Maxim Owen brings an uncommon background that combines global macro investing experience at Schroders managing a ~$30B portfolio with hands-on experience investing in over 100 early-stage healthcare companies at StartUp Health, including Particle Health, Cityblock, and Devoted Health. As a London-born investor now at Wavemaker 360 Health, he helps non-U.S. healthcare startups navigate entry into the U.S. market while using the U.K. and NHS as a proving ground for technologies that later expand to America.

• Strong focus on the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare, highlighting the unprecedented speed of adoption and company creation in the sector compared to the past. Noted that the pace of medical knowledge accumulation is accelerating so quickly that it will soon double in a matter of hours rather than years.
• Sophisticated view of venture fund economics and market cycles, frequently commenting on technical aspects like the denominator effect and liquidity risks faced by university endowments. Expressed skepticism regarding the ability to deliver true venture-style returns when managing massive multi-billion dollar funds.
• Preference for bold, non-incremental ideas and founders who take significant risks, observing that the funds with the highest returns often have a high number of failures alongside their winners. Encouraged founders to aim for outsized outcomes rather than playing it safe with incremental improvements.
• Critical eye toward realistic valuations and deal structures, specifically warning health tech founders that high valuation caps common in general tech accelerators often do not work in the healthcare sector. Pointed out that consolidation in health tech is currently stalled because target companies are still clinging to unrealistic stock valuations from previous boom cycles.
• Advice on pitch logistics and founder interactions, suggesting that founders should keep their presentation teams small. Observed a negative correlation between the number of team members joining a first pitch call and the actual quality of the investment opportunity.
• Enthusiasm for the New York tech ecosystem, specifically highlighting data showing the region surpassing Silicon Valley as a hub for digital health funding. Believes this capital influx will lead to a new wave of talented founders and scalable companies emerging from New York.