About Dr. Matt Markel
Author of Anti-preneur
Meet Dr. Matt Markel
Engineer. Executive. Investor. Author. Anti-preneur.
Now, he’s on a mission to help professionals, practitioners, and experts achieve financial independence without quitting their careers. As the author of Anti-preneur: Thrive in Your Career, Achieve Financial Success, Matt is pioneering a movement that empowers high-achieving professionals to rethink wealth, purpose, and success in the modern era. He believes your career and financial freedom aren’t opposing goals — they’re two sides of the same coin. You don’t need to abandon your passion to achieve prosperity. You just need a smarter playbook.
From Engineer to Executive: The Early Journey
Matt’s story begins in a Midwestern town, where curiosity and precision shaped his path from a young age. Fascinated by how things work, he pursued engineering, earning his Ph.D. and launching a career that would take him to the forefront of technology and innovation.
He rose quickly through the ranks, leading elite technical teams at Raytheon, Waymo (Google’s self-driving division), and Epirus Inc., where he served as Chief Technology Officer.
Along the way, he also held senior executive roles, including President and CEO for multimillion- and billion-dollar enterprises.
At every stop, Matt earned a reputation for clarity, decisiveness, and results. His blend of technical mastery, leadership discipline, and business acumen became the foundation for how he built high-performing teams — and how he now teaches others to build thriving lives.
I learned early that it’s not about being the smartest person in the room
— it’s about helping everyone in the room succeed.
The Turning Point: Redefining Success
Despite his impressive résumé, Matt found himself at a crossroads. After a divorce in his late 30s (and the financial reset that came with it), he was forced to look hard at what “success” really meant.
He was earning well, leading large organizations, and outwardly thriving… but privately, he realized something critical: he had mastered his career, but not his finances.
I was living like a lot of successful professionals — great title, solid income, but no real financial independence.
I was trusting that working harder would eventually make me free. It doesn’t.
That moment sparked what he calls The Big Pivot, a rethinking of how professionals can build wealth without walking away from the careers they love. Matt immersed himself in the worlds of private equity, real estate, and strategic investing — not as an entrepreneur chasing the next big thing, but as an engineer applying logic to financial independence.
He began learning from investors, analyzing deal structures, and creating systems that generate passive income while maintaining stability.
The result was a simple but powerful realization: Professionals can use entrepreneurial thinking to build real wealth without quitting their careers.
The Birth of the Anti-preneur
Engineer. Executive. Investor. Author. Anti-preneur.
That realization evolved into a philosophy and then into a movement.
In his bestselling book Anti-preneur, Matt introduces the idea that entrepreneurship and employment aren’t opposites; they’re complementary.
The Anti-preneur mindset borrows the best parts of entrepreneurship (creativity, ownership, and leverage), but applies them inside a professional’s existing career.
I was living like a lot of successful professionals — great title, solid income, but no real financial independence. I was trusting that working harder would eventually make me free. It doesn’t.
This message resonated with millions of mid- and senior-level professionals who felt trapped between two extremes:
Corporate burnout and dependence on a paycheck, or
The risky leap into entrepreneurship with no safety net.
Matt offered a third option: a balanced model of thriving in your career while building financial freedom.
The KICKSTART™ Program:
A Framework for Freedom
To help professionals put the Anti-preneur mindset into action, Matt developed the KICKSTART™ Program, a six-step roadmap that transforms ideas into results.
The 6 Steps of KICKSTART™:
01
Clarity
Define success on your
own terms.
02
Numbers
Understand your balance sheet, cash flow, and true net worth.
03
Career
Thrive in your profession and lead with excellence.
04
Independence
Build recurring, diversified income streams
05
Strategy
Protect, grow, and optimize your wealth.
06
Habits
Create daily discipline that compounds over time.
Thousands of professionals have used this framework to reclaim control of their financial future while deepening their career satisfaction.
Recognition & Credentials
Chief Technology Officer, Epirus Inc
Former President & CEO of Spartan Radar
Former Executive / Leader of multiple technology organizations
Author: Anti-preneur: Thrive in Your Career, Achieve Financial Success
Author: Radar for Fully Autonomous Driving and Marketing for Leaders (forthcoming 2025)
Board Member and advisor to companies in technology, defense, retail, and entertainment
Featured Thought Leader praised by HR executives, entrepreneurs, and CEOs for bridging the gap between career excellence and financial freedom
