Kevin joined NEA in 2024 as an Associate on the Healthcare Investing Team focused on investments across all stages. Previously, he was in the Healthcare Investment Banking group at Goldman Sachs, where he primarily focused on M&A and capital markets advisory for biopharma and healthcare services companies. Kevin graduated summa cum laude from the Roy and Diana Vagelos Program in Life Sciences and Management at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a BA in Computational Biology with distinction and a BS in Economics from The Wharton School.
What’s a philosophy that guides your approach to investing?
I believe in being systematically proactive. While tracking key investing trends is crucial to understand where the industry is headed and how capital is being allocated, it's the "nth"-order thinking that truly unlocks the upside of high value opportunities. This approach requires rigorous diligence and the courage to think independently with strong conviction. Viewing opportunities from unconventional angles can help to identify companies and teams poised to lead the next wave of innovation.
What excites you about the current healthcare landscape?
I believe it’s an unprecedented and exciting time to invest in healthcare — the level of scientific innovation we're seeing from companies is truly remarkable. Against the backdrop of an increasing global disease burden, healthcare remains a critical industry that demands dynamic solutions for ever-evolving challenges. In life sciences specifically, companies are employing a multitude of differentiated and creative approaches. From developing novel treatment modalities to designing therapeutics for previously "undruggable" biological targets, these scientific innovators are finding impressive new approaches to tackle the ultimate challenge: improving the health outcomes of people around the world.
What qualities do you look for in a founder?
Beyond having an intrinsically driven passion for making innovative medicines, I think it's crucial for life sciences founders to be determined leaders when it comes to managing failure. Risks and failures are inherent aspects of the industry, so it's critically important for founders to foster a culture of grit and resilience – a growth mindset makes every failure worth it. Adapting after failure takes time – patience oftentimes hurts – but the best founders fully embrace the process and guide their teams through tough times to ultimately achieve those serendipitous triumphs that disrupt the industry.
What inspires you to stay curious?
Being around highly intellectual and analytical people is my main source of inspiration — I love a good, engaging conversation. I believe the best way to learn is through active dialogue with people of diverse backgrounds and expertise; I’m grateful to surround myself with teammates at NEA who also value a vibrant ecosystem for idea exchange. We frequently brainstorm as a team and are not afraid to constructively challenge each other's perspectives.
What’s a formative experience that’s shaped who you are today?
When I was younger, I maintained a daily journal, crafting short-form prose to memorialize what I accomplished each day. And I had a rule for myself: always write a paragraph of at least three lines, even if it was an "uneventful" day. Those formative days of journaling have shaped me into someone who values the art of storytelling. This skill has been proven invaluable in my current life, whether it's articulating complex ideas or trying to make something out of nothing.
What’s something that you geek out about or obsess over?
Maps. There's a captivating depth to cartography beyond geographical representation. I'm fascinated by the historical processes that shaped state and international borders, the distortion effects of projecting the 3D globe onto 2D surfaces — there's a deeper meaning behind every line and shape on a map that I find so interesting.
