Sante Ventures

Kevin Lalande and Joe Cunningham, both managing directors, lead investment decisions. They co-founded the firm in 2006 after working together at Austin Ventures. Dennis McWilliams serves as partner and rounds out the core investment committee.

The firm draws heavily on a strategic advisory board of former hospital-system CEOs and health-plan executives. That network surfaces opportunities inside provider organizations before they reach a broad auction. Lalande and Cunningham's two decades in Texas venture circles also generate referrals from serial healthcare founders.

Sante Ventures operates as a traditional venture capital firm that raises capital from institutional limited partners, not as a single-family office. It has closed multiple vintages of committed funds, most recently Sante Ventures IV in 2024.

Sante is stage-agnostic within healthcare, writing initial checks from roughly $5 million to $25 million. The firm invests from seed stage through late-stage venture and growth equity, typically leading or co-leading rounds and taking a board seat.

The firm does not invest outside of healthcare. It avoids pure biotech, medical devices, and pharmaceutical plays — concentrating instead on health IT, tech-enabled services, and digital health platforms where clinical need meets operational complexity.

Sante Ventures raises capital from institutional limited partners, which public records suggest include health-system strategic investors, endowments, and fund-of-funds. The firm does not disclose a detailed LP roster. It is not a family office or a captive corporate venture arm.

Sante invests exclusively through direct equity rounds in operating companies. It does not operate as a fund-of-funds or make passive LP commitments into other venture firms.