Michael Hirshland is a General Partner with Polaris Venture Partners, a national venture capital firm with over $3 billion under management. Polaris invests in seed, early stage and growth equity businesses in the technology, life science, digital media, enertech and consumer sectors.

Mike focuses on Polaris’ investments in digital media, internet, and information technology. He represents Polaris as a Director on the boards of Automattic/WordPress, BlackArrow, Heavy.com, Q1Labs, Turbine Entertainment, and World Championship Sports Network. Mike formerly served as Chairman of Ucentric Systems, which was acquired by Motorola.

Mike’s blog is www.vcmike.wordpress.com.

Mike joined Polaris in 1999 from Intel’s Corporate Business Development Group. Before becoming a technology investor, Mike served as counsel to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, where he conceived and supervised the Senate’s hearings on “Competition, Innovation and Public Policy in the Digital Age.” In this capacity, Mike spent over a year working closely with a significant number of prominent technology CEOs, entrepreneurs, investors, and technology visionaries. Before joining the committee, Mike practiced with the law firm Williams & Connolly, and clerked for Justice Anthony Kennedy at the U.S. Supreme Court and The Hon. J. Michael Luttig on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to his legal career, Mike was a strategy consultant with Bain & Company.

Mike received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned his AB in history from Harvard College where he played defensive end on the Crimson’s 1987 Ivy League Champion varsity football squad.