Larry Renfro is the managing partner of Optum Ventures, the corporate venturing unit of pharmacy benefit manager Optum, which is part of UnitedHealth Group.
The unit is an early-stage investment firm focused on emerging health care technology, analytics, and services companies with transformative capabilities to make health care better for everyone.
Under Renfro’s leadership, the unit has made a current total investment commitment of $600m through a series of domestic and international funds.
Among Optum Ventures’ recent deals are roles in the $105m series C raise for Brightline, a US-based medtech company focusing in behavioural healthcare services for children, and in the $12m series A round for Vira Health, a British developer of digital therapeutics for menopause sufferers. The unit also took a lead role in the $30m series A raise for digital health insurance platform Flume Health.
Renfro also works as vice chairman of UnitedHealth Group, with oversight responsibility for all enterprise strategic relationships, key client relationships and company-wide business growth efforts. For the six years before taking the helm at Optum Ventures in 2017, Renfro served as CEO of Optum, overseeing the subsidiaries OptumInsight, OptumHealth and OptumRx. During this period, Optum was transformed from a $27bn health services platform to an industry leader worth over $90bn.
Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Renfro worked at fund manager Fidelity Investments as well as for AARP Services, a financial services firm, among numerous positions in the financial sector. He has bachelor of science degree from Western Kentucky University.
