Jim Matheson is a professor in Business Administration at Harvard Business School, where he teaches the EC courses Entrepreneurial Finance and Tough Tech Ventures, and is a faculty affiliate of the Business & Environment Initiative. He is a recognized leader in climate and innovation finance, combining academic teaching with decades of experience as an entrepreneur, investor, and corporate executive.

From 2000 to 2018, Matheson was a founding General Partner of Flagship Pioneering, where he co-founded and invested in numerous science- and technology-based companies, helping to grow the firm to over $3 billion AUM and spearheading its sustainable technology practice. He also served as President and CEO of Oasys Water, leading the company’s global expansion in industrial wastewater treatment and its eventual acquisition by an Asian partner. Today, he continues to serve as a board director and advisor to leading companies and investment groups, including The Engine and Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Earlier in his career, Matheson served in the U.S. Navy as a decorated F-14/F-18 pilot, TOPGUN instructor, and Commander of a Nevada-based Adversary Squadron. He later earned his MBA from Harvard Business School. His unique blend of service, entrepreneurship, and climate innovation positions him at the forefront of advancing tough-tech solutions to global challenges.