Scaling Healthcare for Life: A Conversation with Adele C. Oliva of 1315 Capital

On this special episode of the Dakota Live! Podcast, we take a slightly different path from our usual allocator conversations. Thanks to a connection made by one of our Drexel University summer interns, we sit down with Adele C. Oliva, Founding Partner at 1315 Capital, a Philadelphia-based healthcare growth equity firm managing over $1 billion in assets.

Adele shares her journey from Baxter and Apex Partners to co-founding 1315 Capital, and how she built a firm dedicated to scaling commercial-stage healthcare products, services, and wellness companies. With her perspective as both a nationally recognized healthcare investor and a mentor to emerging leaders in private equity, Adele offers lessons on building culture, evaluating teams, and navigating growth equity in healthcare.

While our conversation may not follow our traditional allocator focus, it holds valuable insights for both asset managers and allocators. Adele’s views on commercial-stage investing, the importance of capital efficiency, and the evolving role of private equity in healthcare provide practical takeaways for anyone working across the investment ecosystem.

From Philadelphia’s unique life sciences advantage to the importance of mentorship, presence, and pattern recognition, this episode is a reminder that great investing begins with people, culture, and curiosity.

Tune in to hear how Adele and her team at 1315 Capital continue to shape the future of healthcare investing, and how a student’s initiative helped make this conversation possible.

Adele C. Oliva:   / adelecoliva  

Robert Morier:   / robertlmorier  

Alex deMarco:   / alex-demarco-b34538123  

Paetyn Knepp:   / paetyn-knepp-a55638358  

1315 Capital: https://www.1315capital.com/

Our Website:
https://dakota.com

🎙️ Listen to the Podcast:

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3NUXRMz...

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...


Chapter Markers:
0:00 Intro
1:36 At the desk
4:04 Adele Oliva intro
5:49 The Philadelphia advantage
06:33 Advice to youger self
07:23 Alex deMarco intro
07:54 Defining healthcare for life
09:32 Philadelphia as a healthcare ecosystem
10:51 Important decisions during growth
12:15 Effective questions
13:38 Pattern recognition
14:33 1315's competitive edge
16:21 Awards and recognitions
17:35 Early fundraising
19:40 Healthcare risk factors
21:36 Growth equity in health care
22:28 Managing buyouts and growth investments
23:28 Exit lessons
25:29 Private equity's role in healthcare
26:38 Assessing scientific claims
27:59 Areas of opportunity
29:25 Firefighter father influence
30:37 The impact of technology
32:02 Frequent questions from allocators
34:32 Staying present
35:27 Networking
36:55 Outro