Ryan Schuler, senior managing director and lead at Ascension Ventures, is one of the 100 leading corporate venturing professionals in our 2024 Powerlist.
Ryan Schuler joined Ascension Ventures 22 years ago, shortly after the unit was founded.
The fund invests on behalf of Ascension, one of the largest private hospital systems in the US, with more than 460 acute care hospitals and other healthcare facilities across 41 US states. It has more than $1bn in capital under management. The healthcare providers in the Ascension hospital system invest in the fund as LPs.
Ascension Ventures invests in startups with both a financial and strategic objective, seeking technologies that can improve clinical outcomes, improve the patient experience and reduce costs. The team is particularly interested in healthcare IT, medical devices and diagnostics.
Based in St Louis, Missouri, Schuler’s team will look at early to late-stage companies, typically investing between $10m and $20m in each company. It tends to look for companies with potential to exit in three-to-five years.
The team will look at early to latestage companies and will typically invest between $10m and $20m in each company.
Ascension Ventures has invested in more than 80 companies since it was set up and has around 30 active companies in its portfolio.
Recent investments include participating in the $50m series C funding round for cybersecurity company Censys and supporting the $166m series C funding round for Strive Health, which provides technology to help care for patients suffering from kidney disease.
Over the course of his career at Ascension Ventures, Schuler has led a number of investments that have led to large exits, including NaviHealth, post-acute care the provider of management services, and OB Hospitalist Group, which provides obstetric and gynaecological services. It was acquired in 2017.
Schuler previously worked at financial services company, AG Edwards in the mergers and acquisitions investment division, and at PwC in the transaction support and audit practices. He has an MBA from Washington University.
The Global Corporate Venturing Powerlist represents the 100
individuals spearheading the future of the corporate venturing industry.
These individuals excel in terms of their venturing approach and structure, number and quality of portfolio companies and in their contributions to the corporate venturing profession.
