Don Listwin

I have 40+ years in the technology industry. I built a successful tech career at Cisco, and then became the CEO of a public company—OpenWave—that helped power the first generation of the mobile internet. Since then, I created Listwin Ventures which has invested in dozens of other leading technology companies. I founded the Canary Foundation in 2004 to advance early cancer detection. My operating experience includes CEO roles at RapidAI and ZEVX. I currently serve on four boards: 4AG Robotics, Carbon Robotics, Canary Foundation, and BelizeKids.org. I also serve as a Tech Partner at Sequoia Capital and Rally Ventures.

With a focus on developing networking and data center technologies for the Internet, I began my career in 1980 at Develcon in Canada, marketing data switching technology for the mini-computer era. In the mid-1980s, I relocated to Silicon Valley and joined Cisco Systems in 1990. During a 10-year tenure at Cisco, I built the IBM business unit, the Access business unit, and the Service Provider line of business—overseeing business totaling more than $12 billion in annual revenue. In 2000, I became CEO of Openwave, which provided software that helped make the early mobile Internet work.

“I think just about any problem can be fixed with the right amount of leadership, intellect, and time.”

After 25 years of senior leadership operating experience, I founded the Canary Foundation in 2004 and dedicated myself to philanthropic work in science and technology for the early detection of cancer. The Canary Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on funding, discovering, and developing tests for early cancer detection. I continue to be deeply involved with other cancer-related organizations. In 2009, I was appointed to the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Advisors. I am a member of the Stanford Advisory Board for the Canary Center for Cancer Early Detection at Stanford and in 2018 I was honored to be awarded the Dean's Medal—the highest honor bestowed by the School of Medicine to individuals whose contributions have significantly advanced the mission of Stanford Medicine. I am also a faculty member in Radiology at Stanford Medicine.

From 2018–2021, I served as CEO of RapidAI— the worldwide leader in cerebrovascular imaging analysis, delivering the proven software tools that healthcare professionals around the world use to successfully identify and treat more stroke patients than ever before.

I live part-time in Belize where I scuba dive daily and work on restoring and protecting the barrier reef. In 2010, my wife and I created the non-profit BelizeKids.org to support local community and education initiatives and have created a partnership with Stanford to deliver eye care to the local community.

A native of Canada, I hold a B.E. in Electrical Engineering and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Saskatchewan, Canada where I continue to actively support student entrepreneurs.