Vasudev Bailey: Improving Healthcare and the Future of Medicine

Hi friends, it’s Spiffy, back again on Planet Earth with an eye on entrepreneurs making the world a more equitable place! Today I’m excited to cruise around with Vasudev Bailey, a senior partner at ARTIS Ventures, a venture capital company investing in medicine.

Spiffy: Welcome to the blog, Vasudev! What challenge is ARTIS Ventures addressing?

Vasudev: Thanks for having me, Spiffy! I’m excited that I get to make an impact on a day-to-day basis by investing in, and working with, companies that are creating the future of medicine. The pandemic has been a good reminder that nothing is more important than health, and the work I’m doing with ARTIS Ventures can have a direct impact on improving healthcare for everyone.

Spiffy: What motivated you to do it?

Vasudev: I was eleven when I lost my father to cardiac disease. Some of the causes of his condition could have been picked up early if we had the technology we have today to better screen individuals. What inspires me are things that have a large-scale impact around the world. This is what motivates me to invest in companies working to improve healthcare for everyone so we may be able to use technology for early disease detection, disease cures, affordable care, and more.

Spiffy: Can you elaborate on how you and ARTIS are working towards a more equitable world?

Vasudev: Personally, I focus my time with nonprofits that serve underrepresented populations like with The Trevor Project helping address mental health in the LGBTQ+ community, or through prior work with Association for Women in Science (AWIS) advocating for gender equity and the advancement of women in science. ARTIS is also proud to have both a diverse team and a diverse range of founders in our portfolio, recently joining the Diversity in Action initiative to advance diversity in our industry.

Spiffy: Tell me about a recent initiative undertaken by you or the company and the impact it makes.

Vasudev: ARTIS has created both a Pioneers Program, which includes some of the most brilliant and successful minds in healthcare, as well as a Fellows Program, a group of up-and-coming scientists from all walks of life. These two groups serve as resources to our portfolio companies and team, including some of the first women to hold executive positions at the biggest pharma companies in the world, as we all work together to bring much-needed healthcare solutions to patients.

Spiffy: Tell me about a startup or project you’ve worked with that exemplifies the impact you’re striving to make.

Vasudev: At ARTIS, we invest in TechBio - companies at the intersection of tech and medicine. By going after the most urgent healthcare issues, we’re looking for solutions that impact a large group of people. For instance, this year we invested in Cerebral, a company that uses technology to provide better access to high-quality, affordable mental health services and medications, and data to improve health outcomes for conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Spiffy: I wish you and ARTIS all the best in continuing this work. Thanks for speaking with me today, Vasudev—it’s been an honor!

Vasudev Bailey, PhD, is a senior partner at ARTIS Ventures where he focuses on investing in novel and breakthrough health and life sciences companies. He currently sits on several boards, including Eko, Excision BioTherapeutics, Outpace, Unnatural Products, Delix Therapeutics, Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering, and The Trevor Project. (First published on the Ladderworks website on January 19, 2022)

Spiffy Mail