Polaris Partners
North AmericaUnclaimedAt a Glance
- Check Size
- $1M – $50M
- Stage
- Seed, Series A, Series B+
- AUM
- $5B+ committed capital
- Sectors
- Biotech, Digital Health, SaaS +1
- Founded
- 1996
- HQ
- Boston, MA
About Polaris Partners
Polaris Partners was established in 1996 by Jon Flint, Terry McGuire and Steve Arnold. It is headquartered in Boston with offices in New York, San Francisco and Singapore, and is investing from its tenth core fund. The firm's early portfolio spanned technology and life sciences; Akamai Technologies, LogMeIn and Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, all appear on its company list. Today its core venture business concentrates on biotech and healthcare.
A large part of that work is company creation. Robert Langer has co-founded more than 20 Polaris-backed companies, and Langer and Daniel Anderson sit on the scientific advisory committee of the Polaris Innovation Fund. That fund, co-founded in 2017 by managing partner Amy Schulman, turns early-stage academic research into companies and has backed more than 35 of them across therapeutics, digital health and diagnostics, in areas such as oncology, neurology, immunotherapy and mental health.
Current and past life sciences holdings include Receptos, acquired by Celgene, Genocea, Dewpoint Therapeutics, Seismic Therapeutic and August Bio. On the healthcare services side the portfolio includes Wellthy, Cohere Health, BeMe Health and ByHeart. In January 2025 Polaris co-led a $70 million round for Leyden Labs, a Dutch company developing intranasal antibodies against influenza and other respiratory viruses, with ClavystBio.
Investment Thesis
“Polaris builds and backs biotech and healthcare companies, often starting from academic science with founders such as Robert Langer. Separately, its Growth Fund invests $10M to $50M in profitable, majority founder-owned B2B software companies with $5M to $25M in recurring revenue.”
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
View full portfolio →Key Team (10)
Amy Schulman
Managing Partner
Brian Chee
Managing Partner
Ellie McGuire
Managing Partner
Alexandra Cantley
Managing Partner
Terry McGuire
Founding Partner
Jon Flint
Founding Partner
Chen-Ee Lee
Partner
Gary Swart
Operating Partner
Amir Nashat
Entrepreneur Partner
Alan Crane
Entrepreneur Partner
Fund History (2 funds)
| Fund | Vintage | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris Growth Fund II | 2023 | $286M | Investing |
| Polaris Growth Fund I | 2018 | $175M | Harvesting |
Fund History
Polaris has raised ten core venture funds since 1996 and now invests from the tenth, with more than $5 billion in total committed capital. The Innovation Fund followed in 2017. The Polaris Growth Fund raised $175 million for Fund I in 2018 and $286 million for Fund II, a 2023 vintage.
SEC Fund Filings
- Vehicles filed, last 24 months
- 2
- Latest filing
Polaris Partners filed a Form D for 2 fund vehicles between Sep 26, 2024 and Sep 25, 2026.
| Fund vehicle | Source |
|---|---|
| Polaris Growth Fund III, L.P. | SEC Form D, filed |
| Polaris Partners XI, L.P. | SEC Form D, filed |
A Form D is the notice a fund files with the SEC when it raises money in a private offering. Feeder funds, parallel funds and SPVs each file their own, so the count measures filing activity, not the number of flagship funds.
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D filings for pooled investment funds, original filings only (amendments excluded). Our filing data starts Jul 1, 2024. Vehicles are matched to Polaris Partners by fund name and checked against the sponsor address and named principals on each filing; offering amounts are not shown. Each “SEC Form D” link opens an EDGAR full-text search for that vehicle’s exact name, where the filing itself is listed. See every new fund filing on the Form D Radar.
Related Articles (1)
Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Polaris Partners invest at?
Polaris Partners primarily invests at the Seed, Series A, Series B+ stages. This means they focus on companies that are building their initial product and finding product-market fit.
Where is Polaris Partners located?
Polaris Partners is headquartered in Boston, MA. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Polaris Partners focus on?
Polaris Partners focuses on investments in Biotech, Digital Health, SaaS, Enterprise. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
What is Polaris Partners's typical check size?
Polaris Partners's typical investment check size ranges from $1M to $50M. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.
How much does Polaris Partners have under management?
Polaris Partners manages approximately $5B+ committed capital in assets under management (AUM) across their funds.
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