Sami Monah Hamade
Jan. 7, 1961-April 8, 2018
Palo Alto, California

Sami Hamade, 57, passed away on April 8, 2018 after a short, courageous battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his loving family and friends. Born in Lebanon in 1961, Sami earned a bachelor's degree in Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a master's degree in Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and an M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

After earning his diplomas, Sami led a very successful career in the medical device space. He was a well-recognized and admired investor, officer, manager and engineer in the Silicon Valley medical device community for over 20 years. His work spanned back to his early days in stent development at Advanced Cardiovascular Systems (ACS) and ultimately Guidant. During the course of his venture capital career as a Partner at Aberdare ventures and subsequently Apple Tree Partners, Sami built a strong reputation as a selfless, considerate and savvy contributor from the boardroom to the engineering lab. Sami's many contributions enabled a number of high profile success stories throughout his career, many of which were pioneering investments in new therapeutic areas, including the likes of Ablation Frontiers, Cardiomems, Nevro and NxThera.

In addition to his many contributions in his professional career, Sami has been a regular guest lecturer for many years at the Stanford Business School and Stanford Bio Design programs. He was also an inventor and recipient of the prestigious Boss Kettering Award for innovation.

Sami is survived by his wife Maya, with whom he had just celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in January, and their three children.

Sami loved life and lived it to the fullest. He was a great sports fan, even if some Bay Area friends would have preferred him to love and support the University of Michigan football team less. He was also an avid traveler and visited tens of countries with his wife and children. Maya immortalized many of their wonderful trips to vibrant watercolors that commemorate today the richness of their lives together.

In spite of their already busy lives, Sami and Maya always found time to spend with friends and family providing them with sumptuous parties, unlimited attention and life-changing advice that demonstrated their genuine generosity, sincerity, kindness and love.

Sami will truly be missed by his family and the many people whose heart he touched so profoundly, as well as the lives he impacted so positively.

Tags: business