ACCELERATING THE HEALTHCARE OF TOMORROW
The Midwest is the Heartland of America. From factories to farmland, major metropolises to small towns we have built a rich diversity of communities and companies based on hard work, determination, integrity, and helping others. Our word is our bond. Reputation matters.
PACE Healthcare Capital lives by those same values. PACE stands for Performance, Accountability, Collaboration and Equity, the principles by which we live.
We invest in digital health and healthcare tech companies that are led by industrious and innovative entrepreneurs who are committed to improving healthcare outcomes and reducing costs for everyone.
We don’t hunt unicorns.
We don’t follow the crowds.
We don’t make decisions by templates or checklists.
We work hard to support our healthcare entrepreneurs by investing financial and human capital. We seek and enable inclusive and equitable investment opportunities for everyone.
We focus on you.
OUR INVESTMENT STRATEGY
-
You have an experienced, mission-driven and diverse leadership team
You deliver a high impact digital health or healthcare tech solution - based on software, AI or ML (no medtech or life sciences)
You see commercial traction
It could be users, contracts, revenues, or any other metrics. We are prepared to be creative
You are contemplating raising a late Seed, Series A, or Series B to get to scale
-
We invest capital
$1m to $4m for our initial investment, with substantial capital available for follow-on investments
We provide expertise to accelerate growth
Depending on your stated needs, we will make connections with strategic, operational, and financial capabilities, as well as networks
We can lead or follow-on
We know how to recognize a superb idea when others shy away
We also recognize that sometimes you will need more people to support your journey
We always have an open door
Contact us if you want to talk through your ideas even if it does not fit our investment strategy
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
Book a first meeting (only for entrepreneurs)
We also welcome a good old email
We are fortunate to partner with incredible entrepreneurs focused on the healthcare of tomorrow.
OUR PORTFOLIO, THE CHANGEMAKERS
Alloy Health
Alloy Health is a telehealth, prescription, and community platform to address the health of women over 40. For too long, menopause has been looked at as a wellness issue, not a medical issue; and one that women have to go through silently. There are myriads of evidence-based solutions to help women, but finding the right ones adapted to one’s individual health is difficult. Alloy is empowering women to take control of their own health and access the care that works for them.
Anne Fulenwider, Co-CEO, former editor-in-chief of Marie-Claire
Monica Molenaar, Co-CEO, serial entrepreneur
-
“Partnering with PACE is one of the smartest things we’ve done since deciding to build Alloy. Julia and Michael’s combined, complementary knowledge of the healthcare world has been invaluable to Alloy’s inception and launch. Generously and thoughtfully drawing on their depth of experience and vast networks, they provide wise counsel, practical advice, and a much-needed nuanced perspective on a complex and frenetic space.”
Anne Fulenwider & Monica Molenaar, co-CEOs
AMO
AMOpportunities is a pioneer in clinical-training-as-a-service. Doctors, nurses and healthcare workers must train in hospitals to learn patient care before graduating. Until AMO, the process to access quality rotations was complex, opaque, and sometimes arbitrary for US students, and even more so for international students. Now quality rotations are just a click away.
-
“We decided to partner with PACE Healthcare before there was an investment. The team was actively involved helping our leadership team build processes to obtain health systems. This led to help in many other operational areas such as finance and reporting. Their experience in the healthcare ecosystem and investment space has been a differentiator, as we have found immense value from PACE Healthcare from the start.”
Kyle Swinsky, CEO
Backpack Healthcare
Backpack Healthcare provides accessible, inclusive, and comprehensive mental health care for children, teens, and their families. Specializing in pediatric and family mental health, Backpack Healthcare offers therapy, psychiatry, medication management, and a self-care app to ensure timely and personalized intervention. With a focus on breaking barriers and healing young minds, Backpack Healthcare aims to address the youth mental health crisis by making high-quality care available to all, including those covered by Medicaid and major insurances.
-
“Partnering with PACE Capital has been a transformative decision for Backpack Healthcare. It is unusual for a firm experienced in late-stage investments to engage at the early stage, making it an honor to be part of Julia’s portfolio.
Julia's leadership and steadfast belief in our vision have been incredibly motivating. Her clear recognition of our potential and her push for excellence drive us forward. The support and resources from PACE Capital have been indispensable. Julia and her team are fully committed to our success, providing us with unparalleled expertise and extensive networks. This guidance and insight into the healthcare sector empower us to make significant progress on our journey.”
Hafeezah Muhammad, Founder & CEO
Headlight
(previously: SokyaHealth)
Headlight is a digital mental health practice providing high quality, medical-grade care to patients across multiple states in the USA. Founded by two psychiatrists, Headlight now comprises a growing group of experienced mental health professionals who are not only colleagues but integral members of the Headlight team. At Headlight, technology is focused on what matters most; supporting mental health professionals to deliver quality care and the best possible patient outcomes.
