DAVID A. JONES, JR.

David is one of the leading venture capitalists in mid-America and a well-respected voice in healthcare business and innovation. He founded Chrysalis in 1993, after realizing that the absence of resident venture capital managers in Mid-America represented an opportunity to find and partner with promising growth companies in the region. He currently focuses primarily on healthcare investing and chairs the management company and funds’ investment committees.

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At Chrysalis, David has worked over the years with some of the most exciting growth companies in the Midwest and South, including Appriss (sold to Bain Capital), Advanced Academics (sold to Devry), Tritel (merged with Telecorp and sold to AT&T Wireless), Regent Communications (sold to Jacor Communications which was sold to Clear Channel Communications), ActaMed (merged with Healtheon and then with WebMD), Tech Republic (sold to Gartner Group) and High Speed Access Corp (IPO and later sold to Charter Communications).

In addition, David served on the Board of Directors of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) from 1993 to April 2023, serving as Vice Chairman from 1996 to 2005 and as Chairman from 2005 to 2010.

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David brings a strong and well-rounded background in business, law and banking to his work at Chrysalis Ventures. Prior to Chrysalis, David’s law practice included both domestic and international work, the latter with the U.S. Department of State Legal Adviser’s (general counsel’s) office in Washington (1988-1992). Before law school, he worked as a commercial banker for Bank of Boston in Hong Kong, New York and Boston.

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David has a BA from Yale University and a JD from Yale University Law School.

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David is active in civic and charitable affairs on both national and local levels. Recognizing the critical role education plays in catalyzing American innovation and competitiveness, as well as its potential to improve public health, David served as an elected member of the Jefferson County (KY) Board of Education (2012-2016) and as its chair for two years. He is Chairman of the Humana Foundation, which focuses on social determinants of health as a means of enhancing health equity, and a director of the C.E. & S. Foundation, which focuses on improving access and outcomes in P-16 education.  

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David has served as adjunct professor at Georgetown University in Washington, DC (constitutional and foreign affairs law) and at University of Louisville (entrepreneurship) and is currently an adjunct professor of innovation at Bellarmine University in Louisville.   David lectures frequently in Chrysalis’ region on topics related to venture capital and the changing healthcare industry.