Global Corporate Venturing honors Echo’s Jessica Zeaske for her industry leadership

Global Corporate Venturing has named Jessica Zeaske, managing partner at Echo Health Ventures, as one of 21 standout women in CVC (corporate venture capital) on the U.S. East Coast.

According to Global Corporate Venturing, the strength of the leaders on the list reflects welcome changes to the CVC industry. "There is a growing number of inspirational women in corporate venture capital."

"Diverse teams make better investment decisions and are able to understand the needs of broader customer populations. The women on this list embrace that fully, and speak about what needs to be done to complete broadening access to CVC for everyone: mentorship is great but sponsorship - not just advising but actively promoting and advocating for people - is even better."

From the CVC profile of Zeaske:

Having spent over 20 years in investing, Zeaske says she has seen a particularly strong community develop around the industry and is encouraged by the next generation moving into leadership.

She credits mentors including Sue Siegel, Lisa Suennen and Jodi Hubler with shaping her approach to investing and leadership, while highlighting Echo Health Ventures' Rob Coppedge for showing her "what it looks like to listen and lead at the same time".

Those experiences have reinforced her view that diversity is less about representation for its own sake than about improving how investment decisions are made.

"Diversity is fundamentally about who is around the table to challenge your assumptions. That includes gender and race, and also career tenure, geography, and academic training."

On LinkedIn, Zeaske elaborated on her observation in the article that, "Diversity is fundamentally about who is around the table to challenge your assumptions."

"At Echo Health Ventures, that conviction shapes how we invest," Zeaske writes. "The perspectives that sharpen our view of risk and potential come from many directions and the more of those voices at the table, the better our decisions for founders, health plans, and the members they serve."