Manish Sheth, MD, PhD, Co-Founder
Prenosis
Prenosis is redefining the diagnostic industry, by diagnosing patients before they get sick: welcome to the world of PREnostics, starting with sepsis. Prenosis spent decades building the largest biobank ever created to study sepsis, NOSISTM. Result: Prenosis can now understand sepsis better than anybody. The team is bringing forward a software-as-a-diagnostic-tool to empower emergency room physicians and detect septic patients on the verge of deteriorating faster and more accurately than ever before. Thanks to the quality of its people and the science underlying, the company has landed strategic partnerships with Roche, the NIH and the US Department of Defense.
-
“Prenosis is very excited to work with PACE Healthcare! PACE’s thesis of being hands on, value-add investors was extremely attractive to Prenosis in making the decision to partner. Prenosis believes that the combination of years of experience in various healthcare industries with a strong dedication to adding value beyond just investment makes PACE Healthcare a premier firm to work with to build a successful healthcare company.”
Bobby Reddy, Jr., PhD, CEO and Founder of Prenosis
To grow with PACE, contact us at CONTACT@PACE-HEALTHCARE.COM
PEOPLE
INSTITUTIONAL-GRADE INVESTMENT PROCESSES + PROVEN OPERATING SKILLS IN HEALTHCARE
PARTNERS AND PRINCIPALS
JULIA MONFRINI PEEV
FOUNDER
Julia is a seasoned institutional PE/VC investor, with $1B of capital deployed and a demonstrated track record in healthcare. Daughter of entrepreneurs, Julia is passionate about building successful businesses solving critical issues in healthcare.
Investment positions prior to starting PACE include CDPQ, Canada’s second largest pension plan with ~$300B of AUM, where she co-led direct private equity investments in healthcare for North America and LATAM; and with Monitor Clipper Partners, a $2B mid-market PE fund investing in fast-growing founder-led businesses where she focused on healthcare companies in North America and Europe. Julia started her career at Merrill Lynch, in Leveraged Finance and then Healthcare M&A.
Degrees
M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School, recipient of the Marguerite Carriere fellowship and A.L. Littauer award
Master’s degree in Management from ESCP Europe
Investments
Alloy Health, AMOpportunities, Prenosis, Headlight, Backpack Healthcare
(prior) Team Health, Eurofins, CMC Biologics, MyEyeDr., and Higher Education Partner / Student Resource Center
JON DAVID WILLINGHAM
PARTNER
Jon David has spent the better part of two decades developing and financing innovative, values-aligned businesses. He has helped build or advised a diversity of investment firms including Highmore, Starwood Energy Group, PACE Healthcare Capital, and VantagePoint Capital Partners. He has also been deeply involved in the growth and governance of a myriad of companies. A trusted advisor and partner of prominent private and institutional investors, Jon David has enabled billions of dollars of growth financing; helped shape regulatory and legislative frameworks at all levels of government; and worked closely with boards and management teams to devise and execute long-haul mission-critical activities.
Jon David earned an MPA from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a BA in Economics and Political Science with minors in International Studies and Business Administration from Rhodes College.
Degrees
B.A. from Rhodes College
M.P.A. from the Harvard Kennedy School
Investments
Outside Roles
Board director or senior advisor for several companies
APRIL E. EVANS
PARTNER & CFO
April has more than 30 years experience as a CFO in the private equity and venture capital industry. She is Partner, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Compliance Officer of Monitor Clipper Partners, which has raised and managed $2 billion in private equity. Previously, Ms. Evans was Partner and CFO of Advanced Technology Ventures, a $1.5 billion venture capital firm.
Prior to MCP and ATV, she was Founding Partner with the accounting firm Squillace & Evans, and held senior finance and operations positions with Falcon Partners Management, BBK, Harvard Student Agencies, PWC, and in the Harvard Medical School teaching hospital system.
Degrees
B.A. cum laude from Duke University
Two Masters Degrees with honors from Boston University
M.B.A. with honors from Simmons University
C.P.A.
Outside Roles
Vice Chair of the Simmons University Board of Trustees
Boards of Directors of the Women’s Association of Venture and Equity (WAVE)
Boards of Directors of the ACLU of Massachusetts
Founding Co-Chair of the Association for Corporate Growth’s Private Equity
MICHAEL R. WILLIAMS
OPERATING PARTNER
Michael is an experienced international executive, business leader and entrepreneur with 30+ years’ experience in healthcare and technology. Michael has held leadership positions in leading healthcare companies around the world, including BMS, Pfizer and Takeda, as well as C-Suite roles with biotech and digital health startups, where he supported companies in raising >$250M capital.
Known for “having grease under his nails”, Michael led the Venture Acceleration team at MATTER, where he successfully fostered the growth of over forty startups across digital health, enabling them to obtain capital investment as well as accelerating their customer acquisition.
