Digitalis Ventures recruits Ushio as managing partner

• She also held management roles at Merck & Co and Columbia University
• Digitalis Ventures invests in early-stage healthcare companies
• The firm closed its fourth fund at $300m in October 2022

Digitalis Ventures, an early-stage healthcare investor, has named Dr. Misti Ushio as a managing partner.

Most recently, Ushio was CEO of TARA Biosystems.

“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,” Digitalis Ventures founder and managing partner Geoff Smith said in a statement. “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 at $300 million. The new fund will back developing breakthrough science and technology with the potential to transform patients’ lives, according to the New York-based firm.

Earlier in her career, Ushio served as chief strategy officer and managing director of Harris & Harris Group. 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.