Women Who Inspire Us
Tech Finance

Christine Comaford

Christine Comaford is managing director of Artemis Ventures, a venture capital firm with a focus on pre-start-up and second-stage software and Internet companies.

Considered one of the industry's top visionary and trailblazers, over the past 12 years Comaford has founded five successful start-ups, advised some of the nation's foremost software companies and Fortune 1000 firms and secured over $100 million in financing. She has also served on the boards of for- and nonprofit companies and consulted with President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Comaford defines herself as a "parallel entrepreneur," simultaneously guiding several start-ups from seed to early-stage development at the same time. She specializes in helping entrepreneurs secure financing, establish strategic alliances, recruit influential board members and refine technology and product development strategies, as well as cultivate analyst and media relations.

A frequent media commentator and pundit, Comaford wrote a software development column for PC Week for five years. She has been honored as one of Business Week's top women in computing and as one Success Magazine's of top five "renegade" entrepreneurs. She has also been named as one of San Francisco Women on the Web's Top 25 Women on the Web.

Comaford is a frequent guest lecturer on entrepreneurship at numerous business schools, including Harvard, Stanford, UCLA and UC Berkeley. She does volunteer work with cancer patients and sits on the board of Volunteer Match.