McKesson Corporation (NYSE:MCK) today announced that it has launched
McKesson Ventures, a strategic venture capital fund, to invest in early
and growth stage companies addressing both current and emerging business
challenges facing the healthcare industry. Industry veteran Tom Rodgers
has joined McKesson Ventures as managing director and leads the fund’s
investment portfolio.
“McKesson Ventures will help us support the development and
commercialization of innovations taking place across healthcare,” said
John Hammergren, chairman and CEO, McKesson. “By investing and
partnering with entrepreneurs and other investors that can bring new
approaches to the challenges our customers are facing, we will
accelerate the innovation cycle and further strengthen the value we
provide to industry stakeholders across all segments.”
McKesson Ventures is actively making minority investments in companies
that span a broad section of healthcare. The fund is focused on helping
build businesses that are driving towards a stronger, more sustainable
future for healthcare and will target companies that are both enabling
and benefitting from the disruptive changes affecting the industry.
These changes include increasing consumerism, emergence of alternate
delivery models and the shift towards value based reimbursement models.
These target companies will predominantly be pursuing high growth
opportunities adjacent to or outside McKesson’s current business.
Tom Rodgers joins McKesson Ventures from Cambia Health, where he led
their venture investing efforts targeting companies that are helping to
lower cost, improve access, and improve the navigability and
sustainability of the healthcare system for providers, employers and
consumers. Prior to Cambia, Rodgers was a partner at Advanced Technology
Ventures (ATV), where he led efforts in healthcare technology. He is
returning to McKesson, after more than a decade in the venture industry,
where he previously served as a vice president of corporate strategy and
business development. Rodgers holds an M.B.A. from the Wharton School
and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
“With experience working with both large healthcare companies like
McKesson and many promising healthcare startups, Tom’s background gives
him a clear understanding of the opportunities for both incremental and
transformative change in the business of healthcare,” said Hammergren.
“Under his guidance, McKesson Ventures will be a valuable financial and
strategic partner for its portfolio companies and, when synergies exist,
serve as a conduit to the many strengths, relationships and industry
breadth of McKesson.”
“McKesson has long been dedicated to staying ahead of its customers’
needs, and the establishment of McKesson Ventures furthers its
long-standing commitment to the development of innovative healthcare
solutions and thought leadership within the industry. I am excited to
return and to have the dedication, vision and industry footprint of
McKesson behind this effort,” said Tom Rodgers.
For more information, visit http://ventures.mckesson.com/.
About McKesson
McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, is a
healthcare services and information technology company dedicated to
making the business of healthcare run better. McKesson partners with
payers, hospitals, physician offices, pharmacies, pharmaceutical
companies and others across the spectrum of care to build healthier
organizations that deliver better care to patients in every setting.
McKesson helps its customers improve their financial, operational, and
clinical performance with solutions that include pharmaceutical and
medical-surgical supply management, healthcare information technology,
and business and clinical services. For more information, visit www.mckesson.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2014