Entrepreneur and investor Matthew Schissler has built a career across biotech, private equity, and franchise development, yet he defines success by criteria that extend far beyond financial statements. According to Schissler, net worth holds little meaning without an underlying purpose to give it direction. This perspective challenges conventional business metrics and emphasizes mission-driven growth over purely numerical expansion.
Schissler's career demonstrates this philosophy in practice. He founded Cord Blood America, Inc. in 2003, leading the company through a decade of international growth during cord blood banking's emergence as a viable family option. While the company achieved scale and revenue, Schissler maintains these outcomes followed from a commitment to the mission, not the reverse. This approach has informed his subsequent work managing private investment funds focused on high-potential companies in overlooked markets, where he prioritizes fundamental value propositions and leadership teams committed to long-term building.
His investment strategy is exemplified through ventures like Work Your Core Investments, which targets fitness franchises and performance-driven business models. Schissler explicitly favors founders aiming to create lasting enterprises over those seeking quick exits, believing sustainable growth must serve something larger than itself. This principle extends to his board service, which includes roles with organizations such as Aztec Airways, connecting South Florida to the Bahamas, and community institutions like the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.
For Schissler, these engagements are about alignment with meaningful causes rather than resume enhancement. He views career setbacks and pivots not as failures but as moments where genuine commitment is tested, arguing that real value is revealed when plans go awry. This informs his definition of wealth, which he ties to consistency, reputation, and contribution—how one leads without an audience or treats others without expectation of gain.
Schissler describes money as a tool that, when used well, creates space to focus on what matters, but warns against treating it as a scoreboard at the expense of deeper values. As he continues to manage private investments and advise growing companies, his focus remains on supporting ideas, people, and businesses that reflect more than returns. He concludes that real value is earned gradually through how one lives, offering a measured alternative to narratives of rapid financial accumulation. This outlook provides a framework for assessing business and personal success that prioritizes enduring impact over transient metrics.
