Jim Matheson

Jim joined the HBS Faculty in 2019 as a Senior Lecturer and currently teaches the EC Entrepreneurial Finance Course and is a Faculty Affiliate of the Business & Environment Initiative. He is also an active investor, and Board Director & Advisor for several companies and VC/PE investment groups. Among other passions, Jim is active with climate change and veteran related issues and supporting post-partisan politics.

From 2001-2018, Jim was one of the four General Partners who launched Flagship Pioneering (fka Ventures) and helped grow the firm to its current ~$2 billion+ AUM. At Flagship, he founded, invested in and helped grow a wide variety of businesses and spearheaded the firm’s sustainable technology practice and was involved in myriad U.S. and international efforts to foster entrepreneurship and sustainability.

From 2013-2018, Jim also served as President and CEO of Oasys Water, having also been the company’s founding Chairman and Lead Investor since 2008. As CEO, he led the global expansion of Oasys’ pioneering water treatment platform and the sale of the business to their Asian partner in 2018. 

Most recently, from January to July of 2019, Jim served as Campaign Manager for MA Congressman Seth Moulton’s (HBS/HKS 2011) 2020 Presidential Campaign.  

Before embarking on a second career in entrepreneurship and investing, Jim was a Navy F-14/18 pilot, TOPGUN Instructor and Officer-in-Charge of the Navy’s West Coast Adversary Unit, and retired in 2008 as Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves. He earned his BS (with honors) from the United States Naval Academy (where he still serves as Class President) and an MBA from Harvard Business School.