Team

Emily Zhen

Emily Zhen Headshot
My experience as a caregiver taught me that great science alone doesn’t save lives: you also need the systems and capital in place to reach patients. That insight, alongside a lifelong draw to both biology and business, drives how I think about investing. Capital is the bridge between innovation and impact, and I love investing in founders to bring their breakthrough solutions to patients at scale.
Education
University of Pennsylvania, BS in Economics (Finance), BA in Biology
The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, MBA
Biography

Emily joined HealthQuest in 2026 as a Principal focused on investments in the Growth Equity Fund. Prior to HealthQuest, Emily was a Principal at Zeal Capital Partners, where she launched and led the firm’s healthcare vertical, investing across digital health and tech-enabled healthcare services. Prior to Zeal, Emily was a member of the healthcare investment team at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), where she invested over $500M in capital across the full company lifecycle, from early-stage through growth and public companies spanning digital health, therapeutics, and life sciences. Earlier in her career, Emily worked in healthcare investment banking at Goldman Sachs, covering life sciences, healthcare services, and HCIT and executing M&A and IPO deals with over $5B in aggregate value. 

Emily is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 30) and has been recognized on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Venture Capital. She serves as a healthcare co-lead for the Emerging Venture Capitalist Association and as an advisor to Asian American Pacific Islander founders through Gold House Ventures. 

She holds an MBA from the Wharton School and dual undergraduate degrees, a BS in Economics (Finance) and a BA in Biology, from the University of Pennsylvania, as part of the Vagelos Life Sciences & Management program. In her free time, Emily is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys hiking in national and state parks, swimming, playing tennis, and skiing. A lifelong musician, she also loves playing piano, singing, and attending live performances.