drone Racing League, where elite pilots flew custom-built drones at over 100 miles per hour through complex three-dimensional courses, pushing hardware and software to the limits of physics and human reflexes.

Broadcast live on ESPN, from stadiums in France, Germany, and Saudi Arabia to arenas in Las Vegas, Miami, and Phoenix, our racing drones were pushed to their limits across the globe.

Whether in competition or high-performance test environments, they were flown under extreme conditions, exposing weaknesses instantly and forcing rapid iteration at the edge of what the systems could handle. Even a few nanoseconds of latency between drone and pilot could mean a crash before the pilot realized it had happened. 

This was the original no-fail drone mission.

The technologies developed there were not just for sport. They proved real-world value and opened a path to far higher stakes, including national security, battlefield advantage, and life-saving applications.

That insight informed our next chapter: co-founding Huntsville, Alabama-based PDW with Nicholas Horbaczewski, Ryan Gury, and Trevor Smith.

What began as performance-driven racing technology evolved into a company building next-generation tactical drones and autonomous systems for defense and public safety. PDW’s systems, including the C100, are now deployed at every level of the United States military.

In the same way Ferrari’s racing pedigree became the foundation of its engineering excellence, elite platforms like drone racing accelerate innovation by demanding leaps traditional product development rarely forces.

The lesson is simple: find your hardest arena, compete there, and let that pressure forge products that matter.

CEO and Cofounder at RSE Ventures | WSJ Bestselling Author: Burn the Boats, Harper Collins, 2023 | Executive Fellow at Harvard Business School

Adam Posner

The Recruiter your Company needs Now for the Top Marketing & Tech talent. 2x TA Agency Founder, Host: Top 1% Global Careers Podcast @ #thePOZcast, Global Speaker & Moderator, Career Coach ->GET FREE CAREER STORY GUIDE ↴

✳️ CURRENT JOB OPENINGS: https://www.nhptalentgroup.com/openings

GET IT: https://linktr.ee/ajposner

NEWSLETTER: https://read.letterhead.email/the-poz-pulse

WHO I AM: A Creative & Digital Marketing Recruiter by trade, A Power Connector as my superpower, and Founder and President of NHP Talent Group, Co-Founder @ Probably Nothing Talent & Host of #ThePozCast podcast, top 1% Global Careers Podcast.

WHAT WE DO @ NHP TALENT GROUP:

We are a Talent Access Consultancy, specializing in recruitment strategy, talent process and operations and employer branding solutions @ Hyper-Growth Start-ups, Marketing Agencies and Innovative Brands. We partner with in-house recruitment teams to scale and accelerate the hiring process. We focus on networking with experts within Marketing, Performance Media, Creative, eCommerce, Product & Content Creation.

WHERE TO FIND ME:

www.nhptalentgroup.com  
info@nhptalentgroup.com 

THE SHOW: (Please Subscribe!) 
🎧 www.thePOZcast.com 
🎥 YouTube:  youtube.com/c/ThePOZcast

MY BACKGROUND: 

I identify opportunities, synergies, and connect the dots. That is what I do best. I have built a strong reputation by always putting my Clients and Candidates first. I lead with empathy as I put candidates in the best possible position to succeed. 

Prior to pivoting into recruiting, I spent 15 years in the ad/marketing industry, leading account management & digital/social strategy at American Express, SIRIUS XM & digital ad agencies in NYC, including VaynerMedia and EP+Co.

This gives me a unique perspective when working with candidates to truly understand their Career DNA and ensure a good fit on both sides of the recruiting equation. Pro in TA process, employer branding & operations.

CURRENT & PAST CLIENTS:

Influential (Publicis)
Loeb.NYC: Penrose Hill/First Leaf Wine, Finexio, Thnks, Mercato & Rocket Fuel Labs
IPG: Reprise Digital, UM, MediaBrands, Helix, Magna, Initiative & Hill Holiday
Omnicom: RAPP, sparks & honey
Dentsu: Merkle & DWA
BOLD Worldwide
Props
Adorama
Tinybeans
Within
Invisible North/Noun
& More!

