Steve Matthews

Steve serves as Operating Partner at PGF on the Strategic Acceleration Team, leveraging his extensive software industry CEO and executive leadership experience to bring an operating perspective to the PGF team as well as management teams across the portfolio. He currently serves on the boards of Avolve Software and LCvista, and also previously served on the board of Iridium Technology (BigHand/LLCP).

Prior to joining the firm in 2024, Steve spent the past 10 years as CEO of TRG Screen, the leading provider of enterprise subscription management solutions to the financial, legal and professional services sector. He led TRG Screen through a period of significant growth from a combination of organic expansion and multiple add on acquisitions. Steve worked closely with PGF (TRG Screen’s initial private equity investor) prior to successful exits to Pamlico Capital in 2018 and more recently to Vista Equity Partners in 2023. Steve remains an active board member at TRG Screen.

Steve began his career with PwC in London and Boston where he focused on M&A before embarking on his software journey with ICAP and then Thomson Reuters, where he held multiple executive leadership positions in London and Boston.

Steve earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Exeter in the UK and is a qualified chartered accountant. He lives in the Boston area where he and his wife have raised their 2 adult daughters and enjoys golf, skiing and travel.

Matt Giegerich

Matt joined Polaris Growth Fund in 2023 and is an associate on the team. He focuses on later-stage growth equity investments in the software and technology-enabled services sectors.

Prior to PGF, Matt was an associate at Equality Asset Management, where he focused on growth buyouts in the technology industry. Prior to Equality Asset Management, Matt was an investment banking analyst at Aeris Partners. At Aeris Partners, Matt worked on M&A transactions in the technology industry.

Matt received a B.A. in Government from Dartmouth College.

Outside of work, Matt enjoys skiing, playing squash, and rooting for Philadelphia sports teams.

Bayard DeMallie

Bayard joined Polaris Growth Fund in 2023 and serves as an analyst on the team. He focuses on growth equity investments in software and technology-enabled services businesses.

Bayard received his B.A. in Computer Science from Amherst College.

Outside of the office, Bayard enjoys playing golf, water skiing and rooting for New England sports teams.

Michael Ball

Mike joined the Polaris Growth Fund team in 2023 as an associate, where he focuses on later-stage growth equity investments within the software and technology-enabled services sectors.

Before joining PGF, Mike started his career as an Analyst at Citi, working within their Leveraged Finance Group.

Mike holds a B.S. in Management with concentrations in Finance and Business Analytics, as well as a minor in History from Boston College.

Outside of work, Mike enjoys playing hockey and golf, spending time on the water both fishing and boating and passionately supports Boston and BC sports teams.

Bryce Youngren

Bryce is a managing partner of the Polaris Growth Fund based in our Boston office. He joined the firm in 2002 and focuses on investments in profitable software and technology-enabled services businesses.

Bryce currently serves on the boards of Amplifire, ARInsights, ATC, Baxter Planning, and SETWorks, and has also served on the boards of Blue Rabbit (Wedgewood), Cardlytics (CDLX), Cityworks (Trimble), Cushcraft (Laird Group), Dealer Spike (True Wind Capital / TA Associates), Digicert (TA Associates), Liaison International (Warburg Pincus / Meritage) National Electronic Attachment (Accel-KKR), Research Now (Court Square Capital Partners), Strata Health (VitalHub), TRG (Pamlico Capital) and Xpressdocs (Reynolds and Reynolds).

Prior to joining PGF, Bryce worked at Great Hill Partners, where he sourced and executed investments in SmartMail Services (Deutsche Post) and ManagedStorage International (Incentra Solutions) and served as a director on the boards of both companies.

Previously, Bryce worked for Willis Stein & Partners in Chicago, Bear Stearns & Co.’s technology investment banking group in New York, and George K. Baum & Company in Kansas City.

Bryce holds an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a BA in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Outside of working with great entrepreneurs, he has a passion for skiing, travel, and getting outdoors with his wife and three daughters.

Maureen Sarewitz

After a year of serving PGF and its partners as a consultant, Maureen joined the team in 2023 to help build its Strategic Acceleration Team.

She brings over a decade of experience in product management, marketing, and operations leadership, including at Wayfair, Starbucks, and Rover. More recently, as the founder of Acacia Growth & Impact Consulting, she has supported growth stage companies and other organizations to develop, execute, and optimize product and marketing strategy, advised executives on organizational strategy, and served in interim leadership roles. She is also a faculty member at the University of Washington where she teaches product management courses and mentors entrepreneurship students.

Maureen holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, an MA in Development Economics and International Business from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a BA in Political Science from the University of Washington. She lives in Seattle and is a passionate Seattle sports fan and enjoys spending time at the beach with her husband and dog.

Pat Mulach

Pat joined Polaris Growth Fund in 2021 and is a senior associate on the team focusing on later-stage growth equity investments in software businesses.

Prior to Polaris, Pat began his career at William Blair as an analyst in the Technology Group.

Pat received his B.S. in Management with Concentrations in Finance and Information Systems from Boston College.

Outside of the office, Pat loves to hike, ski, and cheer on Cleveland sports teams.

Dan Lombard

Dan serves as a managing partner at PGF, where he leads investments in B2B software and technology-enabled service businesses across a number of verticals.

Dan currently represents PGF on the boards of Avolve Software, B2Gnow, ESO, LCvista, Martin & Co, and TransACT Communications, and has also served on the boards of Cityworks (Trimble), Baxter Planning (Marlin Equity), Dealer Spike (LeadVenture/True Wind Capital), Emergency Reporting (ESO/Vista Equity Partners), Iridium Technology (BigHand/LLCP), MGA Systems (Vertafore/Roper Technologies), and TRG (Pamlico Capital).

Prior to joining the firm in 2015, Dan was a vice president with H.I.G. Growth Partners, a private equity firm focused on recapitalizations of growth-oriented, lower middle market businesses. Previously, Dan served as an associate at Symmetric Capital, where he sourced and executed growth buyout investments in software business services. He also was an investment-banking analyst at Bank of America in San Francisco, where he worked with growth-oriented technology and healthcare companies on private capital raises and recapitalizations.

Dan received his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he was recognized as an Edward Tuck Scholar, and a BA from Yale University.

Prior to entering the real world, Dan played 3 seasons of professional hockey in the US and Europe. He and his wife Chandra have three young children.

Michael Leone

Michael joined Polaris Growth Fund in 2023 and serves as an analyst on the team. He focuses on growth equity investments in software and technology-enabled services businesses.

A summa cum laude graduate of Boston University, Michael received his B.S. in Business with Concentrations in both Finance and Business Law. During school, Michael served as a summer analyst at MFS and as a legal fellow for Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS).

Outside of the office, you can find Michael running marathons, cheering on Cleveland sports teams, and enjoying the great outdoors.

Mark Jacobson

Mark joined Polaris Growth Fund in 2019 and is a principal on the team. He focuses primarily on growth investments in profitable software and technology-enabled services businesses.

Mark currently represents PGF on the boards of Amplifire, ARInsights and ATC.

Prior to PGF, Mark was a principal at Centerbridge Partners where he focused on software private equity investments. His software and technology private equity investing experience also includes roles at Thoma Bravo and Marlin Equity Partners. Before that, he was an investment banking analyst at Harris Williams focused on technology M&A.

Mark received a BSBA in finance from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.