One man's quest to rid Health IT Investing of Systemic Racial and Gender Bias

Illumen Capital is an impact investor, aiming to make positive social and environmental improvements – in healthcare and elsewhere – while generating a financial ROI. Daryn Dodson is CEO and founder of Illumen Capital, an impact fund of funds addressing systemic inequity by reducing racial and gender bias in investing. We interviewed Dodson to better understand bias in investing, why he focuses on healthcare, the market potential and investor growth in healthcare technology, and why diversity is important in healthcare investing.

By working alongside our fund managers and investors, Illumen Capital shares our bias reduction insights and enables our partners to apply these learnings across their portfolios – ultimately influencing a more optimal rebalancing in the asset management business.

By examining industry verticals and associated racial disparities in healthcare outcomes across life insurance, drug development and clinical trials, we have found that well-intentioned professionals who are dedicating their lives to the betterment of humanity are still being stunted by their own biases. Therefore, one of the important commitments of Illumen Capital's investor community is to address biases in their respective portfolios, enabling them to better identify overlooked and underestimated entrepreneurs, as well as to improve society through multiple impact areas, including social determinants of health. The repercussions of racial bias and lack of representation in healthcare are that people of color receive less care – and often worse care – than white Americans. Therefore, we partner with Impact Experience to host convenings for the funds we invest in and our investors, many of which have a healthcare focus, in Montgomery, Alabama.