Lance Fors Bio

Lance Fors

Lance Fors has been an SV2 partner since 2005. Lance joined the SV2 Board of Directors in 2005, became Vice Chair in 2006 and Chairman in 2008. Over the years he has also co-chaired the Foster Youth Affinity Group; participated in Education, International and Environment grant rounds; and served as board chair to two grantees (New Teacher Center and Reading Partners), a board member to one grantee (Silicon Valley Children’s Fund), and a liaison to one grantee (Acterra).

Lance Fors received his BA from UC-Berkeley and his PhD from the California Institute of Technology in molecular biology.   Lance was then Founder and CEO of Third Wave Technologies, building it into a leading publicly-traded biotechnology company, which made products that enabled the early detection and treatment of cervical, colorectal, liver and other cancers.  Since selling Third Wave for $600 million, Lance has focused on social change and entrepreneurship.  

In social change, Lance focuses on empowering our best social entrepreneurs by acting as a thought partner and mentor.   He works with several dozen organizations per year at inflection points in their development on their funding, talent and program models and how to transform their impact.  Lance has also been the long-term board chair of New Teacher Center, Reading Partners and Silicon Valley Social Venture Fund (SV2) helping them achieve up to 75% compound annual growth and become leaders in their fields.  In addition, Lance is chair of the International Association of Social Venture Partnerships, a board member of Growth Philanthropy Network and Jumpstart, and lectures on the potential of nonprofit boards to provide transformational leadership

In social entrepreneurship, Lance is the Founder and CEO of a provider of housing for individuals with disabilities.   He acquires, modifies and then rents out select properties long-term to enable individuals with special physical or mental needs to live independently.  Lance is also lead director and co-owner of Lance Construction Supplies, an inventor on dozens of patents, and an Ernst and Young entrepreneur of the year award recipient.

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