Wende Hutton

Seasoned healthcare investor Wende Hutton is passionate about identifying, investing in and building companies that are revolutionizing the practice of medicine. She joined Canaan in 2004, bringing diverse expertise from across the entire medical spectrum. Over the last 20 years, Wende has facilitated the market entrance of over 11 novel and lifesaving medical devices, new drugs and diagnostics. Her track record is a testament to her leadership and includes the initial public offerings of six companies, most recently Chimerix (CMRX) in April 2013, and the acquisition of four more biomedical companies including the recent acquisition of BiPar Sciences, a leader in the development of a potential new class of tumor-selective drugs, by Sanofi-Aventis. Wende began her venture career at Mayfield Fund in 1993, where she was a General Partner in the life sciences group until 2001. During her tenure at Mayfield, Wende incubated Heartstream Inc. (HPQ) and Northstar Neuroscience Inc. (NSTR), working closely with those founding teams. Earlier in her career, Wende held senior operational management positions at GenPharm International and Nellcor in business development and marketing.

Wende sits on the boards of Aldea Pharmaceuticals, Butterfly Health, Chimerix, Inc. (CMRX), Dermira, Inc., Labrys Biologics, Inc., ReVision Optics, Inc., Theraclone Sciences and Transcend Medical, Inc. Her previous board seats include Alsius (ALUS) , Apieron, Inc. (acquired by Aerocrine), BiPar Sciences (acquired by Sanofi), Calibra Medical (acquired by Johnson & Johnson/LifeScan), Heartstream, Inc. (acquired by Hewlett Packard), Micro Therapeutics, Inc. (acquired by ev3, Inc.), Northstar Neuroscience (NSTR), Orquest, Inc. (acquired by Johnson & Johnson), and SenoRx, Inc. (acquired by C. R. Bard).

Wende holds an AB in human biology from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Baker Scholar. She is active with several community service groups including serving on the board of FACE AIDS and in leadership roles with the National Charity League Stanford chapter. Beyond her community service involvements, Wende’s first love is a field biology hike or lecture.

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