Top Woman Growth Investor & Leader: Madison Dearborn’s Elizabeth Betten
Dec 4, 2024
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Elizabeth Betten, Partner and Co-Head of Healthcare at Madison Dearborn Partners, shares her insights as a Top Woman Leader in Growth Investing. She discusses unique strategies in healthcare investments, focusing on patient-preferred care and efficient outsourcing. Elizabeth emphasizes the vital role of women's leadership in finance and highlights challenges they face in the industry. Civic engagement is also a key topic, as she advocates for children's healthcare funding and community initiatives in Chicago.
Elizabeth Betten emphasizes Madison Dearborn Partners' focus on industry-specific expertise, particularly in healthcare, driving successful investments in over 160 companies.
The firm's culture of inclusivity and mentorship fosters talent retention and growth, significantly shaping careers like Elizabeth's in private equity.
Deep dives
Founding and Evolution of Madison Dearborn Partners
Madison Dearborn Partners was founded in 1992, evolving from a collective of principal investors at First Chicago Venture Capital. The firm emphasizes its partnership culture, which has been key to its identity and success over the past three decades. Unlike many firms that started as generalists, Madison Dearborn has focused on industry-specific expertise, particularly in healthcare, which has been a core area since its inception. This strategic focus on industry knowledge has allowed the firm to build strong relationships and insights, contributing to its successful investment portfolio of over 160 companies.
Commitment to Talent Development
The firm's ability to attract and retain talent is rooted in a culture of inclusivity and mentorship, allowing young professionals to grow within the organization. Madison Dearborn invests in its associates, offering opportunities for advancement, including sending them to premier business schools and encouraging their return to the firm. This approach fosters a strong sense of belonging where team members feel valued and supported, which enhances overall performance. Elizabeth Bedden's personal experience underlines this commitment, as she received mentorship and guidance that shaped her career in private equity.
Focus Areas in Healthcare Investments
Madison Dearborn's healthcare mandate is broad, emphasizing investments in sectors with significant supply and demand imbalances or access to care issues. The firm is particularly active in home and community-based care, recognizing the need for lower-cost healthcare solutions without compromising quality. Unlike other firms that may focus on physician practice management, Madison Dearborn prefers sectors that allow for scalable and efficient service delivery. This strategic selection has enabled the firm to engage with portfolio companies effectively and leverage their expertise in transforming healthcare services.
In this episode we speak with Elizabeth Betten, Partner and Co-Head of Healthcare at Madison Dearborn Partners. Elizabeth was recognized by GrowthCap as a Top Woman Leader in Growth Investing of 2024.
Madison Dearborn has a history in Chicago that dates back to the early 1980s when its founders built a $2.6 billion management buyout and venture capital portfolio at First Chicago Venture Capital. In 1992, the founders established MDP as an independent firm, and, since then, the firm has raised aggregate capital of over $31 billion, and has completed investments in more than 160 companies.
Elizabeth joined MDP in 2004 as an Associate and re-joined after business school in 2008. Prior to MDP, she worked in healthcare investment banking at J.P. Morgan.