Canaan Partners
UnclaimedAt a Glance
- Check Size
- $1M – $20M
- Stage
- Seed, Series A
- AUM
- $5B
- Sectors
- Biotech, Enterprise, Consumer
- Founded
- 1987
- HQ
- Westport, CT
About Canaan Partners
Canaan Partners is a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, CA founded in 1987. Canaan is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in visionaries with transformative ideas. The firm focuses on Seed, Series A investments across sectors including Biotech, Enterprise, Consumer. The firm manages $5B in assets under management. Notable portfolio companies include Instacart, Lending Club, The Trade Desk, Zscaler, Tyra Biosciences, CrowdStrike, Puppet and Couchbase. Invests in technology and healthcare companies with a deliberate 60/40 split between sectors.
Investment Thesis
“Invests in technology and healthcare companies with a deliberate 60/40 split between sectors.”
Sector Focus
Investment Stage
Notable Portfolio Companies
Key Team (15)
Guy Russo
General Partner
Julie Grant
General Partner
Maha Ibrahim
General Partner
Nina Kjellson
General Partner
Tim Shannon
General Partner
Wende Hutton
General Partner
Fund History (5 funds)
| Fund | Vintage | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | $675M | — | |
| — | $400M | — | |
| — | $400M | — | |
| — | $660M | — | |
| — | $500M | — |
Fund History
Canaan has been raising venture funds since 1987 and numbers its vintages rather than naming them. Canaan XI L.P. registered in 2017 from California. Canaan XII L.P. followed in 2020, filing from Connecticut, and Canaan XIII L.P. filed its Form D in January 2023, also from Connecticut, on an indefinite offering with no sales recorded at the time.
The firm then split out a dedicated healthcare vehicle, Canaan XIII Healthcare Fund L.P., registered in 2024. That separation is the clearest structural expression of the deliberate technology and healthcare split Canaan runs, moving the healthcare allocation from a sleeve inside the flagship to a fund with its own capital and pacing. Canaan Partners XIII LLC serves as general partner and promoter, filing from 285 Riverside Avenue, Suite 250, in Westport, Connecticut. Committed capital per vintage is not disclosed in the filings, which report indefinite offering amounts rather than fund sizes.
Investment Timeline (10 deals)
2023
Corti
Series B$60M2022
Lattice
$175M2021
Neo4j
$325M2020
Instacart
$200M2019
Couchbase
$105M2018
Lending Club
Growth2017
AppDynamics
Growth2016
Tyto Care
Series A$18M2015
CyberArk
Growth2014
Nimble Storage
$40MTeam (14)
Brendan Dickinson
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Deepak Kamra
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Guy Russo
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Hrach Simonian
General Partner, Canaan Partners
John Pacifico
COO + CFO and General Partner, Canaan Partners
Joydeep Bhattacharyya
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Julie Grant
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Maha Ibrahim
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Nandu Anilal
Investor, Canaan Partners
Nina Kjellson
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Rich Boyle
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Stephen Bloch
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Tim Shannon
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Wende Hutton
General Partner, Canaan Partners
Related Articles (1)
Frequently Asked Questions
What stage does Canaan Partners invest at?
Canaan Partners primarily invests at the Seed, Series A stages. This means they focus on companies that are building their initial product and finding product-market fit.
Where is Canaan Partners located?
Canaan Partners is headquartered in Westport, CT. Many of their portfolio companies are also based in this region, though they invest across geographies.
What sectors does Canaan Partners focus on?
Canaan Partners focuses on investments in Biotech, Enterprise, Consumer. Their portfolio reflects deep expertise and networks within these sectors.
What is Canaan Partners's typical check size?
Canaan Partners's typical investment check size ranges from $1M to $20M. Actual amounts may vary based on the stage, sector, and specific opportunity.
How much does Canaan Partners have under management?
Canaan Partners manages approximately $5B in assets under management (AUM) across their funds.
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