Cartmell Ventures is an early-stage fund focused on high impact, affordable health IT solutions that can be deployed globally. We typically take a board seat on the companies we invest in and provide advice through all growth stage activities.

What We’re Looking For:

  • Angel, pre-seed, & seed stage companies

  • B2B and B2B2C solutions typically sold to payers and providers

  • Founders with science & healthcare backgrounds who understand what is broken in our healthcare system and how to fix it


Founding Partner

Emma Cartmell, MSc, FHIMSS

As a highly sought-after Board Member and mission-driven digital Health investor, Emma Cartmell works with CEOs and their teams to reach their potential across public health, health information technology, regulatory, payment, care delivery, and drug development. Through her work on investment bank and Fortune 500 company Advisory Boards, Ms. Cartmell advises companies on revenue growth strategies, and investments.

Having held multiple C-level and executive roles in both public and private companies, Ms. Cartmell brings a comprehensive approach to helping companies reduce healthcare costs and improve outcomes for all.

As the founding COO of NantHealth, she built the team and led investments and acquisitions for the $1B vertically integrated healthcare fund. While COO of Personalized Medicine at Abraxis BioScience, Ms.Cartmell led their digital transformation and guided the company through a $2.9B acquisition. While VP of Healthcare Advanced Programs at SAIC, she had full P&L and revenue-generating responsibilities for a $500M+ government and commercial healthcare business.

Ms. Cartmell mentors Founders in partnership with the UnitedHealthcare / Techstars accelerator as well as The University of Texas Dell Medical School Health Catalyst program. She also teaches as a Guest Professor for UT’s MBA Healthcare Innovation Program. Ms. Cartmell has served as an advisor to the British Department of International Trade for the U.S. Digital Health market and served on the Americas Board for the Health Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS) where she received the Board of Directors Service award in 2021 and the John. A Page Outstanding Service Award in 2017 for her leadership in HIMSS and across the healthcare industry.


Administrative Business Partner

Brenda Kessler

Brenda Kessler has been with Cartmell Ventures since 2017 as the Administrative Business Partner.  She manages the back office and supports Ms. Cartmell.

Ms. Kessler has 20 years of experience as a top federal technology sales professional for Dell, ViewSonic, EMC and Citrix. Memberships included AFCEA and HIMSS.