Nothing about MarketBeat CEO Matt Paulson screams “success.” Well, nothing except his $50 million-a-year-business, his private jet, and generous contributions to his South Dakota community. (Watch my interview with Matt here.)

What I mean to say is that if Matt told me he worked at Denny’s, I’d believe him. He’s that humble and undemanding of the spotlight.

Curia focuses on investing – especially equity investing; MarketBeat is more of an investing media company (which graciously hosted us at their beautiful Sioux Falls headquarters last year) than a stockpicking company, but Matt is an interesting enough quarry to justify the detour. 

Matt is modest and suggests that anyone can do what he does, but I think he’s genetically blessed – with a rational, even-keeledness that feels Warren Buffett-esque. Either way, I really like Matt not just because he’s a generous, kind person, but also because he’s succeeded as a humble, soft-spoken introvert in a world where “everyone knows” you’ve got to get out there and get in people’s faces to succeed. 

If you watch our interview, you’ll see what I mean.