Originally Published MDDI
August 2004
Packaging
Industry Pioneer
Annette Campbell-White
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In the male-dominated world of venture capitalists, Annette Campbell-White stands out for her daring and successful ventures. Campbell-White has been a champion for the life science field with particular emphasis on medical devices.
Campbell-White was one of the first biotechnology analysts. In 1981, she was the first woman to become a general partner at Hambrecht & Quist. She also founded the firm’s Health Care Conference, which remains one of the most prestigious gatherings for seed capitalists and life science companies. In 1986, she began MedVenture, a small, successful firm dedicated to biotechnology.
Companies such as LifeScan, TheraSense, and Diasonics, to name only a few, were part of Campbell-White’s investment interests. Her focus on companies in which to invest is firmly rooted in the marketability of a product and the ideas of the people involved. “The device industry is a huge business—you don’t know where the next big thing is going to be,” she says. “You have to maintain a broad spectrum and choose partners depending on the usual factors: sound business ideas, a good business plan, and the practical healthcare benefits.”
Campbell-White was born in New Zealand and traveled extensively as a child throughout Australia, Canada, South Africa, and England. She earned degrees in physical chemistry and chemical engineering from the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Her career in strategic planning began with the Medishield Division of British Oxygen Company, Inc., but a desire to manage her own firm finally landed her in Berkeley, CA.
Campbell-White is also an opera lover and has extensively funded opera-related causes. She is a key supporter of the San Francisco Opera and the Marinsky Opera in Russia. Her own nonprofit organization, the Kia Ora Foundation, grants funding for New Zealand music students.
Copyright ©2004 Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry
