Rebecca Lynn (venture capitalist)

Rebecca Lynn
head and shoulders crop of Lynn speaking at 2023 Collision conference
Lynn in 2023
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
University of Missouri
OccupationVenture investor
Years active2007-present
TitleCo-founder and general partner, Canvas Ventures

Rebecca Lynn is an American venture capitalist. She is the co-founder and general manager of Canvas Ventures, an early-stage investment firm based in Portola Valley, California.[1]

Lynn grew up in a small town in Missouri. She was a first-generation college student.[2] She holds a chemical engineering degree from the University of Missouri and a degree in international property law from UC Berkeley, where she also earned an MBA.[3]

Lynn worked at Procter & Gamble after completing her bachelor's degree, where she contributed to identifying market opportunities for consumer products.[4][5] After post-graduation, Lynn moved to the Silicon Valley in 1998 when she landed a job at NextCard as an early employee doing marketing.[5] She began her investment career at Morgenthaler Ventures in 2007. In 2012, she was made a partner. In 2013, she co-founded Canvas Ventures, a VC firm spun out from Morganthaler.[6]

In 2009, Lynn made an early stage investment in Lending Club (NYSE: LC). She was appointed to the company's board of directors three months later. In December 2014 Lending Club went public. It was the largest U.S.tech IPO of the year, with the stock trading up 56% in its first day.[7]

In addition to recognition in the Wall Street Journal [8] and the New York Times,[9] Lynn was ranked on the Midas List five years in a row. Named a Woman to Watch: Senior Deal Maker by the Wall Street Journal in 2021. [10] As of 2022, she was the top female investor in the history of the Midas List, which was first published by Forbes in 2001.[11]

  1. ^ Khan, Kaleem (2023-12-27). "Insights from Rebecca Lynn: Venture Predictions for the Upcoming Year". Impact Wealth. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  2. ^ "How FutureAdvisor plans to shake up wealth management". Fortune. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  3. ^ Women of Influence, Silicon Valley Business Journal, Print edition, April 6, 2012
  4. ^ Szkutak, Rebecca (March 30, 2021). "Canvas Ventures Raises $350 Million To Help Bring Intentionality Back To Early-Stage Investing". Forbes. ISSN 0015-6914.
  5. ^ a b Gelles, David (September 7, 2018). "Rebecca Lynn of Canvas Ventures on Nuclear Reactors, Failure and Asking Questions". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095.
  6. ^ Gage, Deborah (2015-03-02). "How a Female Partner Rose to the Top of Canvas Venture Fund". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  7. ^ "Lending Club IPO, First Among Peers, Rises 56% In Debut". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  8. ^ "Nine Women Shaping Venture Capital's Today and Tomorrow". Wall Street Journal. 2021-10-08. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  9. ^ "The Top 20 Venture Capital Investors Worldwide". The New York Times. 2016-03-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  10. ^ "Rebecca Lynn, Co-Founder & General Partner | Canvas Ventures". www.canvas.vc. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  11. ^ "Rebecca Lynn". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-05-27.