Venture events sked

Venture-oriented events in Metro/Nashville during April and May are listed here.

Microsoft's Ballmer in Music City

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's meetings here tomorrow are being covered like the diplomatic visit of the head of state of a small nation rich in strategically important ores. The Tennessean reports on Ballmer's scheduled meetings with Nashville Technology Council, Nashville Health Care Council and the music industry, as part of a multi-city tour by the peregrine executive who's been at the helm of MS ten years. The story's here. Given MS's strong position in technology for the healthcare vertical, there's mention in the story of MS possibly being a tenant in the proposed Nashville Medical Trade Center.

Health Care Council's '09 Wrapup

Nashville Health Care Council announced today it's new family tree chart is coming out, and the association provided a review of major events of 2009, including TNInvestco, IPOs, mid-TN startups and expansions, et cetera. Here's the NHCC release.

More kudos! for Jacobson

Again last week, Dr. Harry Jacobson, M.D., physician, scholar, teacher and entrepreneur was honored -- this time by the Nashville Health Care Council, which he helped foster and sustain. Read the Council's full statement on the Dec. 9 presentation of its first-ever Crystal Leaf award. Jacobson is on sabbatical prior to retirement from his post as Vanderbilt University vice chancellor emeritus. At left are Jacobson and award presenter Tom Cigarran, a former Council chairman and founder of Healthways.

Health Care Council beefs-up

Nashville Health Care Council announced today some new staff and some shifting of duties, under President Caroline Young (at left): Sophie Moery now headsup communications, after a stint in the office of Tennessee Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr. Caleb Graves, previously associated with the Bush White House, takes over Membership. Other staff had their duties redefined, with Mark Richards now manager for overall Operations; Judith Byrd handling Leadership Health Care; and, Jamie Lee running special events. The Council also recently announced its updated board of directors complement.

Health IT leaders see challenges, opportunities

With billions in Stimulus funding in the pipeline for Health IT upgrades nationally, Thursday's NHCC gathering of informatics eagles in Nashville seemed to signal both local players' resolve to play pivotal roles in development and adoption of health IT, as well as the sizeable risk we run that all that spending won't change healthcare...enough. VU Medical Center's informatics guru, Bill Stead, M.D., insisted that the needed innovation won't materialize if executives throughout the healthcare system don't "stop playing defense around a model that's not sustainable." David Brailer, M.D., the like-minded former national Health IT coordinator for the latter Bush Administration, warned that would-be HIT providers must employ deeper understanding of how healthcare actually works, if they're to justify their share of the pie. Addressing the Nashville Health Care Council event, Bredesen F&A Commissioner Dave Goetz said the State of Tennessee should, according to NHCC's post-event release (pdf), 'build the infrastructure and the information sources necessary for the private sector to then use to drive value and innovation'. Stead, Goetz and others put all this in even stronger terms during an event last fall, as reported then by VNC. Brailer said he believes Nashville is one of the nation's few cities prepared to be a leader in HIT. NHCC President Caroline Young agreed, and stressed that NHCC's goal is to "help position our members" for such leadership. A related summit report by NashvillePost.com covered inadequate patient engagement in HIT diffusion, the need for standardization and the importance of demonstrating dramatic improvement in health care outcomes, flowing from IT investment. Further VNC coverage of informatics and related.

Chatter update: Nashville Medical Trade Center

Whether or not it riles every real-estate executive in Cleveland, Crow Holdings' Market Center Management Company continues to fuel talk of a Medical Trade Center in Nashville: In the latest rarticle, this writer notes the influence of the Nashville Health Care Council. A year ago, VNC reported on Robert Thompson's efforts to launch World Trade Center Nashville.

Care UK exec's visit to Nashville an eye-opener

Care UK's Geoff Benn marveled at the throngs of Nashville healthcare executives, and expressed optimism he'll soon do business in Music City. The Venture Nashville story's here.

India capacity for absorbing VC

One of VentureNashville.com's analytic tools highlighted the fact that an interesting portion of our small, but select VNC audience resides in India. Asked about possible explanations for this, one keen local observer noted there's tremendous VC action in India, and some U.S. VCs offshore their research to India. So, maybe they're monitoring VC-oriented websites. More googling, and we found updates on India's indigenous VC/PE sector and that nation's growing capacity for absorbing U.S. and other global venture capital, as well as news about the roles of Cisco and Intel as anchors in India/VC. There could also be interest abroad in the Tennessee activities of such India-flag companies as InfoSys, or the successes of such Nashville-headquartered firms as Avankia and eMids Technologies, companies with strong links to India. Or, maybe the Nashville Area Chamber, the Nashville Technology Council and others have stirred things up by planning their first trade mission to India, next year. Wonder if they'll take any Nashville VCs along on the trip.

2008 Nashville Healthcare venture chart now published

The 2008 edition of the Nashville's healthcare family tree of ventures was released today by the Nashville Health Care Council. The Chamber-affiliated NHCC said in a release that it counts 650 companies with connections to the city’s $18 billion healthcare cluster, which was spawned by formation of HCA and Hospital Affiliates. NHCC says NV is now home to more than 300 healthcare companies -- included 15 publicly traded -- with combined annual revenue of $46 billion and representing more than 300,000 jobs, globally. NHCC says Nashville-based hospital management companies own or operate half of the investor-owned hospitals in the nation. The release, including a link to an image of the extensive chart is posted here.