S2 E16 - Lu Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner of Fusion Fund; Ben Kromnick, investor, ecosystem builder, venture partner, and Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Mercury

On this week's episode of Silicon Valley Impact, we speak with Lu Zhang, Founder and Managing Partner of Fusion Fund, and Ben Kromnick, investor, ecosystem builder, venture partner, and Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences at Mercury. Lu is a renowned Silicon Valley-based investor, serial entrepreneur, and Stanford Engineering alumna. With a strong technical background, she has extensive experience bringing a broad range of technologies to commercialization, with deep domain expertise in AI in healthcare, enterprise AI/networks, edge computing, and data privacy. Founded by Lu in 2015, Fusion Fund is dedicated to supporting early-stage entrepreneurs innovating in healthcare, enterprise AI, and industrial automation. With investments in over 90 companies across the U.S. and Canada, Fusion Fund has generated substantial exits over the years. Prior to founding Fusion Fund, Lu was a serial entrepreneur and materials science researcher. Following the successful exit of her startup, she began investing in and supporting early-stage entrepreneurs, which eventually led her to create Fusion Fund. Since then, Lu has built a distinguished ecosystem and established her reputation in the venture capital industry. She has been honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum (Davos), named one of Silicon Valley’s Women of Influence, recognized as a Top 25 Female Early-Stage Investor by Business Insider, featured as a VC honoree in Forbes 30 Under 30, and selected as a Town & Country 50 Modern Swans - Entrepreneurship Influencer. Ben is a product and strategy leader with experience building at major organizations and scaling startups across the life sciences, healthtech, fintech, wearables, and AI industries. He loves working at the intersection of major social change and the application of big data and AI to positively impact our world. At Mercury, Ben is building one of the most rich and diverse ecosystems and financial platforms focused on healthcare and life sciences, aiming to accelerate innovation, improve the efficacy of care, and enhance the efficiency of the U.S. healthcare market. He invites you: Tell me about your biggest challenge in healthcare—and let’s get to work! Nothing is more exciting or fulfilling to Ben than enabling a founder with a mission to bring that mission to life and make a lasting impact on the world. This and much more on Silicon Valley Impact! Follow us on and listen to all our episodes on: 🎙️Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/68L4RPfMizjxnKBsmcFb1J 🍎Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/silicon-valley-impact/id1776876823 📺 Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/@siliconvalleyimpact   "Disclaimer: The opinions expressed by the host and guests on Silicon Valley Impact are for entertainment purposes only and should not be considered financial advice or a solicitation. Listeners are encouraged to consult with a professional before making any financial or business decisions."