For a skydiver who’s motto is “Just jump out and go”, the journey from chasing down Sandanista kidnappers to driving Disney strategy to genomics pioneer sounds sort of rational. Lisa Alderson, founder and CEO of Genome Medical, is one of those special someones who thrives on adrenaline and channels it to great effect.

Lisa went pretty far down the journalism path. She founded Campus TV while at Colorado State University and it is still a going concern. She worked as a foreign correspondent for CNN, CBS and others and even interned with Dan Rather. But in the end, she was more drawn to entrepreneurship than ratings and headed down the startup road, entering during the tech bubble. She was at the first well known tech incubator, IdeaLab, and then joined a series of tech startups, none of which went exactly right.

When Lisa was looking for her next gig, the venture capitalist who had backed her last tech company connected her up with Randy Scott, who was starting Genomic Health. And from there Lisa found her calling in the ability to to blend her passion for building things with an ability do well by doing good.

Together Lisa and Randy went on to start Invitae, another genomics testing company powerhouse. Since good things come in threes, the two of them have now co-founded Genome Medical, a tech enabled services startup that delivers expertise and services that support both physician and patient genetic needs. The company is essentially a one-stop, coast-to-coast specialty medical practice solely dedicated to genomic medicine, providing decision support around genetics test ordering and tele-counseling to patients about readiness and results. (Note: Genome Medical is a GE Ventures portfolio company). In a world where genetics testing is exploding, Lisa has found her calling helping the healthcare world, especially patients, make sense of it all.

We are grateful to GE Ventures for sponsorship of today’s episode. GE Ventures – Multiple Paths to Big Impact.

Tags: biomed, david shaywitz, digital health, dnanexus, epatient, genome medical, genomics, health startup, health technology, human genome, lisa alderson, lisa suennen, medical research, precision medicine, tech tonics, technology and health, venture valkyrie
 
Posted in: Audio Podcast, Healthcare, Tech Tonics, Technology