Meet Dean Drizin

Dean brings an incredible background in health care and investment banking to this new role, as well as a passion for Alumni Ventures Group’s venture strategy. We recently caught up with Dean to learn how he came to join the Green D team.

How did you make your way to Green D Ventures? (personally, academically, professionally)

I graduated from Dartmouth in 2006 and began my career in New York City, first in the healthcare investment banking group at Bank of America and then at a small healthcare-focused venture capital firm called KBL. In both roles, I had mentors who motivated me to pursue an MD/MBA dual degree, which I did at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (with a Navy scholarship) and Wharton.

After training in internal medicine at Walter Reed in Bethesda, MD, and flight medicine in Pensacola, FL, I served as an active-duty flight surgeon in the Navy, deploying to Japan and El Salvador as the sole medical provider to over 300 Naval aviation personnel. Upon completing my active duty service, I joined the team at Touchdown Ventures, a corporate venture capital firm that partners with organizations to help establish and run venture capital programs, to help lead a fund with a health system. I have long been a fan of Green D Ventures, so when I saw a position open up on the team, it was an opportunity I could not ignore!

I live in New Jersey with my wife, Nikki, and our two children, Jack and Juliette. I continue to serve as a flight surgeon in the Navy Reserve. When there is no global pandemic, I love to travel and ski.

What initially sparked your interest in working at Green D? 

Hearing Laura Bordewieck Rippy describe Green D as the “coolest job in the Dartmouth entrepreneurial ecosystem” definitely sparked my interest! Ultimately, the pace of investing at Green D and AVG sealed the deal. I am grateful and fortunate to now be part of one of the world’s most active venture firms.

How did your college experience and the connections made there influence your career?

Venture capital involves taking risks, and Dartmouth supported me as I pursued professional risks. For example, as a sophomore at Dartmouth exploring opportunities for my off-term, I was determined to try to intern at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland (even though no Dartmouth student had interned there before). I secured funding from Dartmouth’s Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and reached out to Dartmouth alumni at the WHO, who helped arrange an internship for me in the International Programme on Chemical Safety. The support I was given then and have continued to receive from the Dartmouth community (classmates, faculty, and alumni) has helped me get to where I am today. Investing with Green D is one way I hope to return that support to the Dartmouth community.

What trends in venture capital are you most excited about?

I am excited to help advance AVG’s mission of making venture capital more accessible to individual people. I am also particularly excited about working in venture capital at a time when the challenges of 2020 are driving innovation and accelerating the adoption of new technologies and services.

What are you most looking forward to since joining the team? 

I am most looking forward to investing in lots of deals! I am also excited to connect with Dartmouth founders, Green D LPs, and Dartmouth VCs, as well as collaborate with everyone at AVG.

What resources do you recommend to people interested in venture capital or entrepreneurship?

In my opinion, people are the best resources.  If you are interested in venture capital or entrepreneurship, seek out ways to build your network and learn from others in the industry.  Dartmouth alums helped me get where I am today, and I am excited to be part of an organization that leverages these alumni networks.