How can I bring you value? LET'S CONNECT!

Founder & President

We connect world-class, innovative Start-Ups, Brands, and Agencies in the marketing world with the best talent. Our team has a passion and reputation for building strong, long-term relationships and creating synergies.

As a consultancy, we specialize in developing and executing Talent Access Strategies for Digital Marketing, Media, Technology, Product and Creative/Content opportunities for Start-ups, Creative Agencies, and Brands, including the following functions: 

– C-level and Executive Management (Marketing, HR/Talent, Operations) 
- E-Commerce 
– Digital/Social Strategy & Account Management
– Digital Media & Programmatic 
– Brand Marketing & Communication
– Product Design, UI/UX
– Product Management/Marketing
– Program/Project Management
– Performance Marketing & User Acquisition/Customer Growth
– Technology 

Current and Previous Clients include: 
Loeb.NYC, Penrose Hill/First Leaf, Finexio, Rocket Fuel, Thnks
IPG: Reprise Digital, UM, MediaBrands, Helix, Magna & Initiative, Hill Holiday
Omnicom: RAPP, sparks & honey
Dentsu: Merkle & DWA
WPP: Mediacom/GroupM
BOLD Worldwide
Influential, Invisible North, Noun, Simply Business, Sproutward 
Ready Set Rocket
Serhant Ventures 
Luquire
Adorama
Brother
Within

I can best be reached at Adam@NHPTalentGroup.com Thanks

Cancer brought out the worst in me.

And for all the good I share about my Cancer journey, there was a dark side.

Yes, I shared about all of the silver linings that made me "better" for going through this. But it also brought many of my dark traits to the surface.

The impatience at times when I was tired, stressed, and not feeling my best.
Indecisiveness and sometimes rash decision-making. And while it's medically related, I was trying to overcompensate when my energy was too low by pushing myself past my limits.

And the worst, being short-tempered. There is no excuse. 

Not even Cancer.

It brought out my worst. Bad. And I took it out on those closest to me.

The loss of short-term memory (not counting the results of my college years) certainly exacerbated many of these traits. 

Yes, to an extent, and I do give myself some grace, but this is not who I am or want to be.

I am a Work In Progress. Aren't we all?

And I am taking the steps to improve and getting the help that I need so that I can be the best version of myself, for them, those who matter most to me.

So I urge two things

1. When you are going through something traumatic, try to find those moments of clarity and self-reflection to ask yourself, "even while I am dealing with this $hit, am I still really trying to be my best self?

2. If not, find whatever help is necessary to get as close to center as possible.

You owe it to yourself. You owe it to them.

🫶

Your Recruiter for Top Marketing, Product & Tech Talent | 2x TA Agency Founder | Host: Top 1% Global Careers Podcast @ #thePOZcast | Global Speaker & Moderator | Cancer Survivor

🚨 BREAKING #thePOZcast NEWS 🚨

I am proud to be part of the UNLEASH America 2026 speaker lineup, taking place this March in Vegas! 

I will be moderating the panel, "Creating Future Skills Pathways That Evolve With Technology and the Workforce", featuring : 

Tina Kao Mylon
Ankit Saxena, MBA
Tina Gupta


🏆 UNLEASH America is where the HR community comes together to challenge
assumptions, explore what’s next, and share practical insights — all while
reinventing HR together.

I’ll be bringing my perspective to the stage and look forward to meeting the incredible voices pushing our industry forward.


👉 WHEN: Las Vegas | March 17–19, 2026

👉 Secure your pass: https://bit.ly/491jFrZ


🔥 THIS IS #THEPOZCAST > GET INVOLVED 🔥

Whose shoulders do you stand upon?

