
Grace Isford
As an investor, she loves working with entrepreneurs who are problem solvers in their own right, identifying problems they resonate deeply with and have a steely determination to solve.
Before Canvas, Grace worked on the LP side, at the Stanford Management Company, and on the operating side, in product at edtech startup Handshake. Both experiences led her to venture, where she is most motivated by helping entrepreneurs make their visions a reality.
Grace is always looking to find humble and ambitious entrepreneurs building products with an earned insight about their users, and are often uniquely motivated to deliver their product’s value to their users.
She loves helping companies develop go-to-market strategies, and think critically about how to thoughtfully scale big businesses. Competitive from a young age, Grace is passionate about being a great team player and helping whatever team she’s on win, whether that is her peers at Canvas or the entrepreneurs she works with.
Outside of work, you can find Grace going for long runs or reading. She is actively involved on the board of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Stanford’s entrepreneurship center, and she serves as a volunteer with All Raise, a nonprofit focused on accelerating the success of female founders and funders.
Grace holds her BS and MS in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, where she was a Mayfield Fellow.
Biography
As an investor, she loves working with entrepreneurs who are problem solvers in their own right, identifying problems they resonate deeply with and have a steely determination to solve.
Before Canvas, Grace worked on the LP side, at the Stanford Management Company, and on the operating side, in product at edtech startup Handshake. Both experiences led her to venture, where she is most motivated by helping entrepreneurs make their visions a reality.
Grace is always looking to find humble and ambitious entrepreneurs building products with an earned insight about their users, and are often uniquely motivated to deliver their product’s value to their users.
She loves helping companies develop go-to-market strategies, and think critically about how to thoughtfully scale big businesses. Competitive from a young age, Grace is passionate about being a great team player and helping whatever team she’s on win, whether that is her peers at Canvas or the entrepreneurs she works with.
Outside of work, you can find Grace going for long runs or reading. She is actively involved on the board of the Stanford Technology Ventures Program, Stanford’s entrepreneurship center, and she serves as a volunteer with All Raise, a nonprofit focused on accelerating the success of female founders and funders.
Grace holds her BS and MS in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University, where she was a Mayfield Fellow.
Mindset by Carol Dweck. She believes in the growth mindset, thriving on challenges and viewing them as areas of opportunity for personal growth.
Grace lived in Tokyo, Japan during her childhood and aspires to re-learn the Japanese language.