The rest of the 100 (in alphabetical order): Linden Rhoads, general manager, W Fund

Following a six-year spell as University of Washington’s vice-provost for intellectual property, commercialisation and innovation, Linden Rhoads has been general manager of the institution’s $20m W Fund since it was launched at the start of 2013.

Rhoads previously founded investment firm Seattle Ventures and played a leading role in several of its exits during an 11-year career.

The W Fund backs startups not just from University of Washington, but from other institutions and research organisations around Washington state.

Among the W Fund’s deals to date is Mobisante, a medical device company that makes ultrasound imaging systems. The fund participated in Mobisante’s $4.2m series A round in 2013.

Its portfolio companies are predominantly based in the medical devices, biotech and cleantech sectors and include Nexgenia, a manufacturer of stimuli-responsive polymers which raised $1.9m in a W Fund-backed round in 2016.