John Barr

Since January 2010, John Barr has been Co-Portfolio Manager of the Needham Growth Fund and Portfolio Manager of the Needham Aggressive Growth Fund.  John started on Wall Street in 1995 at Needham & Company as a sell-side analyst following technical software companies. He rejoined Needham Asset Management in 2009 to co-manage Needham’s mutual funds. 

From 2000 – 2002, John was a senior analyst at Robertson Stephens following semiconductor technology companies. He was an Institutional Investor All-Star and was ranked by Reuters as leader of a top software team. In 2002, John joined Buckingham Capital Management, where he served as a portfolio manager and analyst for its diversified industry long/short domestic equity hedge fund. From 2009 – 2017, John was on the board of directors of Coventor, Inc., prior to its sale to Lam Research. 

Prior to Wall Street, John spent 14 years in the electronic design automation industry.  John loves the challenge of identifying businesses with compounding characteristics. From his industry experience, he looks to invest in companies that he would have liked to have been part of.  He is a graduate of Colgate University and Harvard Business School. He is a student of Berkshire Hathaway and CrossFit. In 2020, John co-founded the WSDA Internship Program, whose mission is to provide students from underrepresented communities an introduction to career possibilities in the financial services industry.