Picture this: It’s July 4, 2024. While most Americans are enjoying barbecues and fireworks, Julie Jacono is waiting for something entirely different—the signing of health care legislation that would change everything. When the bill was finally signed that Independence Day, Jacono knew it was now or never. By the following week, she had resigned from her position at a venture fund to launch Opus Health, a company positioned to save hospitals across America from potential closure.
The Perfect Storm in Health Care. Jacono’s pivot wasn’t born from entrepreneurial restlessness —it was driven by urgent market reality. Having spent her career in health care before moving to
venture capital, she had a unique vantage point to see the crisis brewing. As chief strategy and information innovation officer for MetroHealth System, she witnessed firsthand the operational
inefficiencies plaguing hospitals. Later, as a venture capitalist reviewing healthtech deals, she saw brilliant innovations that would struggle to reach the market because the target customers—
hospitals—were in no shape to receive them.
This article originally appeared in Harvard Business School Alumni Class Notes on November 11, 2025. Click here to read the full article.
