
Investing in Healthcare Innovation
Partnering with visionary founders solving critical healthcare challenges
Thoughts
Perspectives on healthcare innovation and challenges we are taking on:
The Prescription Is the Relationship
A generation ago, filling a prescription meant one thing: the pharmacy down the street. Today a patient can fill the same script a dozen different ways, and new technology is making the choice faster, cheaper, and more confusing all at once. We think the local health system pharmacy should win that choice. Not because we say so, but because of what it can do that none of the alternatives can. Here's the case, and the beginning of a conversation about what we will need to do differently.
Trish Tanner & Mike Anderes
June 22, 2026
100 Health Needs a Year. Three Doctor Visits.
How many times a year do you have a health need? A headache, a new pain, an upset stomach, a night of poor sleep. Research puts the answer near 100, and each one ends in a decision: ignore it, self-manage it, or seek help. New data shows AI can shape most of those decisions. Today, we are already seeing a volume exceeding one billion health questions per day.
Mike Anderes
June 15, 2026
What is the Front Door to Healthcare?
In Q1 2026, Amazon, Google, OpenAI, Anthropic, and CVS each launched health AI products. 32% of U.S. adults now consult AI before calling a doctor. The front door to healthcare has moved, and health systems need to decide how to respond.
Mike Anderes
June 3, 2026
About Ballad Ventures
The investment arm of Ballad Health, focused on healthcare innovation that improves patient outcomes and operational efficiency
Our Mission
Ballad Ventures is the investment arm of Ballad Health, focused on healthcare innovation that improves patient outcomes and operational efficiency. We partner with early-stage healthcare technology companies that align with our mission to transform healthcare delivery in our region and beyond.
As part of the largest integrated healthcare system in Appalachia, we bring unique insights into the challenges facing modern healthcare providers and the solutions that can make a meaningful difference.
Leadership Team
Mike Anderes is a clinician and healthcare leader who has worked on the front lines of care delivery and led operations across complex health system environments. He has served as a strategist and digital transformation leader at one of the nation's premier academic medical centers, driving technology-enabled change at scale. An entrepreneur with firsthand startup experience, he has also led a corporate venture capital portfolio with investments in 15+ healthcare startups. He has built and led high-performing teams, including a health-system DevOps organization focused on delivering secure, reliable, and scalable digital capabilities.
Bo is a healthcare strategist with an entrepreneurial spirit and nearly 15 years of experience in healthcare system strategy, operations, and governance. He leads the Innovation Center for Ballad Health and directs teams focused on innovation and transformation for a 21-hospital network in rural Appalachia.
Investment Approach
We seek to find great people and ideas in their early stages and provide deep operational support alongside financial investment. We know that innovation in health care is not easy but a partnership with Ballad Ventures will help get your startup from early prototype to scale faster.
Investing In
Digital Health, Medtech, Tech-enabled Services, Consumer Health and Wellness, and Health Care Operational Infrastructure
Investment Stage
Initial investments made in Pre-Seed through Series B companies
Check Size
Up to $1.5 Million initial investment depending on stage
Current Portfolio
Innovative healthcare companies transforming patient care and operational efficiency
Latest News
Patients Face More Than Cost Barriers to Treatment, and TailorMed Is Expanding to Address Access and Adherence Challenges
Patients Face More Than Cost Barriers to Treatment, and TailorMed Is Expanding to Address Access and Adherence Challenges gritdaily.com
TailorMed and Flatiron Health Partner to Expand Medication Access and Support Across Oncology Care
TailorMed and Flatiron Health Partner to Expand Medication Access and Support Across Oncology Care Yahoo Finance
TailorMed Introduces Next Phase of Growth with Expanded Medication Success Platform at AXS26
TailorMed Introduces Next Phase of Growth with Expanded Medication Success Platform at AXS26 Yahoo Finance
TailorMed Expands its Solutions Suite to Address Barriers Across the Medication Journey, Building on its Market-Leading Affordability Solution and Growing its National Network
TailorMed Expands its Solutions Suite to Address Barriers Across the Medication Journey, Building on its Market-Leading Affordability Solution and Growing its National Network Yahoo Finance
Outcomes Rocket and Censinet Release New White Paper Exploring the Future of Healthcare Innovation
Outcomes Rocket and Censinet Release New White Paper Exploring the Future of Healthcare Innovation PR Newswire
Homecare Hub Awarded NIH SBIR Grant to Support Complex Hospital Discharges
Homecare Hub Awarded NIH SBIR Grant to Support Complex Hospital Discharges Eastern Progress
Censinet Unveils AI-Powered GRC Platform and Systemic Risk Tools at ViVE 2026
Censinet Unveils AI-Powered GRC Platform and Systemic Risk Tools at ViVE 2026 Digital Health News
Emplify Health Partnership with Homecare Hub Addresses Critical Post-Hospital Care Gap - citybuzz -
Emplify Health Partnership with Homecare Hub Addresses Critical Post-Hospital Care Gap citybuzz -
Ballad names Anderes managing director of Ballad Ventures - The Bristol Herald Courier
Ballad names Anderes managing director of Ballad Ventures The Bristol Herald Courier
About Ballad Health

Integrated Community Health Improvement Organization
Ballad Health is an integrated community health improvement organization serving the Appalachian Highlands region with a mission to improve the health and well-being of our communities.
Serving 29 Counties
Our comprehensive healthcare system spans 29 counties across Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, Northwest North Carolina, and Southeast Kentucky, bringing world-class healthcare to rural Appalachia.
Get in Touch
Ready to share your healthcare innovation with us?

