The American Heart Association has launched AHA Ventures to invest in health tech and social impact.
Texas-based nonprofit cardiac care organisation American Heart Association (AHA) has launched a corporate venture capital which will be headed by Lisa Suennen, chief executive of Venture Valkyrie, a blog dedicated to women’s health.
The new umbrella investment unit, called AHA Ventures, will build upon AHA’s investment strategies already in place, including the AHA Social Impact Fund and Bernard J. Tyson Impact Fund. In addition, AHA Ventures will inject its parent company’s capital into startups that are accelerating innovation in health technology, science and social impact.
Startups working with AHA Ventures will be given a platform to integrate new programmes and initiatives to support AHA’s mission to leverage scientific and medical capital.
Suennen has been hired as the fund’s new managing partner, a position she will start in January 2024.
She will continue to serve as the chief executive of Venture Valkyrie and will still act as a member of the Extraordinary Women on Boards and chairman of the scientific advisory board for Translational Institute for Space Health, a NASA-funded institute.
Suennen was a member of the board of directors at Proof Acquisition Corp I for two years and was the president of digital and data solutions at Canary Medical, a Canada-based medical equipment manufacturer. She also spent nearly two years as the senior managing director of GE Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of General Electric.
“What an amazing opportunity to leverage my past work experiences as an investor, innovator and operations leader and my desire to bring a clearer focus on mission into the scope of my work,” said Suennen via Venture Valkyrie.
