Fundraising Fox
John Balen
InvestorPartner / West Coast at Canaan Partners · GP, Canaan Partners at Saints Capital · Board director at UrbanSitter · Board director at Cardlytics · Board director at Switchfly
Menlo Park, California, United States
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Ask Lisa Edgar to introduce you to John
You →Lisa · together at Horsley Bridge Partners (1989–1995) →John
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You →Jamie · 11 people · together at Canaan Partners →John
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About
Venture Advisory Network member; General Partner at Canaan Partners.
Contact· self-published, not guessed
Invests in
ConsumerEnterprise Software
Beyond investing
- Education
- Studied at Cornell University (BS, Electrical Engineering, 1982) Studied at Cornell University Johnson School (MBA, 1986)
- Boards
- Balen sits on the Cornell University Board of Trustees. Balen has served on five Cornell University advisory councils.
- Communities
- Balen has volunteered with Cornell University since 2001 and mentors entrepreneurial researchers through the NSF's I-Corps program.
- Hobbies
- Balen enjoys discovering new cultures, places, and cuisines, and roots for the Cubs, Bears, Sharks, Bruins, and Giants.
- Family
- Balen lives in Hillsborough, California with his wife Norma, and his two children John Jr. (Cornell '19) and Danielle (Cornell '20) both attended Cornell.
- More
- Balen grew up in Waukegan, Illinois before attending Cornell University.
From published sources — common ground for a warm intro.
Board director at UrbanSitter
Intro paths
In turn, John can intro founders to UrbanSitter's investors below.
UrbanSitter's investors · 10
Co-founders at UrbanSitter
Board director at Cardlytics
Intro paths
In turn, John can intro founders to Cardlytics's investors below.
Cardlytics's investors · 9
Co-founders at Cardlytics
Board director at Switchfly
Intro paths
In turn, John can intro founders to Switchfly's investors below.
Switchfly's investors · 4
Co-founders at Switchfly
Experience
- Canaan PartnersGeneral Partnercurrent1995 — present
- Horsley Bridge PartnersManaging Director1985 — 1995
- Codenoll TechnologyApplications Engineer1982 — 1984
- Digital Equipment CorporationEngineer1980 — 1982
Skills & more
From John's professional profile.
Deals · 4
UrbanSitterBoard seat
via Canaan Partners · filed May 2025 · $2.7M raise
Reischling PressBoard seat
via Canaan Partners · filed Aug 2020 · $7.4M raise
CardlyticsBoard seat
via Canaan Partners · filed Jun 2017 · $11.9M raise
SOASTABoard seat
via Canaan Partners · filed Aug 2015 · $25.6M raise
Attribution from SEC filings, press coverage, and firm rosters.
Other disclosed investments
Investor
BlurbCommerce OneEchopasseStampEverdreamEverdream CorporationID AnalyticsInstante SoftwareIntermix.ioIntrawareRightPointSilicon OptixSilverRailSilverRail TechnologiesStayfulSureWavesSwitchflyVue TechnologyZiploop
Sources: SEC Form D filings · curated public sources · the firm's website.
Colleagues at Canaan Partners
Frequently asked questions
- Who is John Balen?
- Venture Advisory Network member; General Partner at Canaan Partners.
- Where does John Balen work?
- John Balen is Partner / West Coast at Canaan Partners and Board director at UrbanSitter and Board director at Cardlytics and Board director at Switchfly.
- What does John Balen invest in?
- John Balen invests in Consumer, Enterprise Software.
- What boards does John Balen sit on?
- John Balen holds tracked board seats at Cardlytics, Reischling Press, SOASTA, UrbanSitter.
- What companies has John Balen invested in?
- Investments tracked here include Blurb, Cardlytics, Commerce One, Echopass, eStamp, Everdream, Everdream Corporation, ID Analytics, Instante Software, Intermix.io, Intraware, RightPoint, and 10 more.
- Where did John Balen go to school?
- John Balen studied at Cornell University (Master of Business Administration (MBA)); Cornell University (Bachelor of Science (BS), Electrical and Electronics Engineering).
Same school
Also attended Cornell University1,421
+ 1,415 more
Shared employers
Also worked at Horsley Bridge Partners13
+ 7 more
Also worked at Digital Equipment Corporation639
+ 633 more