What inspires you about your work? What makes you passionate about your work?

Biotech is inspiring because it holds the potential to fundamentally change lives by treating or curing diseases. Modern medicine is remarkable, but there are many diseases that continue to negatively impact millions of people globally. The companies we have the privilege of investing in make it their mission to help patients who are underserved by today’s therapies. Whether it’s oncology, autoimmune, respiratory, cardiovascular, or ophthalmology, we invest in cutting-edge science and top management teams to address these unmet needs for patients.

What unique life experience shapes the way you go about investing?

Just like Norwest, I trace my roots back to the Midwest. Growing up in central Illinois, I learned the values of hard work, community, and optimism. Entrepreneurship in life sciences requires all three of these elements. Advancing a novel therapy through clinical trials, FDA approval, and to patients worldwide is a challenging endeavor. Persistent, talented teams who believe they can achieve better outcomes for patients is what I look for when investing in life sciences companies.

How do you help founders take things to the next level?

Throughout my career, I’ve worked with biotech and medical device companies from early pre-clinical to late commercial stages. From my time as a researcher at Stanford to working at McKinsey and Blackstone prior to Norwest, it’s been a privilege to work with large and small companies as they advance novel therapies. I enjoy working with founders throughout the lifecycle of a company and am always willing to roll up my sleeves alongside them to help companies achieve success.