NEW YORK– Digitalis Ventures announced today that Misti Ushio, Ph.D. has joined the group as a Managing Partner. Dr. Ushio brings more than 25 years of leadership in venture capital, pharmaceuticals, and early-stage life science company building. Most recently, as CEO, she founded and built the cardiovascular-focused biotechnology company TARA Biosystems to its successful acquisition last year by Valo Health.
Digitalis Ventures Founder and Managing Partner, Geoff Smith, stated, “We are delighted to welcome Misti to Digitalis Ventures as we continue to grow our global team with start-up, scale-up, and governance expertise in company building. Misti brings a wealth of leadership and scientific experience to the group and, as a managing partner, she will lead in both firm strategy and investment portfolio management at Digitalis Ventures.”
In October 2022, Digitalis Ventures closed its fourth fund totaling $300 million in commitments. The new capital will be invested in leading entrepreneurs and researchers developing breakthrough science and technology with the potential to transform patients’ lives.
Dr. Ushio commented, “I am ecstatic to join the firm and to work with its recognized investment leaders in life science, health technology, and animal health innovation. I look forward to applying my company building and investment experience to the effort of scaling Digitalis Ventures and the portfolio investments as they advance from start-up to growth companies.”
Earlier in her career, Dr. Ushio served as Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Director of Harris & Harris Group, where she invested in, and advised, life science companies helping them translate transformational science into commercially successful companies. Additionally, she held management roles at Merck & Company, where she developed vaccines and biologics products, and at Columbia University, where she oversaw the intellectual property of several scientific and engineering portfolios. Dr. Ushio holds a Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from University College London and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University.
