Lisa Suennen

Group Leader, Managing Director
Manatt Digital & Tech, Manatt Venture Fund, Manatt Health

With more than 30 years’ experience as an entrepreneur, venture capitalist, board member and strategic advisor, Lisa  Suennen has focused broadly on new technologies and how they are transforming businesses. She has spent much of her career helping companies adopt and leverage digital technologies, develop strategies for growth through innovation and investment, and build strong collaborations between established players and entrepreneurs. Lisa heads the firm’s digital and technology group as well as the firm’s venture capital fund. She also works closely with Manatt Health, engaging with  entrepreneurs, large companies, payers, health systems and others to provide strategic advice on innovation, digital strategy and growth.

Lisa spent the past 20 years as a venture capitalist, first as a partner with Psilos Group, then leading the healthcare fund at GE Ventures. Prior to that, she was part of the leadership team that built Merit Behavioral Care, an $800 million behavioral healthcare

company, guiding it through its successful IPO and exit. Her earlier career focused on product management and marketing in the technology sector.

Along the way Lisa has served as managing partner of Venture Valkyrie LLC, a media  and advisory firm focused on venture capital and innovation strategy and which also houses Lisa’s widely read blog, Venture Valkyrie, and podcast, Tech Tonics.

Lisa currently serves on several private company boards  and on the advisory boards of a variety of companies and venture funds.  She also chairs the advisory board of the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health and is on faculty at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, where she teaches a course on venture capital.  Lisa is also cofounder of CSweetener, a non-profit organization which matches women in and nearing the healthcare C-suite with mentors.