Lisa Suennen

Managing Partner, Venture Valkyrie and National Advisor with Manatt Health

Lisa Suennen has spent more than 30 years in healthcare as entrepreneur, operating executive, venture capitalist and strategy consultant. She has worked across virtually all healthcare sectors, including digital/health IT, medical device, health services and pharma, bringing an unusually comprehensive perspective on the dynamics of the U.S. healthcare system.

Lisa is a National Advisor to Manatt Phelps & Phillips and Lead Manager of Manatt Venture Fund. Previously, Lisa led GE Ventures’ healthcare fund, founded the AHA’s Cardeation Venture Fund, and was a General Partner with healthcare fund Psilos Group. Previously, Lisa was on the executive team that built behavioral healthcare company Merit Behavioral Care, which exited to Magellan Health for $800 million in 1998. Lisa led sales, marketing, and segments of the P&L, including government operations, as the company grew to $800 million in revenue; she was a key participant in the company’s several acquisitions, as well as through its successful IPO and ultimate sale.

Lisa serves on the Boards of Directors of HealthXL and the Dignity Health Foundation and is an advisor to several venture funds and emerging companies. Lisa is a Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Health Innovators Fellowship, on faculty at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, and chairs the advisory board of the NASA -funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health. Lisa is also the author of the Venture Valkyrie blog and is an internationally-recognized writer and speaker.

“Everyone knows someone whose life has been affected by cancer. The struggle goes far beyond the medical intervention. By thinking about the patient as a person (not as a tumor) and by attending to the entire universe of their needs, Jasper can make a meaningful positive difference in the lives of patients and families.”