Degrees
B.A. (Hons) from the University College of North Wales (UCNW)
Post Graduate Certificate in Education from UCNW
Postgraduate research in Psychology at the University of Reading
General Management Program at INSEAD
Investments
Outside Roles
Xander Kardian, Sarcio
NANS RIVAT
VICE PRESIDENT
Nans is a financial professional with experiences in banking and a strong interest in entrepreneurship and investment. He started his career as a graduate at Goldman Sachs in London where he spent 4 years. He was most recently part of the Financial Sponsors Group team, covering Private Equity clients. Nans also represented the Investment Banking Division on the EMEA LGBTQ+ Steering Group. Prior to graduating, he worked at HSBC in both Paris and London offices. He is passionate about Arts and founded his own creative venture, Sassy Lady in 2018.
Degrees
Master’s degree from IÉSEG School of Management
Abroad study programs: US, China, Global Pre-MBA Leadership Program at Yale School of Management
Investments
LIZ YUHAS
VICE PRESIDENT
Liz Yuhas has over 12 years of experience in health tech. She holds an MBA from the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and a degree in Mathematics with a concentration in Computer Science from Cornell University. She has spent 12 years working on health tech solutions, notably at Moxe Health and VillageMD, where she spent over five years on the technology leadership team. During her time at VillageMD, Liz played a key role in technology strategy and development, contributing to the company's growth and success in the healthcare sector.
Liz is also an alumna of the Chicago:Blend Fellowship and remains involved with the organization, promoting diversity and inclusion in tech. Her work in health tech and commitment to community engagement have established her as a respected professional in the field.
Degrees
M.B.A., The University of Chicago Booth Business School
B.A., Cornell University
Investments
SENIOR ADVISORS
Dr. MANMIT BHAMBRA
SENIOR DEI ADVISOR
Dr. Manmit Bhambra is Head of Inclusion for the Old Vic Theatre in London, Fellow of the London School of Economics and Political Science and Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London, where she work extensively in equality and diversity through influencing policy, academic research. Manmit is also Research Director at the LSE’s Consulting Service where she leads global teams working on DEI. Manmit works with a diverse range of organisations and institutions to drive forward the DEI agenda and help clients achieve their goals.
Manmit has extensive academic, policy and consultative experience in this field, working for Governments, and inter-governmental organisations, building on her background in the study of sociological change around inclusion and diversity and applying this to different sectors and contexts.
Manmit earned an PhD from the University of Oxford, and holds Masters and Undergraduate degrees from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Degrees
PhD. University of Oxford
MSc London School of Economics & Political Science
MA London School of Economics & Political Science
BSc London School of Economics & Political Science
Outside Roles
Head of Inclusion , Old Vic Theatre, London
DEI Research Director, London School of Economics and Political Science
Senior Lecturer in Global Politics, Imperial College London
BBC World Service, Socio-Political Contributor
Dr. WAVERLY DEUTSCH
SENIOR ADVISOR
Waverly teaches the Global New Venture Challenge and Building the New Venture for Chicago Booth’s Executive MBA program. In 2005, she received the US Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship’s Innovative Teaching Pedagogy award and in 2015, she was honored with Chicago Booth’s Phoenix Faculty award. Waverly has published articles regularly in the Chicago Booth Review magazine. She serves on several startup advisory boards as well as the advisory council of OCA Ventures, a leading Chicago VC firm. Before moving to Chicago, Waverly spent seven years with Forrester Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Degrees
BS in computer science from the University of Pittsburgh
PhD in theater history from Tufts University
Dr. KEVIN KLAUER
SENIOR ADVISOR
Dr. Klauer serves as CEO for the American Osteopathic Association. He formerly served as CMO of Hospital Based Services and Chief Risk Officer for TeamHealth. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at The University of Tennessee, Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine and Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.
He has Co-Authored four risk management books and has also published in patient safety and clinic quality. He formerly served at the highest levels of leadership at the American College of Emergency Physicians. and Dr. Klauer earned his Executive JD, with honors, from Concord Law School in 2011.
Degrees
B.A. from North Central College
D.O. degree from the Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine
EM residency at LSU New Orleans Charity Hospital
Board certified in Emergency Medicine (ABEM)
Executive J.D., with honors, from Concord Law School
LING KUNG
SENIOR ADVISOR
Ling has spent almost twenty years at the largest integrated healthcare payer-provider in the United States, and now leads the company’s Continuum of Care, At Home and Technology Innovation team. Ling is the tip of the spear for payer-provider digital innovation, operating at the intersection of healthcare strategy, technology, and design in service of members’ and clinicians’ total experience. Her former roles include strategic planning for the Medicare Line of Business, department administrator for obstetrics and gynecology, and product innovation for the commercial lines of business where Ling and her team launched the payer-provider’s first digital health partnerships.
