Our former colleague, Nicola Campbell, passed away on June 8, 2008. Nicola was with our firm when we were known as BA Venture Partners. All of us deeply regret her passing and express condolences to her family and friends.

Nicola leaves behind a lasting legacy in the industry. We will miss her insights, her teamwork and her laughter. Nicola also will be missed for her deep knowledge as well as her many personal kindnesses.

Nicola battled Crohn's disease most of her adult life. In lieu of flowers, her family would appreciate donations be made to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. In remembrance of Nicola's contribution to our firm, ScaleVP has made a donation to this foundation.

ScaleVP is also in touch with her parents and if readers of this information wish to pass on their condolences to ScaleVP, we will ensure the thoughts are communicated to the Campbell family. Please send your thoughts to: Ann Van Ess, ann@scalevp.com.

For those of you who wish to make a donation to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, it is:
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America
386 Park Avenue South
17th Floor
New York, NY 10016

http://www.ccfa.org

The press wrote warm articles on Nicola's passing which we want to share with you.

Nicola Campbell, venture capitalist with Sofinnova Ventures, who impressed me deeply with her ambition and intellect over the years I knew her, has tragically passed away at the young age of 37.

There are not many women who work in venture capital, but Nicola not only nudged her way into that male-dominated world relatively easily (or so it seemed from the outside), she was remarkable for precociousness in most other areas of her career. She had a doctorate in immunology, and started on the science side with Genentech, but then wanted to understand the business side of the VC business too, including all of the regulatory issues and other procedures involved in bringing a new drug to market ("I want to be a fly on the wall," she told me in this piece written in 2002." Scroll down a bit, as there's an extended section about how she created a network called Twist for other young VCs breaking into the business.)

I got to know her when she was leaving Burrill as a junior on the team to join BA Venture Partners and then followed her as she became a partner at Sofinnova Ventures. She shot up the ranks quickly, but she remained cheerful, friendly and easily likable throughout. She made investments that included Alimera Biosciences, Cellective Therapeutics, Marinus Pharma and Phenomix, and helped her team make many others. Looking back on it now, I remember asking myself, “Wow, what makes that Nicola tick?"

She wrote a column for VentureBeat last year.

Little did I know, her passion for helping to create great new drugs was sparked by her own battle with Crohn's Disease, something I'm only learning now from Dan Primack. It's unclear if that condition led to her passing, but there's no known drug or surgical cure for the disease.

Some very sad news to report out of Silicon Valley, where venture capitalist Nicola Campbell has passed away at the age of 37. She was serving as a partner with Sofinnova Ventures, and before that had been with BA Venture Partners (now Scale Venture Partners) and Burrill & Co. Her deals included Alimera Biosciences, Cellective Therapeutics, Marinus Pharma and Phenomix.

Nicola had begun her career as an immunologist, receiving her PhD from Mount Sinai Medical Center, and then working with Genentech. Part of her passion for the work was sparked by her own battle with Crohn's Disease, although it is unclear if that condition led to her untimely passing.

I have not yet been able to connect with Sofinnova, but have spoken to others who knew Nicola far better than I. They all described her as cheerful and energetic, and noted how she had successfully launched a Bay Area program that connected life sciences VCs with area physicians and medical researchers.

Nicola will be buried in a ceremony in her native Canada. Her parents request that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America.