Sonder Capital Appoints Kate Garrett as Managing Partner to Lead Next Generation of Growth
Co-founders and industry luminaries Dr. Fred Moll and Jay Watkins will assume the newly created role of Co-chair as firm closes its latest fund, Futures II
Sonder Capital, a leading venture capital firm focused on identifying teams and technologies that will transform healthcare, today announced the appointment of firm Co-founder Kate Garrett as Managing Partner. In this pivotal role, Garrett will spearhead Sonder's next phase of growth as the firm closes Sonder Futures II, its second early stage fund.
With Garrett becoming Managing Partner, Sonder Co-founders and industry luminaries Fred Moll, M.D. and Jay Watkins will maintain their roles as partners and assume the newly created positions of Co-chairs to help guide and support future growth. This strategic move comes as Sonder continues to accelerate innovation, foster innovative leadership, and invest in the next generation of transformative healthcare technologies.
A respected and well-known leader in the healthcare innovation community, Garrett serves on the board of Sonder portfolio companies Spirair, BRIUS Technologies, Ziteo, and Neptune Medical. She brings nearly two decades of experience as a successful inventor, founder, and operator across a wide spectrum of companies from early-stage startups to multinational organizations. Among her many achievements, Garrett co-founded and led Ciel Medical in the invention, development and commercialization of critical care products for ventilated patients. The company was acquired by Vyaire Medical in 2017. She also serves as Assistant Director of the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship, where she guides emerging inventors and entrepreneurs in the discovery and development of breakthrough technologies that solve significant unmet healthcare needs.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to lead our partnership into our next phase of development," said Garrett. "With unsustainable costs and an aging patient population, the fundamental need for better healthcare solutions is as great as ever. These are the types of challenges Sonder is working to address."
"Kate is the ideal leader for our next generation of growth and innovation," said Watkins. "She is an extraordinary, empathetic team builder who is respected by investors and entrepreneurs alike. Her passion for scaling technologies and developing leaders is critical to our portfolio and firm's success," he said.
"As we close our second fund, it's crucial for us to have a leader who can collaborate with our partners to build a dynamic infrastructure that will further support and accelerate our growth," said Moll. "Kate has a unique blend of capabilities with her success as an inventor, founder, and operator, and her prominence as a leader and mentor in the healthcare innovation community. Her skills and vision will play a key role in taking us through our next phase of growth," he said.
About Sonder Capital
Sonder's team of veteran investors, innovators, founder-operators, and company builders is known not only for their individual achievements, but also for their collective success in creating, funding, and leading private and public companies that have transformed healthcare for millions of patients globally — including Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ:ISRG), Shockwave Medical (NASDAQ:SWAV), Procept Biorobotics (NASDAQ:PRCT), Auris Health, and Reflexion Medical, among others. Sonder's extensive network of limited partners is global and includes industry leaders, high-net-worth individuals, and leading family offices focused on investing in game-changing healthcare technologies. Sonder Capital was co-founded in 2019 by healthcare luminaries Jay Watkins and Fred Moll, M.D.
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