Nancy G. Brown has been a General Partner at Oak HC/FT since 2014, where she concentrates primarily on growth equity and early-stage venture investments in the healthcare sector. Oak HC/FT is a leading growth venture capital firm managing $1.9 billion in assets under management (AUM) as of 2020, with its latest fund at $800 million raised in 2019. The firm's investment focus spans healthcare and financial technology, with Nancy playing a pivotal role in these areas.
Professional Experience and Expertise
Nancy Brown’s career encompasses comprehensive leadership and strategic roles across the healthcare ecosystem with a distinct emphasis on innovation and transformative growth. Prior to joining Oak HC/FT, her experience includes:
- Vice President of Strategy and Business Development at McKesson Corporation Technology Solutions.
- Chief Growth Officer at MedVentive.
- Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Clinical Services at athenahealth.
- Senior Vice President at McKesson, joining through the acquisition of Abaton.com, a company she co-founded specializing in internet-based clinical solutions for ambulatory care.
- Earlier leadership roles at Harvard Community Health Plan, a staff model HMO, providing her with direct exposure to healthcare delivery innovation and clinical process re-engineering.
These roles underpin her deep domain expertise in healthcare delivery, clinical services, health information technology, and operational transformation.
Education
Nancy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology from the University of New Hampshire and an MBA from Northeastern University’s D’Amore-McKim School of Business. She remains actively engaged in academia and healthcare leadership development as a member of the Dean’s Executive Council at Northeastern University and participates in the Future of Healthcare Founder Residency program at the Roux Institute in Portland, Maine.
Investment Philosophy and Board Roles
Nancy advocates for creating new healthcare systems rather than incremental changes to legacy systems, reflecting a strategic emphasis on innovation and scalable healthcare solutions. She focuses on sectors including healthcare delivery, hospital services, health information technology, and fintech applied to healthcare.
She actively serves on the boards of several portfolio companies, including:
- Maven Clinic
- Cricket Health
- Axial Healthcare (board member)
- FireFly Health
- Unite Us
She is also a board observer for Limeade and is involved with multiple other startups in Oak HC/FT’s portfolio.
Recognitions and Industry Influence
Nancy Brown is recognized as a visionary leader within healthcare investment and innovation:
- Oak HC/FT has been named to Inc.’s Founder-Friendly Investors list for three consecutive years, acknowledging the firm’s commitment to constructive founder partnerships, a culture in which Nancy is a principal contributor.
- She is frequently featured in healthcare-focused podcasts, such as The Pulse by Wharton Digital Health (May 2020), discussing Oak HC/FT’s investment strategies, including how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated healthcare innovation.
- In 2024 and 2025, Nancy received multiple prestigious recognitions, reflecting her influence in healthcare leadership and equity, including media and industry honors like Modern Healthcare’s Top Women Leaders and inclusion in TIME100 Health for transformative leadership in cardiovascular disease and stroke prevention.
- Outside Oak HC/FT, she is noted for her active participation in healthcare quality improvement programs and accelerating research initiatives.
Summary
Nancy G. Brown is a seasoned healthcare investor and leader, combining operational healthcare management experience with venture investment expertise. Her unique background in healthcare delivery organizations and technology companies, coupled with her role in mobilizing early and growth-stage capital, positions her as a central figure in advancing transformative healthcare innovation through Oak HC/FT. Her strategic focus on growth equity, board leadership across promising healthcare ventures, and ongoing engagement in thought leadership forums underscore her significance in the healthcare investment landscape.
