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Emily Zhen

Principal

Prior Experience

  • New Enterprise Associates, Healthcare Investor
  • Goldman Sachs, Healthcare Investment Banking
  • U.S. Department of Treasury, Strategic Planning & Process Improvement
  • Early Stage Healthcare Operator at NeuroFlow and Healthie
  • Preclinical and Clinical Research at Northwestern University and University of Pennsylvania

Education & Community

  • Kauffman Fellows Class 30
  • The Wharton School – MBA, Healthcare Management Program
  • University of Pennsylvania – B.S. in Economics
  • University of Pennsylvania - B.A. in Biology
  • University of Pennsylvania - Health Policy Certificate
  • Forbes 30 Under 30
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About Emily

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO JOIN THE ZEAL TEAM?

As the daughter of immigrants from China, I saw my parents work tirelessly to come to America and send my brothers and me to school. From a young age, I realized the tremendous value of education and financial literacy in accelerating economic mobility. Beyond my parents, my grandparents played a significant role in raising me. However, they didn’t speak English, so I became a medical translator for them - an experience that opened my eyes to the massive health barriers and disparities that exist in the U.S. Inspired by my upbringing, my life mission is to empower people to live their healthiest, happiest lives. I believe venture capital is the ideal vehicle for me to achieve this mission - through capital allocation in high-impact, fast-growing companies. After being introduced to Nasir through a mutual connection, I was immediately drawn to Zeal’s mission. The Zeal mission of turbocharging economic mobility through investing in health equity, financial inclusion and future of work and learning aligns very closely with my personal north star. Everyone at Zeal shares this commitment to the mission, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this team.

WHAT TYPE OF IMPACT DO YOU STRIVE TO CREATE AT ZEAL?

I care deeply about enabling equal opportunities for everyone. To me, investing capital and time into a talented management team is the greatest vote of confidence. Female, BIPOC, and immigrant founders still receive disproportionately less venture capital funding. But in order to truly serve women, people of color, and non-US born Americans, we need representation at the top. The shared lived experiences and empathy these leaders bring are crucial ingredients to establishing trust with underserved communities. At Zeal, we have the privilege of allocating capital thoughtfully into exceptional diverse management teams building high-growth businesses addressing untapped, underserved communities. As part of the Zeal investment team, I want to be an early backer of mission-driven, resilient, exceptional founders who may be disadvantaged in their fundraising efforts due to societal biases. I want to be that vote of confidence and conviction.

WHAT EXPERIENCES DO YOU BRING TO DRIVE IMPACT AT ZEAL?

Prior to Zeal, I was a venture capital and growth investor at NEA, a large global VC firm with over $25B in assets under management. My main focus at NEA was on healthcare investing across incubation/seed through growth and public investments. I also worked closely with our portfolio companies post-investment on team building, product development and R&D, go-to-market, fundraising, and exit strategy. Before that, I was a member of the healthcare investment banking team at Goldman Sachs. I started my career doing pre-clinical and clinical stage life sciences research and as an early-stage digital health operator at two startups, NeuroFlow (a value-based behavioral health clinical decision support platform) and Healthie (a digital health EMR infrastructure platform). Through these experiences, I’ve developed a strong understanding of how a successful company scales from seed to a public or M&A exit and guiding companies through each step. I also have founder empathy given my early-stage operating and startup experience. My early days in research and policy have instilled a relentless problem solving mindset and curiosity in me. I’m just as eager to be in the trenches problem solving with our founders as I am reviewing a new investment opportunity.

WHAT IS A PERSONAL GOAL YOU HAVE FOR THIS YEAR?

It’s a timely question. Last year, I started setting fun personal goals for myself. My goal for 2022 was to do 26 hikes (roughly one every other week). I hiked everything from Mt. Rainier in Washington to Pacifica and Marin in the Bay Area to East Coast hikes in New Hampshire. In the process, I found a hobby I deeply love and one of my favorite ways to reset after a long week and immerse myself in nature. For 2023, my goal is to go to at least 5 national parks. I’m excited to be a National Park Service annual passholder and continue immersing myself in nature!

WHAT IS ONE THING MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU?

Music has always been a big part of my life. I started playing classical piano at age 5 and composing music in my teenage years. In junior high and high school, I participated in choir, jazz band, and symphony orchestra. While I’m not formally involved in any musical group today, I love karaoke, jam sessions, and playing my keyboard and singing from time to time.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE TO LIVE BY?

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why we call it 'the present'."
I love this quote from Eleanor Roosevelt because it keeps me grounded in the present and reminds me to be grateful for all the little things in life. Although we can’t control the future or change the events of the past, we can be fully immersed in the present moment.