James Earl Brown Iii
Verified
Jim is a Founder & General Partner of Arena Growth Partners, an "early-stage growth" venture capital firm focused on IT and IT-enabled businesses with $1-3M in revenue, real product(s), reference-able customers, in Texas, with strong leadership, and a need for capital and a financial partner with a "servant leadership" mentality to break through the growth ceiling.
Jim brings industry domain expertise and a successful investment track record in private equity and venture capital, as well as CEO and director experience in several private companies.
Prior to Arena Growth Partners, Jim was most notably a General Partner at Polaris Venture Partners, where he identified, led, and actively participated in investments in early-stage information technology companies, including enterprise software, cybersecurity, telecommunications software and hardware, SaaS, and technology-enabled businesses and platforms. His investments grew to represent more than $10B in enterprise value. Jim also actively participated as a partner in developing firm strategy and in fundraising activities. During his tenure, Polaris grew from $85M to over $3B in assets under management.
Jim began his investment career with J.P. Morgan Capital, after his service to the nation as a Captain and Aviator in the United States Army. Jim holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a JD from New York University School of Law, and a BS in Engineering and Political Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He resides in Austin, Texas.