Healthcare

Nina Kjellson

General Partner / West Coast

Since 2015

Nina Kjellson invests in biopharma companies that serve unmet therapeutic needs. As a leader of Canaan’s Women of Venture program, Nina is a vocal advocate for women entrepreneurs and investors. She Co-Chairs Life Science Cares Bay Area and serves on the boards of Girl Effect and the Oliver Wyman Health Innovation Center. Nina is also a 2018 Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellow. Previously, Nina was a General Partner at InterWest Partners. She holds a B.A. in human biology from Stanford University.

Nina in 5

Origins: Born in Scandinavia

Travel: Have a major case of wanderlust (with a passport to prove it)

Sport: Love being outdoors & deep in nature

Interests: A good book (or Ripple by the Grateful Dead) can turn any day around

Family: Nothing beats time spent with my family & friends

Investments

Current

  • IntrepidiaBio
  • Tizona Therapeutics
  • Trishula Therapeutics
  • Tyra
    IPO (TYRA)
  • Latest

    Actio Biosciences Announces $55 Million Series A Financing to Advance Precision Medicine Approach for Rare and Common Diseases

    BioCentury: Biotech investors bracing for Inflation Reduction Act’s impacts

    Fierce Biotech: Tyra Biosciences named to 2021 Fierce 15 List

    Fierce Biotech: Tyra Biosciences banks $173M to bring cancer resistance programs into clinic

    In Vivo: The talent crisis – How to improve recruitment and retain biopharma employees

    In Vivo: Biotech’s double-edged sword – Extraordinary funding run contributes to talent crisis

    Reconvening for a virtual Women Who Venture gathering

    Forbes: Nearly 50% of venture-backed healthcare companies have no women on the board, new report shows

    Endpoints News: Why do some targeted cancer therapies stop working? For Tyra, that's the $106M question

    FierceBiotech: Tyra Biosciences banks $106M, adds to C-suite as it aims for the clinic in 2022

    Vaccinating with speed and equity: A conversation with Dr. Rebecca Weintraub

    Nina Kjellson: More than words. Extreme(ly) satisfying steps together towards greater health equity

    C&EN: The year in pharma - IPO window remained wide open

    BioCentury: Larger stakes, more newcos as Canaan moves to bump up biopharma investments with new $800M fund

    Endpoints News: Canaan raises another $800M as it launches its next fund with an emphasis on biotech

    The Best of WoVen: Stepping into the unknown

    The Best of WoVen: The importance of community

    The Best of WoVen: Balancing work and family

    Endpoints News: Gilead lines up a $1.55B biotech buyout deal as CEO Dan O’Day invests in his latest cancer blockbuster dream

    BioCentury: With equity-and-option deal for Tizona, Gilead places latest bet on cancer immunosuppression

    FierceBiotech: Partnered and backed by AbbVie, but cancer I-O biotech Tizona targeted by Gilead

    The Best of WoVen: Combatting prejudice and inspiring change

    The Best of WoVen: Self-care and how to look after body and mind

    Endpoints News: Two Bay Area upstarts out to deliver on cell therapy 2.0 join forces on a quest: pursuing a Holy Grail in oncology R&D

    Nina Kjellson: Biotechnology in the time of COVID-19

    The Best of WoVen: Resilience and how to bounce back stronger

    Timmerman Report: Finding a path in biotech VC - Nina Kjellson on The Long Run Podcast

    Bio-IT World: Lessons from personalized medicine can supercharge coronavirus testing

    Timmerman Report: Do's and don'ts of staying connected in a time of social distancing

    San Francisco Business Times: "Say it" - Nina Kjellson, Amy DuRoss and Gail Maderis on the barriers to funding women's health issues

    Timmerman Report: First buy, then invest - Novartis, Gilead join $35M bet on Vineti's software

    CNBC: These start-ups are racing to help doctors detect cancer early with a simple blood test

    WoVen Podcast: The woman who gets inside the heads of execs at Facebook, Google and more - A conversation with Glo Harris

    Annual Women Who Venture Gathering 2020

    Endpoints News: RA Capital, Canaan help infuse $50M into Alta-incubated biotech battling acquired resistance to TKIs

    BioCentury: Pact’s $75M series C gives Vida’s Kite alumni long-sought stab at personalized cell therapy

    FierceBiotech: Tyra Biosciences takes aim at treatment-resistant tumors with $50M raise

    STAT News: Amy DuRoss - To make advanced therapies, we need to industrialize personalization

    WoVen Podcast: Democratizing healthcare with activist roots - A conversation with Amy DuRoss

    Xconomy: With $9.5M, Intrepida Bio launches to target pancreatic cancer & more

    Endpoints News: Neoantigen player PACT Pharma woos Tim Moore from Kite to run technical ops

    WoVen Podcast: Working with grit (and a patient's perspective) in women’s health - A conversation with Gail Maderis

    FierceBiotech: A personalized CAR-T to attack every solid tumor? PACT Pharma has a plan

    WoVen Podcast: Blazing a trail (and building a family) as a pioneering VC - A conversation with Ginger More

    MedCityNews: Pact Pharma enrolls first patients in Phase Ia/Ib solid tumor cell therapy study

    WoVen Podcast: Crafting success (and balance) in venture - A conversation with Wende Hutton

    WoVen Podcast: Breaking ground (and battling bias) in brain surgery - A conversation with Dr. Odette Harris

    Nina Kjellson: Introducing the WoVen Podcast, a series that celebrates remarkable women in healthcare, tech & business

    BioCentury: Vineti is keeping cell therapies on track

    Nina Kjellson: The roadmap for board diversity

    Nina Kjellson: In case of emergency -- expert tips for weathering a crisis

    Nina Kjellson: "Jumping together" to move the field of personalized cancer therapy

    BioCentury: Why GV and Canaan backed PACT Pharma's hyperpersonalized cancer approach

    Nina Kjellson: Practical tips from two male biotech CEOs who are leaning in

    Nina Kjellson: When it comes to women in venture, a 30x return on investment...in each other

    Nina Kjellson: A critical marriage for science and health tech

    Bloomberg Tech: Canaan Partners see race for firms to hire more women

    Endpoints News: When VCs hand out mega-rounds to Vir and Gossamer, are they betting on the jockey or the horse?

    CNBC: After a miserable 2017, VCs offer predictions on digital health IPOs for 2018

    FiercePharma: 2017’s fiercest women in life sciences

    CNBC: 11 women who prove that health tech investing isn’t a boys’ club

    Bloomberg: America’s drinking problem is much worse this century

    Fierce Biotech: Canaan unveils $800 million fund for fresh wave of biotech bets

    BioTech Nation Podcast: Women in biotech venture capital

    Cigna collaborates with Annum Health to introduce a digital health solution to help people reduce alcohol consumption

    Nina Kjellson: Why I'm excited to help reinvent treatment for heavy drinking

    Nina in 5

    Origins: Born in Scandinavia

    Travel: Have a major case of wanderlust (with a passport to prove it)

    Sport: Love being outdoors & deep in nature

    Interests: A good book (or Ripple by the Grateful Dead) can turn any day around

    Family: Nothing beats time spent with my family & friends