New $8M Fund Targets Healthcare And Main Street: “The Math Is Broken”
Dria Ventures has launched its first fund with $8 million to invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups addressing America’s rising cost crisis. Led by Founder and Managing Partner Megan Maloney, the fund is targeting two sectors where “the math is broken”: healthcare and Main Street productivity.
In healthcare, costs now make up nearly 20% of the country’s GDP, while small businesses are spending upwards of $120,000 annually on outdated software. Dria is backing founders who are building practical, cost-saving infrastructure to fix these broken systems.
A thesis rooted in lived experience
The fund’s name honors Maloney’s grandmothers, Dorothy and Sylva, whose resilience and wisdom continue to inspire her. Dorothy, 96, still lives independently in Memphis. Sylva, who emigrated from Saint Vincent, passed away in 2022.
Her thesis for the fund is also shaped by lived experience. Maloney recalls how her mother’s medical practice was impacted by internal fraud, an experience that changed the way her family lived and how she came to understand risk and systems failure. Later, she saw the impact of thoughtful technology when her grandmother used a Livongo device to manage diabetes.
“One moment revealed what happens when trust breaks down,” Maloney explains. “The other showed what’s possible when tech works for people. That tension, between breakdown and breakthrough, is what shaped how I think about cost and care.”
Investing in Real-World Solutions
Before launching Dria, Maloney spent over ten years investing in both early-stage and growth-stage companies. At General Catalyst, she served as a board observer for companies like Livongo, which Teladoc acquired for $18.5 billion, Samsara (IPO), and Grammarly. She also invested in companies like Stripe, Bitwise, and Pulley.
Now, with Dria, she’s taking a more focused approach, working closely with founders from day one to help them build solutions that lower systemic costs. In healthcare, she sees infrastructure and workflow integration as key. On Main Street, outdated tools are slowing down industries like restaurants, auto repair, and construction. Dria supports founders developing automation that is practical, affordable, and built for real-world adoption.
Backing Startups That Cut Costs and Deliver Impact
So far, Dria Ventures has backed a range of startups that are building cost-saving infrastructure across the healthcare and small business sectors. These include Juniper Genomics, which is improving access to IVF; auto repair automation startup PitPro; and Karoo Health, which helps health systems move from reactive to proactive cardiac care.
Other investments span sectors such as revenue recovery (Revin AI), restaurant automation (Kintow), commercial roofing software (Terial), aerospace data (Enigma), creator monetization (Popcall), and developer productivity (Quotient).
“We’re building Dria to be a different kind of partner,” Maloney said. “Practical, intentional, and built for real-world results.”
A Strong Network of Support
To support its portfolio, Dria has assembled a deep bench of advisors, including operators from Livongo, Samsara, and Stripe, along with executives from Yale New Haven and Stamford Health.
The fund’s limited partners include Next Legacy Partners, Global Endowment Management, Spring Point Partners, Stardust, General Catalyst, and Handmade Capital. Individual partners include Elad Gil, Katherine Boyle, Glen Tullman, Lee Shapiro, Diogo Monica, and Jules Maltz.