Who steered you in the right direction with mentorship, tough love and opened up doors for you?

And how do you honor them?

The best way is by proving them RIGHT for believing in you.

I was incredibly lucky to attend the Wurman Shoulders Weekend here in Miami the past couple of days (thanks, Chris 🫶 Adamo), where I experienced a "conference" like no other.

If the name "Wurman" rings a bell, that's Richard Saul Wurman, aka the Founder of TED Conferences. "Legend" isnt even close to an appropriate title.
Since 1984, he has curated real conversations with a cross-section of luminaries and defined "curiosity."

At the age of 90 he continues to reinvent what a "conference" could be. I went in with zero expectations aside from knowing the speaker lineup (link below) and that I would be a sponge to absorb their wisdom.

The theme was "shoulders"- with each guest being paired up with another and prompted by Richard to share who and how influenced them and their success. 

It was magic. It was organic. It was from the heart and soul. 

It was inspirational.  

It was intentional.

Full of intellect, deep conversations, connections, and warmth. 

Now its my job to implement the learnings into all aspects of my life as I define this next chapter in my life and career. 

My brain is percolating with possibilities and optimism. ✅

The bar has been raised!

🫶

"Contgrats on your engagement!!!", I said.

*then I immediately ran downstairs to slam my head against a wall and chain smoke an entire pack of cigarettes.

👆 That's just part of the story behind "my craziest deal collapse" ever!

We all have them as recruiters, it comes with the territory. We take a lot more L's than W's and its just part of the business. 

But its about HOW you recover and move forward after! 

My recruiting mentor told me that you can be mad AF all day until you wake up the next morning, then MOVE ON. Because there is nothing you can do about it!

I took that to heart (or at least tried to!)

I sat down with my man Jordan Gaspari, founder of Exclusent, Inc. on episode 485 of #thePOZcast#thePOZcast where we unpacked his journey and war stories.

This is a good one folks! 

* If you’re in the people business, this one will hit different.

👉 🎧 LISTEN UP: https://lnkd.in/emNdJFb4

🔥 THIS IS #THEPOZCAST > GET INVOLVED 🔥

🏆 Thank you to our friends at Fountain for their continued support. Fountain, your frontline workforce management platform.

❌ Stop hiring for “culture fit.” ❌

Seriously.

On episode #486 of #thePOZcast, Kelly McGinnis drops a take every hiring manager needs to hear:

“I never hire for 100% perfect cultural fit… because it’s kind of bullshit.”

Why?

Because perfect fit creates groupthink.

👉 And groupthink kills innovation, growth, and the future.

What you actually want:

 ✅ Values alignment
 ✅ Diversity of mindset
 ✅ People who challenge you, not just echo you

As Kelly puts it, leaders who only surround themselves with “yes people” aren’t building teams… they’re protecting their own comfort.

And that’s just one of the many mic-drop moments in this episode.

In this conversation, Kelly, President of Business Operations at Thermo Fisher Scientific,  breaks down: ↴

→ Why hiring for values beats culture fit every time
→ The myth of the 100-hour workweek
→ What “mental marination” really means for better decisions
→ How trust and delegation unlock real scale
→ Why success isn’t about titles, it’s about legacy

This episode is a masterclass in modern leadership, blending sharp strategy with a deeply human perspective.

If you’re a founder, hiring manager, or leader trying to build teams that actually move the business forward (without burning everyone out)… this one’s for you.

👉🎧 LISTEN UP: https://lnkd.in/g7d6dvJi

🔥 THIS IS #THEPOZCAST > GET INVOLVED 🔥

🏆 #thePOZcast is proudly brought to you by Fountain - the leading enterprise platform for workforce management. Our platform enables companies to support their frontline workers from job application to departure. Fountain elevates the hiring, management, and retention of frontline workers at scale.

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Adam Posner

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The Battle

Matt Higgins

Adam Posner

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Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Matt Higgins's LinkedIn Performance

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