Who We Are

Our Mission

Healthliant Ventures was born out of the idea of Tanner Health being a strategic partner to healthcare startups seeking to validate their products or services, expand their offerings through co-development and market them to other health systems and types of customers.

Tanner Health is comprised of five hospitals in west Georgia and east Alabama, as well as Tanner Medical Group — one of metro Atlanta’s largest multi-specialty physician groups. Tanner Health has a medical staff of more than 400 physicians, representing more than 30 specialties. It also is a partner in two senior living communities and joint ventures such as a surgery center and endoscopy center.

Thanks to Tanner Health’s real-world experiences, Healthliant Ventures management is uniquely positioned to understand the kinds of problems that innovative digital health and medical device companies are looking to solve. Our mission is to partner with entrepreneurs to increase their chance of success by providing a healthcare proving ground, extensive operational knowledge, and a deep network of clinical and venture partners.

Meet Our Team

Meet our team of experts who will help you launch your innovative ideas.

Steve West

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Steve West is currently Managing Director at Healthliant Ventures. Previously, he served as CEO of Phiona Technology, a no-code data management platform, which was acquired in 2023. Prior to Phiona, Mr. West served as a Product Strategy Director at Anthem, Inc developing a next generation population health analytics platform in conjunction with a leading electronic health records company. He also led the mid-revenue cycle analytics product development and delivery organization at Streamline Health, where he launched eValuator, the first automated code auditing platform, leading to over $20M in new booked revenue. Mr. West began his career at The Advisory Board Company (acq by Optum) in a variety of consulting, product management and product marketing roles across their operational analytics technology divisions.

Alex Rassouli

VENTURE MANAGER

Alex is currently Venture Manager at Healthliant Ventures. Before his career at Healthliant, Alex has worked for the corporate venturing company NAX Group. There, he was part of the initial three-man team that conceptualized and brought a fintech venture to market. Within this team that gradually grew to approx. a dozen team members, Alex spearheaded the operations playbook, designed and executed multi-phase RFP processes, and supported the product team in their strategy and design efforts, amongst several other responsibilities. He also helped lead a 10+ exploration engagement across the healthcare and CPG sectors. Before NAX, Alex worked in consulting capacities at Illum and Kelton Global (now Material), where he advised and delivered impact-creating analyses across a broad range of landscapes, including tech, commerce and media.

Mark Rainosek

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Mark has founded and developed several innovative companies in healthcare and technology in the last 25 years, leading to three successful exits. He has extensive experience in raising venture and strategic capital, creating financial models, shaping business strategy, structuring strategic partnerships and assembling effective teams. Mark co-founded Prinnovo to assist forward-thinking health systems in establishing portfolios of innovation partners that drive both clinical value and financial return for their enterprises.

Jay Brennan, JD, MBA

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Jay brings over 20 years of extensive experience, specializing in working with startups, leading turnarounds and coaching entrepreneurs. Beginning in the technology transfer sector, Jay evaluated and raised capital for promising startups before transitioning to operations consulting for privately held firms in the Greensboro region. As a co-founder of Prinnovo, Jay oversees the hiring, training and management of health venture office staff. He forges strong bonds with health system leaders, providing guidance to entrepreneurial partners in delivering innovative solutions for the most critical needs of the health system.

Daniel Triggs, MHA

PROJECT MANAGER

Daniel serves as a Project Manager at Healthliant Ventures, leading the pilot projects that enhance healthcare services. His career began at ChenMed in South Florida, where he joined the Leader Fellow Program and later advanced into operations, managing multiple clinics. While with ChenMed, he launched a new service line with a mobile optometry startup, led scheduling improvements, and trained leaders in data analytics. Before ChenMed, Daniel interned at Ochsner Health in New Orleans while earning his Master of Health Administration from Tulane University. He led COVID-19 initiatives, including implementing the first monoclonal antibody clinic for the health system. Daniel’s expertise in process improvement and data analytics, combined with his passion for healthcare and helping others, defines his professional journey.

Loy Howard

TANNER HEALTH, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Howard became president and CEO of Tanner Health System in 1994. He previously served as the CEO and CFO of the Union Hospital District in South Carolina. A recognized community leader, Howard has served as chairman of the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and has received numerous awards, including Georgia Hospital Association’s Chairman Award in 2014, the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce's Citizen of the Year award in 2008, the chamber's Horizon Award in 2002 and the Visionary Award from the Follow Me Foundation in 2000.

Carol Crews

TANNER HEALTH, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

For more than 25 years, Crews has served the community through her many positions at Tanner Health. As enterprise CFO of Tanner, she oversees all business-related activity for the system, including budgets, audits and governmental filings. Her responsibilities also include accounting, payroll, patient financial services, patient registration and scheduling, health information management and revenue integrity. Crews earned her bachelor's in business administration and accounting from the University of West Georgia and later became a certified public accountant. She is a member of the west Georgia chapter of the Georgia Society of CPAs, the Healthcare Financial Management Association and the Georgia Hospital Association.

Greg Schulenburg

TANNER HEALTH, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

After serving as COO of Greenway Health, Schulenburg joined Tanner in 2017 as chief information officer (CIO). In addition to CIO duties, he is also responsible for Tanner Medical Group, managed care, physician recruitment, compliance and facilities construction. Having earned a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Georgia, Schulenberg previously managed projects for Prudential Bank, National Support and NationsBank. In addition to his ambulatory division responsibilities at Tanner, he is a board member for Carrollton City Schools.