Matt Lafferty and Brian Gonzalez have one of the most unusual co-founder journeys I’ve ever seen as a venture investor and previously, a longtime technology journalist. Lafferty went straight from spending seven years living and working in the Southeast Asian country of Laos to founding Curri, which is transforming how construction and industrial supplies are delivered.

We flew down to Ventura in November to talk about their multi-decade friendship and journey to becoming co-founders in our “Life at a Startup” series. Curri is a platform that matches construction companies with delivery providers, and it’s reshaping the way critical supplies are delivered to job sites. The company’s mix of humility, adaptability, and commitment to the customer is what makes us proud to be one of Curri’s earliest investors.

How It All Began

The strength and candor in Lafferty and Gonzalez’s relationship is the backbone of Curri’s company culture. They first met at Cal Poly through their wives. At the time, they didn’t get along — Brian was an engineer and Matt was in a metalcore band. It wasn’t until years later that they realized their skills complemented each other, and coincidentally, both had been thinking about asking the other to start a company. They had each written business plans on their own: Brian wanted to start a coding school for middle schoolers, and Matt considered creating a luggage space brokering service.

In the first six months of ideating on the company, they would log on from halfway across from the world from each other and talk for hours, mostly about books and business ideas that resonated. They were not trying to start a business — they were just connecting about life.

Lafferty said living in Laos prepared him to expect the unexpected as a CEO. “Nothing is familiar, so you have no outlet for what you’re usually,” he said. “You go over there, you don’t know where anything is. And so you have to learn an entire system. And you can take it from the perspective of — I’m in a learning mode and I’m going to absorb and learn and not judge.”

That adaptability, curiosity and humility is what has undergirded Curri’s hands-on and customer-focused culture—employees even do deliveries themselves to stay connected to the experience. Plus, they’ve chosen a refreshingly unconventional location for a tech startup: Ventura, California, just 1.5 hours north of Los Angeles.

“As Easy As Ordering a Burrito”

Curri was born from a need in their community after a series of fires in California. By speaking with contractors, they discovered a gap in the market for efficient material delivery. A plumber gave them key advice: “If you can make it as easy for me to get pipe as it is for me to get a burrito, I’ll build my whole business around you.” This insight led them to focus on serving distributors, not just contractors, which became a turning point for Curri.

Community at the Center of Curri’s Mission

As Curri grew, cofounders Matt and Brian made company culture a top priority, focusing on hiring people who challenge them and drive the company forward.

Kim-Mai Cutler surfing with the Curri team at Surfers Point in Ventura, California.

For the team at Curri, work-life balance isn’t just a concept—it’s a core value. A perfect example is their weekly surfing “board meetings” at Surfers Point in Ventura, where team members come together to catch waves, recharge, and connect outside the office. These sessions embody the adaptability and flow they bring to their work, reinforcing that balance is essential to creativity and success.

Looking ahead, they’re committed to making Curri a household name while staying true to their mission of revolutionizing the delivery of construction and industrial supplies.

If you’re interested in learning more about the team, and what it’s like to work at Curri, check out our full “Life at a Startup: Inside Curri” video.

Curri is also hiring. Explore Curri’s open roles here.