# Fred Middleton

> Fred Middleton is a Series A investor at Sanderling Ventures backing Health Care and Biotechnology. See 8 investments, check sizes, portfolio. Updated Aug 2026.

- Type: Angel Investor
- Fund: [Sanderling Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/sanderling-ventures)
- Total investments: 8
- Last investment: Jan 2015
- Lead investor: 50%
- Last updated: Aug 2026
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fred-middleton-7939a810

Fred Middleton is a Series A investor at Sanderling Ventures focused on Health Care and Biotechnology. Fred Middleton has over twenty-eight years experience in the biotechnology and biomedical industries in both corporate management and as a new venture investor. Mr. Middleton joined Dr. McNeil in 1987 as a General Partner of Sanderling. Since 1987, Mr. Middleton has worked on venture capital investments and the corporate development of early-stagebiomedical companies at Sanderling, serving as a founder, investor, management team member and director of many start-up ventures in Sanderling's portfolio.Over the last several years, he has played active management roles as Chairman, CEO or Director of a number of Sanderling portfolio companies, currently including Stereotaxis (NASDAQ: STXS), Favrille (NASDAQ: FVRL), CardioNet (NASDAQ: BEAT), Novocell, Cylene, Endocyte, and Actimis.Mr. Middleton began his career as a consultant for McKinsey & Company's San Francisco office from 1973 to 1975. He subsequently worked as a Vice President in planning and corporate development Chase Manhattan Bank in New York. In 1978, Mr. Middleton joined Bob Swanson and Herb Boyer, the founders of biotechnology pioneer Genentech, Inc., as the third member of original management team, where he served in various capacities, including Vice President of Finance, Administration, Corporate Development, Chief Financial Officer, and as President of Genentech Development Corporation. While at Genentech, Mr. Middleton successfully completed over $200 million in corporate partnering and institutional funding transactions, including the Company's successful IPO in 1980.After Genentech, Mr. Middleton founded Morgan Stanley Ventures in 1984, serving as Managing General Partner of an institutional fund raised to sponsor R&D funding arrangements at leading technology companies in the biomedical sciences and information technology fields.Mr. Middleton earned his B.S. in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1971 and an M.B.A with distinction from Harvard Business School in 1973.

## Investment focus

### Industry

| Industry | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Health Care | 2 | 25% |
| Biotechnology | 2 | 25% |
| Genetics | 1 | 13% |
| Life Science | 1 | 13% |
| Health Diagnostics | 1 | 13% |

### Stage

| Stage | Investments | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Series A | 3 | 38% |
| Series B | 1 | 13% |
| Series C | 1 | 13% |
| Funding Round | 1 | 13% |

