Build

Announcing Canaan Build.

A new program we've incubated to support our founders in shaping and scaling their ventures.

Build

Announcing Canaan Build

A new program we've incubated to support our founders in shaping and scaling their ventures.

Now investing from our 12th fund in 35 years, one of our long-held values remains partnering with visionaries to grow in ways they couldn't alone. We take pride in building a community around our portfolio while offering the full support of our network and resources. Having lived through several turbulent cycles since our founding in 1987, we know that with the right guidance and perseverance, great companies can emerge from such periods of market turmoil.

This is why we've gone a step further and assembled a dedicated Canaan team of seasoned operators to roll up their sleeves and work alongside the incredible entrepreneurs of the Canaan community. Howard Greenfield and Amanda Townsend partner with our portfolio companies and share expertise based on their unique needs, stages, and sectors.

The Canaan Build team works individually and in groups to provide advice and support in two of the most important pillars of company building:

Talent

Finding great talent is always a top priority for early-stage companies that want to scale, and the right leadership team is critical to navigating tough markets. Amanda has built out Canaan's Talent Network, and she leads our collective of recruiting resources to support our companies' talent searches from executive to entry-level roles.

In accordance with Canaan's core value of diversity, we also offer guidance on incorporating HR best practices, building equitable workplace cultures, and implementing DE&I initiatives. Building diverse teams can provide stability and improve long-term performance.


Go-To-Market

Efficiency and experience become even more important given macroeconomic pressures. Canaan portfolio companies benefit from our expertise in building GTM strategies and strengthening product value, including marketing and PR strategy, developing early sales playbooks, defining KPIs to create repeatable outcomes, and managing partnerships. Having led more than $400M of revenue at a publicly listed company, Howard is perhaps one of the best in the industry to provide such guidance. He works with our CEOs and CFOs on fiscal year planning, including target markets, organization and approach, and pipeline evaluation and forecasting, to ensure go-to-market success despite the environment.


It's anyone's guess how long this particular recovery will take, but we do know that uncertainty always breeds opportunity. This is especially true for innovative companies and founders who are prepared to do what's needed to capitalize on them. We hope Canaan Build only reinforces our ability to support our companies to not only survive this moment but come out of it stronger than ever.

To learn more about what Canaan Build can do for you, contact us at build@canaan.com.


“Canaan worked with us to develop hiring plans for many new executive roles. With the team's continued support through interviewing and onboarding, we've filled all open positions with fantastic candidates who will define the next chapter for Axis Security.”

Dor Knafo, Co-Founder and CEO of Axis Security

“Canaan has introduced us to a number of new partners and also worked with us to enhance and expand those relationships. These partnerships are already driving growth for APIsec and creating opportunities in new markets.”

Faizel Lakhani, CEO of APIsec.ai

“Canaan has assisted us and helped set Dragos up for success in 2022, partnering with us to assess the health of our sales pipeline, identify gaps, and build strategies to troubleshoot bottlenecks. They've also been incredibly helpful in offering guidance on target customers, team organization, and our GTM approach for various segments.”

Robert M. Lee, Founder, and CEO of Dragos