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Building Management Teams
At Polaris-Backed Companies
Helping build first-rate management teams is a key commitment Polaris makes to the companies we back. We’ve learned that finding great people, more than any other factor, determines the degree of success a business ultimately achieves. Having the right person in the right job is especially important in early stage ventures, where missteps can have especially harmful consequences and hiring successes can jump-start progress.
Polaris partners take an active role in helping portfolio companies assess and fill their senior-level staffing needs. Our partners’ extensive experience -- both in managing business operations and in helping startup companies make the transition from initial concept to full-fledged operations – gives them hands-on expertise in this critical task.
The Polaris Recruitment Team
Because of the importance we place on excellent management, Polaris is one of the few venture capital firms that has a specialized team of experienced executive recruiters on staff. They work with our portfolio companies in sourcing, screening, and hiring world-class management talent at the CEO level and for all positions reporting to the CEO. Our team also helps portfolio companies find members for their boards of directors and for their advisory boards. The recruitment team includes:
Peter Flint, General Partner
Peter Flint is a general partner based in our Boston Office.
He joined Polaris in 2003 and brings over 25 years of experience
as an operating executive in the consumer media industry combined
with building senior management teams for early stage venture
backed companies.
Prior to joining Polaris, Peter was a managing director with
Ramsey Beirne Associates, the leading provider of executive
searches to high growth, leading edge information technology
companies. Peter has enjoyed a successful 15-year sales and
marketing career in the cable television industry, initially
with Showtime Entertainment and MTV Networks. He also worked
with the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins to develop and launch
the New England Sports Network. In addition, as vice president
of Sales and Marketing for QVC Network, Peter directed a team
to secure long-term distribution agreements with the nation's
largest cable companies, which was instrumental in the successful
initial public offering. Peter was an early entrant in the
interactive television marketplace as vice president of Video
Jukebox Network, the company that built out the first nationally
distributed, on-demand television network.
Peter currently serves on the Board of BlackArrow.
Peter received his BA from Connecticut College.
Lindsay Barnett, Director of Portfolio Recruiting
Lindsay Barnett is the director of portfolio recruiting, focused
in technology, based in our Boston office. She joined Polaris
in 2007 and works closely with the portfolio companies helping
advise them with their recruiting needs. Prior to joining
Polaris, Lindsay was a senior associate in Spencer Stuart’s
Boston office and a member of the firm’s Technology,
Communications & Media Practice. She specialized in recruiting
executives for software, systems, and services companies.
Lindsay has developed significant expertise in conducting
research and candidate development for a wide range of companies,
including both venture backed start-ups and large public corporations.
Her search work has been primarily focused upon the recruitment
of general management, sales, marketing, and product development
executives. Lindsay was responsible for coordinating the “Talent
Leadership” within the firms industry leading Software
Practice. Prior to joining Spencer Stuart in 2003, Lindsay
spent six years at Heidrick and Struggles. She started her
career as a research associate in the Financial and Professional
Services industries, and was later promoted to senior associate
within the firm’s International Technology Practice.
Joanna LaPlaca, Director of Portfolio Recruiting
Joanna LaPlaca is a director of portfolio recruiting for our
Boston Office. She joined Polaris in March 2007 and focuses
on recruiting senior executives to our Life Sciences portfolio
companies. Joanna has enjoyed a successful nine year career
in executive search. Prior to joining Polaris, she spent a
year as a Senior Consultant with ZRG, a boutique retained
executive search, consulting and advisory firm. Joanna was
a member of the Financial Services Practice where she provided
recruiting services for the Leasing and Commercial Finance
market. Prior to ZRG, Joanna spent three years as an Associate
with Spencer Stuart, a premier retained executive search firm.
In this role, she spent the majority of her time as a member
of the Life Sciences practice. Joanna has completed searches
for senior executives in both established and emerging companies.
She has executed key assignments in a range of life science
companies including large pharma, medical device, consumer
health and drug delivery. Joanna also spent some time working
on Consumer Goods and Services searches successfully completing
a number of executive assignments for national brand name
firms. Joanna started in search as a research associate with
LAI Worldwide (eventually acquired by Heidrick and Struggles),
and was later promoted to an Associate in the Life Sciences
practice.
Non-retained Searches
To fill positions at the functional vice president level, our team usually carries out its own recruitment efforts, including developing job descriptions, sourcing candidates, candidate development, interviewing, presenting to the hiring company, and closing the hire.
Retained Searches
To help fill most CEO positions, our team works with the portfolio company’s board of directors to identify and retain the most appropriate executive recruiting firm. Because of our extensive experience in this area, we’ve developed a group of “preferred providers” who have proven track records in completing successful searches.
Job Descriptions
Carefully defining a management position – its responsibilities, reporting relationships, compensation level, etc. – is the first step in a successful recruiting effort. Identifying the particular skills needed for a management position at a specific moment in a company’s development is especially important. Our team has extensive experience in defining appropriate job specifications and the attributes that successful candidates must possess.
Sourcing Candidates/Candidate Development
Through many years of work with a large number of portfolio companies, we’ve developed a vast network of relationships with successful individuals who may be good candidates for open positions. This information is stored in a continually updated Polaris database. Tapping this resource for candidate development has proved far more effective in finding the right people than posting job vacancies on the Web or placing recruitment advertising. Our team is expert at evaluating skill sets with relevance to the position available.
Interviewing
The Polaris team conducts in-depth interviews with the top tier of candidates identified through the search effort.
Presenting to the Portfolio Company
Once the finalists are identified, screened through the interview process, and evaluated through reference checks, our team presents them to the portfolio company. We then help the company weigh the candidates and arrive at a hiring decision.
Closing the Hire
As the final step in the recruitment process, our team can assist the portfolio in closing the hire by helping construct an appropriate offer and negotiating a compensation package.
Strategic Support for Human Resources Management
While each portfolio company manages its own human resources function, our team can provide human resources support at the strategic level. We’re especially experienced in counseling portfolio companies with respect to competitive compensation and incentive packages, and management structure. We also can put portfolio companies in touch with HR specialists we know and respect to help resolve more complex issues.
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