John Perez tapped to serve as managing director of Ballad Ventures

Ballad Ventures, a healthcare venture capital subsidiary of Ballad Health, has selected John Perez to serve as its managing director.

As managing director of Ballad Ventures, Perez’s primary responsibilities will consist of operational leadership and management oversight of the organization’s venture capital efforts. He will manage the overall investment process, from conception to execution, for Ballad Ventures and will also lead due diligence efforts on potential investment opportunities and monitor industry dynamics and the finances and operations of portfolio companies.

“We were very deliberate throughout the hiring process to ensure we got the right person to advance Ballad Ventures,” said Bo Wilkes, president of Ballad Ventures.

“This is a crucial role for Ballad Ventures, and John epitomizes what we were looking for in an innovative leader. In addition to the wealth of knowledge he brings, John has experience in what we’re trying to achieve here, including his established relationships with entrepreneurs, executives and investment partners across the healthcare industry.”

As the new managing director, Perez will work alongside the Ballad Health Innovation Center – which interfaces with Ballad Health’s research programs and Ballad Ventures to create opportunities to capitalize on new programs that have potential in the national healthcare marketplace – to link venture efforts to drive innovation within Ballad Health and leverage intellectual capital to improve the delivery of healthcare for patients and clinicians.

“There is still so much potential to be realized in the healthcare industry today, and Ballad Ventures is incredibly well positioned to help bring to market new innovative ideas, services and experiences that can solve big healthcare problems that truly make a transformational impact,” Perez said.

“I look forward to working with Bo and the rest of our team to make meaningful investments that will improve the lives of our patients and caregivers.”

Formed in 2020, six months after the launch of the Ballad Health Innovation Center, Ballad Ventures is designed to serve as the venture capital arm for Ballad Health, an integrated community health improvement organization serving 29 counties of the Appalachian Highlands in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, Northwest North Carolina and Southeast Kentucky. Ballad Ventures has $25 million in assets under management and continues to strategically invest in initiatives designed to address Ballad Health’s digital strategy and workforce challenges.

Perez brings more than eight years of experience in digital health to Ballad Ventures, with a focus on strategic venture capital investments, innovation and financial consulting. Most recently, he served as director at Abundant Venture Innovation Accelerator (AVIA) Network. Perez designed, launched and led AVIA's Venture Network, a group of more than a dozen health systems, including Ballad Health, with more than $750 million in collective assets under management dedicated to investing in promising digital solutions. In addition to his responsibilities in that role, Perez also served as director of client engagement at AVIA, where he managed executive client relations across many of AVIA’s health system network members. Perez earned his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Vanderbilt University. Residing in Salt Lake City, Perez will provide a west coast presence for Ballad Ventures, while also enjoying the outdoors through skiing, hiking and mountain biking.

“By extending the reach of Ballad Health beyond the Appalachian Highlands, Ballad Ventures is prepared to be an instrumental contributor in the enhancement and improvement of healthcare nationwide,” Wilkes said. “Leveraging remote work opportunities enables us to bring on top talent – like John – from across the country and collaborate on an unprecedented level to improve the national healthcare landscape.”

Learn more about Ballad Ventures.