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
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