Darren Carroll
Managing Partner at Polaris Partners
Boston, Massachusetts
Overview
Work Experience
Member, Board of Directors
2022 - Current
Member, Board of Directors
2021
Member, Board of Directors
2020
Senior Advisory Partner
2024
Managing Partner
2022 - 2024
Partner
2020 - 2022
Polaris Partners is an investment firm that invests in healthcare and biotechnology companies.
Sabbatical
2019 - 2020
After nearly a decade leading business development and changing the pipeline, culture and future at Eli Lilly and Company, I'm taking a brief break to recharge. More to come.........
Senior Vice President, Corporate Business Development
2015 - 2019
Lead all strategic corporate transactions for Eli Lilly and Company, a top 10 innovation-based pharmaceutical company. My teams are responsible for all M&A, joint ventures, collaborations, licensing, venture capital and alliance management, as well as operations and new business creation for the search & evaluation function.
Eli Lilly engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical products.
Raised $6,500,000.00.
Vice President, Corporate Business Development
2010 - 2014
Lead all business development, alliance management and venture capital investment activities. Our CBD teams have done deals that include the Pfizer Tanezumab co-development/marketing collaboration, BI diabetes collaboration on 4 clinical molecules, Novast (China) investment/marketing deal for branded generics, Immunocore research/development collaboration in immuno-oncology, Sanofi OTC for Cialis. Our Capital Funds strategy has yielded two VC funds independently managed by HealthCare Ventures and TVM ($300M AUM) with over 10 new companies working toward clinical proof of concept, plus the acquisition of Artaeus from Atlas Ventures.
Vice President, New Ventures
2005 - 2010
Managed all private equity investing for Eli Lilly, a top 10 biopharmaceutical company. Led venture capital investment teams for Lilly Ventures ($200M life science fund) and Lilly Asian Ventures ($100M China fund). Created first pharmaceutical co VC fund in Asia. Used private equity investments to leverage new business models. In adition to providing strategic advantage (including acquisition of Avid Radiopharmaceuticals), the funds have matched top quartile financial returns for same-year institutional funds evaluated by Cambridge Associates.
Eli Lilly engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical products.
Raised $6,500,000.00.
CEO & Founder
2001 - 2005
Created the market for open innovation in physical sciences. Founding CEO from 2001-2005, and Chairman of the board of directors from 2005-2010. At the time, InnoCentive was a subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Co. My leadership of InnoCentive was featured in the best-selling book, Mavericks at Work by Taylor & LaBarre (2006)
Senior Vice President
2000 - 2001
Led corporate business development, health care provider sales and marketing, advanced engineering group.
Attorney
1996 - 2000
Two primary areas of responsibility: (1) Drug marketing and sales for Prozac, Lilly's top-selling anti-depressant. (2) Technology licensing and corporate matters, including outsourcing and all work for Lilly's subsidiary, Integrated Medical Systems
Eli Lilly engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical products.
Raised $6,500,000.00.