Johnathan Matlock

Johnathan Matlock invests through Empirical Ventures and angel-invests from Bedford, UK, writing $25k-$100k checks at pre-seed and seed in biotech and medical devices, with no AI flag. Empirical’s positioning as a UK life-sciences-and-deep-tech investor outside the London cluster makes him a useful target for founders who don’t fit the standard London-Cambridge-Oxford geography. Founders building UK-based biotech, medical devices, or life sciences tools who would benefit from a regionally anchored investor with operator credentials are the natural fit. He is the wrong audience for digital health software, AI-only plays where the AI is the thesis, US-only companies, or consumer health. The small check size positions him as a participant rather than a lead, but Empirical’s portfolio and his domain focus give him more credibility than a typical small-check angel. Outreach via LinkedIn is the primary channel; warm introductions through the UK life sciences operator community, Empirical’s portfolio CEOs, or non-London UK biotech networks (Cambridge, Oxford, Manchester, Edinburgh) materially outperform cold notes. Without a published personal thesis, founders should rely on Empirical’s website and portfolio as the primary signal of taste and fit. Best treated as a regionally anchored UK life sciences angel for early-stage biotech and device founders with appropriate technical depth.