# Beckie Robertson

> Beckie Robertson is co-founder and general partner at Versant Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture capital firm focused on biotechnology and drug discovery. A chemical engineer by training, she has spent decades backing early-stage medical device and diagnostics companies, with prior operating roles at Chiron Diagnostics, Lifescan, and Egis. She currently serves as vice chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees and was awarded the Cornell Duffield Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award in April 2026.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and General Partner at Versant Ventures
- **Organizations:** Versant Ventures, Cornell University Board of Trustees, Tandem Diabetes Care, Enable Injections
- **From:** Upstate New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. Chemical Engineering, Cornell University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Versant Ventures, a leading biotech venture firm with billions under management, Built and ran a $200M business unit at Chiron Diagnostics, Vice chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees; chairs its executive committee

## Career timeline

- **1982** — Graduates from Cornell with a B.S. in chemical engineering.
- **1980s-1990s** — Holds senior operations and finance roles at Lifescan, a Johnson & Johnson company, as it grows from venture-funded startup to global leader in diabetes diagnostics.
- **early 1990s** — Co-founds Egis, an Institutional Venture Partners portfolio company, serving as Vice President.
- **1994-1996** — Senior Vice President at Chiron Diagnostics, running the $200 million Critical Care business unit.
- **late 1990s** — Joins Institutional Venture Partners (IVP) as a general partner.
- **1999** — Co-founds Versant Ventures in Menlo Park / San Francisco.
- **2024-12** — Versant closes a new fund (Latest Funding $400M).
- **2026-04** — Receives the Cornell Duffield Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Versant Ventures, a leading biotech venture firm with billions under management
- Built and ran a $200M business unit at Chiron Diagnostics
- Vice chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees; chairs its executive committee
- Endowed the Michael Shuler Biomedical Engineering Clinical Immersion Program at Cornell
- Received Cornell's Duffield Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award (2026)
- Board member, Tandem Diabetes Care and Enable Injections

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Received the Cornell Duffield Engineering Distinguished Alumni Award.
- **2024-12** — Versant Ventures closed a $400M fund.

## Links

- Website: https://versantventures.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/beckie-robertson-a82809137

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/beckie-robertson
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-20