Terry McGuire

Terrance Gerard McGuire, commonly known as Terry McGuire, is an American venture capitalist, best known as a founding partner of Polaris Partners,a venture capital firm.

Early life and education McGuire was born and raised in Lancaster, New York. He attended Lancaster High School and then Hobart College, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physics and economics. Following his undergraduate studies, he was awarded a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship in 1979, which enabled him to study the Irish language and cultural traditions in Ireland.

Career He began his career in venture capital at Golder, Thoma & Cressey in Chicago before moving to Burr, Egan, Deleage & Co., where he invested in early-stage technology companies.

Among others, he has co-founded Inspire Pharmaceuticals (later acquired by Merck),

Awards and recognition He has been acknowledged for his contributions to venture capital and biotechnology on multiple occasions. He has been listed on Forbes' Midas 100 List of Top Tech Investors He is also the recipient of prestigious awards such as the Massachusetts Society for Medical Research Award, the National Venture Capital Association Outstanding Service Award and Venture Vanguard Award, and the Irish America Healthcare & Life Sciences 50 Award. for his work in translational science. In addition, he was named "Most Loved VC" by The Funded.

Leadership and public policy He served as Chairman of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), during which time he testified before Congress regarding the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act..

Board memberships and advisory roles His current and past board positions include roles at Alector, Adimab, Invivyd, Tectonic Therapeutics, and Seer, among others. He also serves on advisory boards for academic institutions, including the Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, MIT's David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Whitehead Institute, Thayer School of Engineering (serving as chair from 2008 - 2021), and the Brigham Research Institute at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Personal life He is married to Carolyn Carr McGuire, and they have three children.