## Investments

| Company | Description | Amount | Stage | Date | Website |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lineagen | Lineagen is a provider of diagnostic and healthcare services focused on complex diseases for which an individual's genetic profiles contribute strongly to their susceptibility. Lineagen is committed to improving outcomes for those affected by autism and other complex diseases, for which effective early diagnosis and intervention can have asignificant positive impact. The company's comprehensive genetic testing and support/counseling service are initially designed to enable early evaluation of children at risk for disorders of childhood development, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Founded in 2002, Lineagen's commercial strategy represents the culmination of significant proprietary research into genetic causes and diagnostic pathways of key complex diseases, including autism, MS, and COPD. One of the company's core research competitive advantages is its access through the University of Utah to the Utah Population Database, an unmatched biomarker discovery research platform that has been used to help the University identify more disease-related genes than any other institution in the world. | $12.2M | Series C | Jan 26, 2015 |  |
| Lineagen | Lineagen is a provider of diagnostic and healthcare services focused on complex diseases for which an individual's genetic profiles contribute strongly to their susceptibility. Lineagen is committed to improving outcomes for those affected by autism and other complex diseases, for which effective early diagnosis and intervention can have asignificant positive impact. The company's comprehensive genetic testing and support/counseling service are initially designed to enable early evaluation of children at risk for disorders of childhood development, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Founded in 2002, Lineagen's commercial strategy represents the culmination of significant proprietary research into genetic causes and diagnostic pathways of key complex diseases, including autism, MS, and COPD. One of the company's core research competitive advantages is its access through the University of Utah to the Utah Population Database, an unmatched biomarker discovery research platform that has been used to help the University identify more disease-related genes than any other institution in the world. | $3.5M | Series C | Dec 18, 2013 |  |
| Lineagen | Lineagen is a provider of diagnostic and healthcare services focused on complex diseases for which an individual's genetic profiles contribute strongly to their susceptibility. Lineagen is committed to improving outcomes for those affected by autism and other complex diseases, for which effective early diagnosis and intervention can have asignificant positive impact. The company's comprehensive genetic testing and support/counseling service are initially designed to enable early evaluation of children at risk for disorders of childhood development, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Founded in 2002, Lineagen's commercial strategy represents the culmination of significant proprietary research into genetic causes and diagnostic pathways of key complex diseases, including autism, MS, and COPD. One of the company's core research competitive advantages is its access through the University of Utah to the Utah Population Database, an unmatched biomarker discovery research platform that has been used to help the University identify more disease-related genes than any other institution in the world. | $16M | Series B | Nov 04, 2011 |  |
| Lineagen | Lineagen is a provider of diagnostic and healthcare services focused on complex diseases for which an individual's genetic profiles contribute strongly to their susceptibility. Lineagen is committed to improving outcomes for those affected by autism and other complex diseases, for which effective early diagnosis and intervention can have asignificant positive impact. The company's comprehensive genetic testing and support/counseling service are initially designed to enable early evaluation of children at risk for disorders of childhood development, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Founded in 2002, Lineagen's commercial strategy represents the culmination of significant proprietary research into genetic causes and diagnostic pathways of key complex diseases, including autism, MS, and COPD. One of the company's core research competitive advantages is its access through the University of Utah to the Utah Population Database, an unmatched biomarker discovery research platform that has been used to help the University identify more disease-related genes than any other institution in the world. | $10.8M | Series A | Aug 30, 2010 |  |
| Axikin Pharmaceuticals | Axikin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused exclusively on the development and commercialization of small molecule therapeutics for severe respiratory, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), inflammatory dermatoses, inflammatory bowel disease andrheumatoid arthritis. Axikin was spun out from Actimis Pharmaceuticals, in June 2008. | $3M | Series A | Jan 22, 2009 |  |
| Lineagen | Lineagen is a provider of diagnostic and healthcare services focused on complex diseases for which an individual's genetic profiles contribute strongly to their susceptibility. Lineagen is committed to improving outcomes for those affected by autism and other complex diseases, for which effective early diagnosis and intervention can have asignificant positive impact. The company's comprehensive genetic testing and support/counseling service are initially designed to enable early evaluation of children at risk for disorders of childhood development, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Founded in 2002, Lineagen's commercial strategy represents the culmination of significant proprietary research into genetic causes and diagnostic pathways of key complex diseases, including autism, MS, and COPD. One of the company's core research competitive advantages is its access through the University of Utah to the Utah Population Database, an unmatched biomarker discovery research platform that has been used to help the University identify more disease-related genes than any other institution in the world. | $5.8M | Series A | Dec 31, 2008 |  |
| Actimis Pharmaceuticals | Actimis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a start-up biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of small molecule therapeutics for respiratory and inflammatory disorders. Actimis was created as a spin-off from the respiratory diseases therapeutic research portfolio of Bayer Healthcare AG. The spin-off was founded by Dr. Kevin Bacon and hasreceived venture financing from a syndicate lead by Sanderling Ventures of San Mateo, California and Mitsui & Co Venture Partners of New York. Dr. Bacon was most recently Vice President and Global Head of Respiratory diseases research at Bayer Yakuhin Ltd., Japan where the programs were initiated. | $9.6M |  | Jun 06, 2008 |  |
| Actimis Pharmaceuticals | Actimis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a start-up biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of small molecule therapeutics for respiratory and inflammatory disorders. Actimis was created as a spin-off from the respiratory diseases therapeutic research portfolio of Bayer Healthcare AG. The spin-off was founded by Dr. Kevin Bacon and hasreceived venture financing from a syndicate lead by Sanderling Ventures of San Mateo, California and Mitsui & Co Venture Partners of New York. Dr. Bacon was most recently Vice President and Global Head of Respiratory diseases research at Bayer Yakuhin Ltd., Japan where the programs were initiated. | $6M | Series A | Apr 28, 2005 |  |

8 of 8 investments shown.

## Co-investors
- [PrairieGold Venture Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/prairiegold-venture-partners) — VC Fund, 4 deals together
- [vSpring Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/vspring-capital) — VC Fund, 3 deals together
- [Mesa Verde Venture Partners](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/mesa-verde-venture-partners) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Signal Peak Ventures](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/signal-peak-ventures) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [University Growth Fund](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/university-venture-fund) — VC Fund, 2 deals together
- [Archipel Capital](https://shizune.co/investors/profile/archipel-capital) — VC Fund, 1 deal together

## About Sanderling Ventures

VC Fund · San Mateo, United States

Sanderling Ventures is an investment company that specializes in seed and early-stage investments. It also participates in later-stage financings. The firm focuses on new biomedical market opportunities, including emerging technology in the areas such as biotechnology, life sciences, therapeutics and pharmaceuticals, drug delivery, medical devices,and instrumentation; imaging and diagnostics, medical informatics, healthcare information technology; and health care services. It seeks to invest in United States and Canada.Sanderling Ventures was founded by Robert McNeil in 1979 and is headquartered in Sam Mateo, California.

5 contacts available at Sanderling Ventures.

| Name | Title | Profile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Fred Middleton | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/fred-middleton |
| Timothy C. Mills | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/timothy-c-mills |
| Timothy Wollaeger | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/timothy-wollaeger |
| Michael Dixon | Managing Director | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/michael-dixon-6 |
| Paulette Taylor | General Counsel & Principal | https://shizune.co/investors/profile/paulette-taylor |

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## FAQ

### What does Fred Middleton invest in?

Fred Middleton invests primarily in Health Care, Biotechnology and Genetics startups, most often at Series A and Series B stage. Most of the 8 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.

### When did Fred Middleton last invest?

The most recent investment recorded for Fred Middleton closed in Jan 2015. Shizune tracks 8 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.

### Is Shizune's investor data accurate?

Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.

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