Jeff McCarthy

Jeff McCarthy, Partner, has a successful entrepreneurial track record in communications. As an investor he focuses mainly on materials. When Jeff joined North Bridge Venture Partners in 1998, he was well known to the company's founding partners through his leadership roles at two early, successful companies within the North Bridge portfolio Cadia Networks and New Oak Communications and at Wellfleet Communications, an investment of the North Bridge founder. He was CEO of New Oak Communications, a leading provider of VPN switches, when the company was acquired by Bay Networks (a Nortel line of business). Subsequently, North Bridge acquired Jeff. As an investor, he has become known for forging long-term relationships with entrepreneurs. "At every start-up on which we've worked together, he's been a class act," says Throop Wilder, CEO of 24m Technologies. "Jeff has an uncanny ability to spot the potential for a great opportunity, identify and help put together the right founding team and then support the company in good times and bad." Before joining New Oak, Jeff was Vice President of sales and business development at Cadia Networks, a developer of ATM concentrator products for the service provider marketplace, and held senior management positions at Wellfleet Communications, including Vice President of Carrier and Channel Operations. During his eight years at Wellfleet, the company grew from fifteen people and no revenue to 5,500 people and $1.5 billion revenue. Jeff's earlier career was in the computer industry at Computervision and Masscomp, working in finance, operations and strategic planning. Jeff is a graduate of Northeastern University, School of Management (magna cum laude), and serves as an advisor to the University. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Northeastern MBA classes as well as several other colleges and universities. Jeff received his MBA (magna cum laude) from Bentley College. Jeff and his wife, Cindy, are the founders of Danny's Place Youth Services, a community organization dedicated to the positive development of middle and high school teens in the Acton and Boxborough areas.