The Women-Led VC Fund Making Healthcare Profitable, Accessible & Scalable | Tara Bishop, Black Opal Ventures (#070)

SRI360 | Socially Responsible Investing, ESG, Impact Investing, Sustainable Investing

When you think about healthcare innovation, the image of cutting-edge technologies, AI-driven diagnostics, and robotic breakthroughs might come to mind. But is there a way to use these innovations to address the system's biggest challenges – cost, quality, access, and sustainability?

My guest today is Dr. Tara Bishop who is the founder and managing director of Black Opal Ventures, and she is uniquely positioned to answer this question.

As a fourth-generation physician turned venture capitalist, Tara teamed up with deep-tech veteran Eileen Tanghal to create a fund focused on bridging healthcare and technology. Together, they bring decades of expertise in medicine, policy, startups, and deep tech to build a brilliant tomorrow in healthcare.

Black Opal’s mission is to uncover and support the rarest gems in healthcare innovation – companies that redefine care delivery, improve access, and make a measurable impact while delivering competitive returns.

With $63M under management and a portfolio spanning robotic IVF, wearable AI diagnostics, and next-gen obesity care platforms, Black Opal proves that you don’t have to choose between impact and profitability.

In this interview, Tara talks about inefficiencies in the healthcare system and how they inspired her to dive into healthcare innovation. She also shares her investment strategy and explains how Black Opal balances impact and profitability.

Curious to learn more about how venture capital is turning the biggest healthcare challenges into opportunities to drive meaningful change and financial returns? Tune in to hear how this unique fund is bridging technology and medical expertise to deliver smarter, more accessible, and impactful solutions.

Let’s dive in!

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About the SRI 360° Podcast: The SRI 360° Podcast is focused exclusively on sustainable & responsible investing. In each episode, I interview a world-class investor who is an accomplished practitioner from all asset classes. In my interviews, I cover everything from their early personal journeys to insights into how they developed and executed their investment strategies and what challenges they face today. Each episode is a chance to go way below the surface with these impressive people and gain additional insights and useful lessons from professional investors.
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Key Takeaways:

• Intro (00:00)
• Tara Bishop's background and early career path (02:50)
• Transition to venture capital (20:40)
• Co-founding Black Opal Ventures with Eileen Tanghal (35:00)
• Black Opal’s mission and theory of change (42:37)
• Investment strategy, process, and portfolio (01:02:18)
• Portfolio highlights: Conceivable Life Sciences, Empatica, Violet (01:14:03)
• Challenges of integrating technology into healthcare (01:22:34)
• Impact measurement (01:27:10)
• How diversity drives better and faster healthcare solutions (01:32:20)
• The public sector's role in advancing health tech innovation (01:42:34)
• Future of health tech and AI (01:45:30)
• Rapid fire questions (01:48:14)
• Contact info (01:54:08)

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Additional Resources:

- Tara’s LinkedIn

- Black Opal Ventures Website