Matt Arens

Matt Arens has been fortunate to combine two distinct passions in his career: investments and life sciences. Since entering the investments field in 1997, Arens has followed small-cap stocks, with a particular focus on identifying companies with high growth potential in the health care sector. At First Light, he serves as chief executive officer and senior portfolio manager across all of the firm’s investment strategies.

Prior to founding First Light in September 2013, Arens was president and senior portfolio manager at Kopp Investment Advisors. While at Kopp, he served as the sole portfolio manager for the firm’s health care-focused investment strategy.

Arens graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor of science degree in financial planning. He has been a keynote speaker at the PricewaterhouseCoopers CFO Forum and featured speaker at DeviceTalks West, a forum where leading experts explore the latest technologies and trends shaping the medical device industry. Arens also has been featured in publications, such as BusinessWeek, Barron’s, Pensions & Investments, Investment News, Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press.