Jotthe Kannappan, senior associate at Intuitive Ventures, is one of our top 50 Rising Stars in corporate venturing for 2025.
Jotthe Kannappan is a senior associate at Intuitive Ventures, the CVC arm of the US biotech company Intuitive Surgical, which makes robotics for performing minimally invasive surgeries.
She first entered the startup world through her work with ophthalmology company Oculeve during her undergraduate degree. After graduating from Stanford University with a degree in bioengineering and biomedical engineering, she continued her career at the diagnostics company Visby Medical’s product team.
“This experience sparked my passion for healthcare innovation and entrepreneurship, ultimately leading me to Intuitive Ventures,” she explains.
She joined Intuitive Ventures as an MBA Associate in 2020, working with the fund while studying with Harvard Business School. Since then, she has worked on Intuitive Ventures’ investments across sectors that complement the minimally invasive care offerings of the corporate parent.
“Choose a firm whose values align with your own passions. This alignment won’t just make your work fulfilling, it will make it truly energising”
Kannappan is an advocate for healthcare equality. Last year, Intuitive Ventures invested in Amber Therapeutics, which makes a therapy for mixed urinary incontinence, a condition estimated to affect 33% of women postpartum but which often goes untreated. She says that having that driving passion is essential for people considering a CVC career.
“Choose a firm whose values align with your own passions. This alignment won’t just make your work fulfilling, it will make it truly energising.”
US-based Intuitive Ventures is made up of a team of four, it targets early-stage startups and has over $250m in assets under management with 12 companies on its portfolio. It is on its second fund, which is $150m in size.
“The best and most humbling part of my job is interacting with entrepreneurs who are driven by positive impact on patients,” she says.
“At Intuitive, one of our core values is ‘patients first, always’ and I love seeing that embodied in the brilliant founders we work with.”
She is a frequent conference attendee, presenting on the opportunities and trends in healthcare corporate venturing. With nearly ten years’ worth of experience in the commercial medical technology sector, she is also a contributor to podcasts on the subject, including GCV’s own, which she appeared on in 2022.
See the full list of Rising Stars 2025 here.
