Initiate Ventures

Jessica Owens and Iana Dimkova bring a unique combination of founder and funder experience to the table, making them perfectly positioned to drive innovation in the healthcare, technology, and life sciences sectors. ?? Jessica Owens co-founded GRAIL, which was acquired by Illumina for $8B in 2021, and was a Partner at Kleiner Perkins. ?? Iana Dimkova was a director at GE Ventures, where she helped a startup raise over $700M to build one of the largest radiation therapy networks in the U.S. With this powerhouse background, Jessica and Iana have now launched Initiate Ventures’s $45M debut fund. Their deep industry expertise and proven track record as both entrepreneurs and corporate investors lay the foundation for a fund that will empower early-stage health tech and life sciences companies raising Seed to Series A rounds. Through Initiate Ventures' startup studio model, they partner with entrepreneurs to launch and scale innovative companies, providing essential support in business development, talent acquisition, and fundraising. This is a game-changing moment in healthcare innovation, and Initiate Ventures is poised to lead the way in transforming the future of health tech and life sciences. ?? Learn more: https://lnkd.in/euf9Yu2m #LifeSciences #VentureCapital #HealthTech #WomenInVenture #TechLeaders #Fundraising #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

We ?? Innovation Love is in the air, and so is our passion for innovation! ???? This Valentine’s Day, we are celebrating the energy that drives founders and sparks groundbreaking ideas. At Initiate, we champion early-stage companies that shape the future and solve tough challenges. Here are a few reasons why we love innovation (and the people who bring it to life): ?? It Sparks Curiosity Every great startup begins with a curious mind asking, “What if?” We back founders who dare to question the status quo to pursue a vision for something better. ?? It Drives Impact & Shapes the Future In healthcare, innovation turns bold ideas into global game-changers. By investing in visionary talent today, we help founders build tomorrow’s category-defining companies, creating products that improve the lives of millions of people. ?? It Requires Collaboration Innovation that truly changes the world emerges where diverse fields converge. It’s simple in concept but challenging to execute. We love the sparks that fly when skillful leaders unite experts across healthcare, life sciences, and technology to bring breakthroughs to life. ?? It Embraces Learning Fail fast, learn faster. The quicker you identify what doesn’t work, the sooner you move to what does. Failure isn’t the opposite of success—it’s part of the process. At Initiate, we embrace opportunities to learn and adapt in pursuit of the milestones we celebrate. From everyone at Initiate, Happy Valentine’s Day! What do you love most about innovation? We’d love to hear what makes your heart beat faster in the world of startups. #HealthcareInnovation #WeHeartInnovation #InitiateVentures

We’re still buzzing from the Digital Health panel at the Women’s Venture Capital Summit, where our Co-Founder & General Partner, Iana Dimkova, joined an inspiring conversation about how AI and other emerging technologies can impact healthcare. A big shoutout to moderator Lang Liu and fellow panelists Stasia Obremskey, Claire Elizabeth Smith, and Tiffany Yu—it was such a joy to hear everyone’s perspective. At Initiate, we’re all about supporting early-stage health tech and life sciences companies that are pushing boundaries and improving patient outcomes. Here’s to exciting times ahead! #DigitalHealth #AI #HealthcareInnovation #InitiateVentures With Intelligence - Women's Summits

We’re excited to share that our Co-Founder & General Partner, Iana Dimkova, will be speaking at the Women’s Venture Capital Summit (February 4–6, Half Moon Bay). She’ll be joining a panel on Digital Health, diving into how AI and data-driven technology are reshaping the way we approach healthcare. At Initiate, we’re all about supporting early-stage health tech and life sciences companies that are pushing boundaries and delivering real impact to patients. If you’ll be at the Summit, we’d love to connect and talk about the future of healthcare and what’s next in innovation. Can’t wait to see you there! #WomenInVC #DigitalHealth #AI #HealthcareInnovation?#WVCS25 With Intelligence - Women's Summits https://lnkd.in/dv-T7A7x

Great news to start 2025! Excited to see Cornerstone AI entering into a strategic partnership with Diaceutics PLC to advance precision medicine.

As we wrap up 2024, we’re reflecting on an incredible year at INITIATE Ventures. In November, TechCrunch covered the official close of INITIATE’s Fund I, a pivotal milestone in our mission to support exceptional entrepreneurs reshaping the future of healthcare. None of this would be possible without the unwavering support of our LPs, colleagues, and the visionary founders we’re honored to partner with. With a focus on companies at the intersections of healthcare, life sciences, and technology, we’ve co-founded and funded transformative solutions leveraging the power of AI - ranging from Cornerstone AI’s data automation platform to deep learning applications in next-gen diagnostics. Meanwhile, Macro Trials showcases how more efficient, patient-centric clinical trials can accelerate drug development, and we recently welcomed Ryan Dittamore as CEO of our StealthCo techbio venture, where his leadership will guide our next major initiative in healthcare (stay tuned!). Looking ahead to 2025, we anticipate even more exciting developments - from further AI integration to emerging models for precision care. While AI will continue to capture the spotlight, we believe the future belongs to those building sustainable, defensible advantages in this fast-evolving landscape. At INITIATE, we’ll continue investing in category-defining Seed stage companies across healthtech and bio. Thank you for being part of this journey. Here’s to a bright, bold, and innovative 2025! #HealthcareInnovation

We invite you to hear from our very own Jessica Owens on the latest podcast by Mighty Spark Communications! Jessica dives deep into how we think about innovation at INITIATE. She also unpacks how investor expectations around PR and LinkedIn have evolved and why empathy plays a pivotal role in forging strong partnerships. Catch this insightful Spark Time! Episode 18 here: https://lnkd.in/dd42Q5Ga #HealthcareInnovation #TechBio #InvestorInsights

Thanks to Brian Gormley at WSJ Pro for another piece on our Fund I launch! Read more below. #wsj #wsjpro #healthtech #techbio #venturecapital #fundlaunch

?????????????????? ???? ???????????????? ????????????????'?? ???????? ??! ?? We are excited to be partnering with bold founders building early-stage companies at the intersection of healthcare, life sciences, and technology. Join us to initiate the future together. Check out the full story on TechCrunch! #venturecapital #fundraise #startup #innovation #techbio #healthtech

We are excited to announce that our portfolio company, Cornerstone AI, has closed a $5M opportunistic funding round! We're thrilled to have continued our partnership with Cornerstone and their exceptional team. Their innovative approach to data cleaning is truly inspiring. Congratulations to the entire Cornerstone team on this significant milestone. We can't wait to see what you accomplish next. ?? https://lnkd.in/dkqKW--R #venturecapital #investment #startup #AI #datacleaning