Digital Health Staying Afloat
Bill Taranto is President and General Partner of the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund LL (MGHIF), and Merck’s Global Health Private Equity (GHIPE), LLC. Bill is the founder of MGHIF and is responsible for leading the GHI capability for Merck. The Merck Global Health Innovation Fund was established in late 2010 as a strategic response to the challenges surrounding Merck's core business of discovering, developing, and marketing innovative drugs and vaccines. The $500 million evergreen fund is focused on identifying opportunities that are adjacent to Merck’s core business of pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Under Bill’s leadership, GHIF has invested more than $1 Billion in 70+ companies, with over $7+ billion in exits, making MGHIF one of the largest and most successful digital health investors. Significant investments include PathAI, M2GEN, Navigating Cancer, Syapse, Strata, Precise DX, Trinetx, and Cleardata. Recent exits include Livongo Health, Preventice Solutions, Ciox and Absci.Success of GHIF is attributed to an 8-step Growth Value Acceleration framework called TarVo that Bill and his MGHIF colleague Joe Volpe created in the late 1990s. TarVo has proven its success in the development, commercialization and exits of dozens of GHIF’s investments as well as in many investments the team made in healthcare while at Johnson & Johnson. Bill Taranto is also Chairman of the Merck Innovation Ventures Board, a group that manages the identification and funding of portfolio investments; and is also Chairman of both the GHI Fund LLC Management Board and GHI PR LLC Management Board. Mr. Taranto most recently was Chairman of the Board, Preventice Solutions Inc., prior Board Member and Chairman at Aptus Health (Physician Interactive), Board Member at Livongo Health, Advisory Board Member Global Corporate Venturing and Advisory Board Member Health XL and Chairman, Break-Through Alliance Columbia HITLAB. Prior to joining Merck, Mr. Taranto spent 18 years at Johnson & Johnson in various marketing, sales, investing and business development roles with increasing responsibility. His previous position at J&J, VP, Health Care Strategy & Venture, he was responsible for evaluating and creating new health care business models through venture capital and acquisitions. Prior to joining J&J, Mr. Taranto spent eight years in investment banking. Mr. Taranto has a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Bonaventure University.
Bill Taranto is President and General Partner of the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund LL (MGHIF), and Merck’s Global Health Private Equity (GHIPE), LLC. Bill is the founder of MGHIF and is responsible for leading the GHI capability for Merck. The Merck Global Health Innovation Fund was established in late 2010 as a strategic response to the challenges surrounding Merck's core business of discovering, developing, and marketing innovative drugs and vaccines. The $500 million evergreen fund is focused on identifying opportunities that are adjacent to Merck’s core business of pharmaceuticals and vaccines. Under Bill’s leadership, GHIF has invested more than $1 Billion in 70+ companies, with over $7+ billion in exits, making MGHIF one of the largest and most successful digital health investors. Significant investments include PathAI, M2GEN, Navigating Cancer, Syapse, Strata, Precise DX, Trinetx, and Cleardata. Recent exits include Livongo Health, Preventice Solutions, Ciox and Absci.Success of GHIF is attributed to an 8-step Growth Value Acceleration framework called TarVo that Bill and his MGHIF colleague Joe Volpe created in the late 1990s. TarVo has proven its success in the development, commercialization and exits of dozens of GHIF’s investments as well as in many investments the team made in healthcare while at Johnson & Johnson. Bill Taranto is also Chairman of the Merck Innovation Ventures Board, a group that manages the identification and funding of portfolio investments; and is also Chairman of both the GHI Fund LLC Management Board and GHI PR LLC Management Board. Mr. Taranto most recently was Chairman of the Board, Preventice Solutions Inc., prior Board Member and Chairman at Aptus Health (Physician Interactive), Board Member at Livongo Health, Advisory Board Member Global Corporate Venturing and Advisory Board Member Health XL and Chairman, Break-Through Alliance Columbia HITLAB. Prior to joining Merck, Mr. Taranto spent 18 years at Johnson & Johnson in various marketing, sales, investing and business development roles with increasing responsibility. His previous position at J&J, VP, Health Care Strategy & Venture, he was responsible for evaluating and creating new health care business models through venture capital and acquisitions. Prior to joining J&J, Mr. Taranto spent eight years in investment banking. Mr. Taranto has a Bachelor of Business Administration from St. Bonaventure University.