Team
The W Fund Team
Board of Directors
The W Fund is guided by a five-member board of directors led by General Manager Linden Rhoads, former UW Vice Provost responsible for commercializing university research, and a veteran of successful Seattle-based start-ups.
General Manager
Jeff Canin
Independent Director
Board Member, Element 8 Angels, and Principal, Canin Associates
Troy Cichos
Independent Director
Administrative Partner, Madrona Capital
Will Poole
Independent Director
Social Technologist; Managing Director, Unitus Seed Fund
Joe Wallin
Independent Director
Start-up and corporate transactions & securities attorney
Investment Committee
Investment opportunities are analyzed by a 20-member Investment Committee comprised of the most highly qualified investment professionals in the northwest. Investment decisions are made by the Investment Committee, which includes experts in the medical devices, clean technology / materials / engineering, software / IT, and life sciences sectors, reflecting the breadth of UW and Washington research-based start-up companies.
Monica Beam
Principal at Alexandria Venture Investments
Life Sciences
John Bjornson
President, Point B Capital
Software, IT
Jeff Canin
Board Member, Element 8 Angels, and Principal, Canin Associates
Materials Science, Clean Technology and Information Technology
Tom Clement
Medical Device Executive and former Chairman of WBBA
Medical Devices
Lonnie Edelheit
Retired Senior Vice President of R&D, General Electric Co.
Advanced Medical Imaging
Patrick Ennis
Venture Partner, Madrona Venture Group
Semiconductors, Materials Science, Computing and Communications
Steve Gillis
Managing Director, ARCH Venture Partners
Biotechnology, Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines
Ron Howell
President & CEO, Washington Research Foundation / WRF Capital
Software, IT
Scott Jacobson
Managing Director, Madrona Venture Group
Software, IT
Dan Kranzler
Managing Partner, eFund LLC
Software, IT
Loretta Little
Managing Director at WRF Capital
Medical Devices, Healthcare
Bruce Montgomery
CEO, Cardeas Pharma, Former Senior Vice President, Gilead
Biopharmaceuticals
Will Poole
Independent Social-Technologist
Information Technology
Christopher Porter
Serial Medical Device Entrepreneur and Commercialization Consultant at WBBA
Medical Devices
Linden Rhoads
Former UW Vice Provost—Commercialization
Software, Internet, Display Technology
Chad Waite
Managing Director, OVP
Digital Technology, Network Security, Life Sciences
Kirk Washington
Co-Founder & General Parter, Yaletown Venture Group
Clean Technology, Advanced Materials, Engineering