Peter Barris

Peter Barris is a prominent figure in the venture capital industry, best known for his long and successful tenure at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), one of the world's largest venture capital firms.3 He joined NEA in 1992 and served as the firm's Managing General Partner from 1999 to 2017.3 During his leadership, NEA's assets under management grew from $1 billion to over $20 billion.3

Barris is currently the Chairman Emeritus of NEA, a position he assumed after retiring in 2019.3 His career at NEA was marked by investments in industry-transforming technology companies such as Groupon, WebMD, Salesforce.com, Workday, and CareerBuilder.23

Key aspects of Peter Barris's career and achievements include:

1. Education: He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University (1969-1974) and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (1975-1977).12

2. Early career: Before joining NEA, Barris worked at General Electric Company for nearly a decade in various management positions, including Vice President and General Manager at GE Information Services.3

3. Leadership roles: He served as President of LEGENT Corporation and Senior Vice President of the Systems Software Division of UCCEL Corporation before both companies were acquired.3

4. Venture capital success: Under Barris's direction, NEA became one of the world's largest venture capital firms, known for backing diverse entrepreneurs and maintaining inclusive hiring practices.2

5. Board memberships: Barris serves on the boards of public companies like Sprout Social (SPT) and Tempus AI (TEM), as well as private company Tamr.3 He was elected chair of the Northwestern University Board of Trustees in 2022.2

6. Recognition: Barris has been named to the Forbes Midas List of top technology investors multiple times and has been inducted into the Washington Tech Council's Hall of Fame and the Washington Business Hall of Fame.3

Peter Barris's career trajectory from operator to venture capitalist has made him a respected figure in the tech investment world, known for his ability to identify and support transformative companies.4