Gali Baler, partner at CU Healthcare Innovation Fund, is one of our top 50 Emerging Leaders in corporate venturing for 2026.
Gali Baler has been instrumental in delivering multiple high-impact outcomes for the CU Healthcare Innovation Fund, the investment arm of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. These include the $450m sale of Foresight Diagnostics, a developer of ultra-sensitive cancer diagnostic tests, to Natera in 2025. Baler also points to the success of Q32 Bio, a spinout for which he helped create the first pitch deck, which went public in 2024. In 2025, the team helped the startup negotiate an asset sale to Akebia in a $595m transaction.
One of the most rewarding aspects of Baler’s role is being able to act as a catalyst across the healthcare ecosystem. Investing in technologies in pharma, medical devices, diagnostics and digital health, he is particularly energised when he can pinpoint opportunities to help portfolio companies advance through clinical trials, strategic partnerships or by combining complimentary technologies that advance patient care.
“We see about three million patients a year on campus, from pediatrics to geriatrics, and increasing the quality of care, the provider experience, or the healthcare efficiency is a tremendous win”
“We see about three million patients a year on campus, from pediatrics to geriatrics, and increasing the quality of care, the provider experience, or the healthcare efficiency is a tremendous win,” says Baler.
His first exposure to the innovation ecosystem came while pursuing his PhD at Northwestern University, where he was a fellow at the Innovation and New Ventures Office, which assists aspiring entrepreneurs in commercialising technologies. He later spun out his own startup, Sintact Medical Systems. After relocating to Colorado, he volunteered at the Rockies Venture Club, the oldest angel investing group in the US. He came to CU Anschutz Innovations, the university hospital’s commercialisation arm, in 2016 as an analyst and helped build the strategy for the fund.
The CU Healthcare Innovation Fund launched in 2019 and has outside capital. It has $103m in two funds and more than 80 LPs, including Children’s Hospital Colorado and UC Health.
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