Owen Willis / Opal Ventures

Owen Willis is the Founder and GP of Opal Ventures, a $10 million pre-seed fund investing in healthcare infrastructure.

We dive into into what makes healthcare startups different, why it’s cheaper than ever to start one, and how healthcare organizations have changed their approach to working with early-stage companies. Owen shares his unconventional path to VC, from teaching to COO of a health tech startup to launching OnDeck’s healthcare arm, and why that matters for how he picks founders.

Owen looks for speed of iteration and resilience. In healthcare, the ability to pivot quickly and push through regulatory complexity separates founders who make it from those who don’t.

We also talk about raising Fund I during the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, how he built his LP base starting with small checks, and his advice for emerging managers: carve out your niche, don’t compete with mega-funds, and build long-term relationships with founders.

Watch now, or on Spotify / Apple Podcasts