Previously, Ling was a management consultant with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Degrees
M.B.A., The University of Texas at Austin, McCombs School of Business
B.S., B.A., Washington University in St. Louis - Olin Business School
Outside Roles
Resource Global
Dr. DEREK ROBINSON
SENIOR ADVISOR
Dr. Derek J. Robinson serves as Divisional SVP and Chief Medical Officer of Enterprise Health Care Management at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC). His prior roles include VP and Chief Medical Officer at BCBS of Illinois, VP of Enterprise Quality and Accreditation at HCSC, Chief Medical Officer for Region 5 of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and physician executive leading quality and patient safety at the Illinois Hospital Association. He is a clinical associate professor of emergency medicine and a member of national advisory committees with the ACGME and AAMC. Dr. Robinson is an independent corporate director at QuikTrip Corporation and vice chairman of the board at Xavier University of Louisiana. He is the author of Improbable MD: From the Bayou to the Boardroom and has authored several book chapters on patient safety, health equity, and regulatory issues, in addition to many articles on health topics. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Howard University College of Medicine, and Xavier University of Louisiana. He is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine and the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians.
Degrees
B.S. from Xavier University of Louisiana
M.D. from Howard University College of Medicine
EM residency at University of Chicago
M.B.A. from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Outside Roles
QuikTrip
ELLEN A RUDNICK
SENIOR ADVISOR
Ellen currently serves as Senior Advisor, New Venture Programming, at the University of Chicago’s Polsky Center. Previously she served as the Executive Director of The Polsky Center and Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship.
Prior to joining Chicago Booth, Ms. Rudnick spent 25 years in business management and entrepreneurial activities, primarily in the health care and health information services industries. She served as president and CEO of Healthcare Knowledge Resources, president of HCIA, chairman of Pacific Biometrics, and corporate vice president of Baxter Healthcare Corporation.
She serves on numerous corporate and non-profit boards including Liberty Mutual, Old National Bank, Patterson Companies (PDCO) as well as 1871, Matter, and the Kaplan Institute at Illinois Tech. She previously served on the boards of HMS Holdings, Oxford Health Plans, Northshore University HealthSystem and Autism Home Support Services (AHSS). She is an advisor to many start-ups that emerge from Chicago Booth’s entrepreneurship programs.
Degrees
MBA The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
BA Vassar College
Outside Roles
Sr. Advisor, New Venture Programming, University of Chicago’s Polsky Center Board member of Liberty Mutual Insurance, Patterson Companies (PDCO), First Midwest Bank (FMBI), HMS holdings (HMSY) and Northshore University Health
System Research Institute
Member: Hyde Park Angels, World President’s Organization (WPO/YPO), the Chicago Network, the Economic Club of the Chicago and Health Alliance
MARIA SIAMBEKOS
SENIOR ADVISOR
Maria has more than 25 years of diverse business and leadership experience in Fortune 10 and entrepreneurial organizations. She has served as CEO, President, and COO of multiple venture-backed early- and growth-stage healthcare enterprise SaaS-based companies, including ArborMetrix (current), Champion Healthcare Technologies, Vynca, and Healthbox. She also has previously held corporate leadership roles at GE Healthcare, and TheraDoc (a clinical IT business owned by Hospira).
Maria began her career as a clinical scientist at The University of Chicago and as a consultant. As a consultant, she led and contributed to a breadth of strategic, operational, and clinical technology engagements for hospitals, health systems, and payers.
Degrees
B.S. in Biology from Yale University
M.B.A. from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business in Finance, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship
Dr. KATE WOLIN
SENIOR ADVISOR
Dr. Kate Wolin joins us with 20+ years of experience as a digital health executive, entrepreneur, researcher and faculty. Named by Forbes as a Healthcare Innovator You Should Know, Kate was most recently Head of Product for the direct-to-consumer business of Optum, where she also mentored digital health start-ups at the UnitedHealthcare Accelerator. She has built the successful digital weight-loss startup ScaleDown (sold to Anthem in 2017) and then ventured to corporate as CSO of Interactive Health (owned by private equity).
Kate is a member of the entrepreneurship faculty at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management where she co-leads the venture track of the Zell Entrepreneurial Fellowship and coaches entrepreneurs from a variety of fields and level of experiences to build and their scale their companies. A behavioral epidemiologist by training, she earned her doctorate at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American College of Sports Medicine.
Degrees
B.A. in anthropology from Tufts University
Sc.D. in epidemiology, health psychology, biostatistics from the Harvard School of Public Health
Postdoc Fellow at Northwestern University
Outside Roles
Ayeble, Vincere, YourCoach, Femmistry
CONTACT
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU
Book a first meeting (only for entrepreneurs)
We also welcome a good old email