# Ian Koons

> Ian Koons is the co-founder and CEO of Karoo Health, an Albuquerque-based startup building tech-enabled, value-based cardiovascular care. A former college tennis player who once did post-game radio for an NFL team, Koons turned a personal loss - a best friend's fatal heart attack in 2014 - into a company that pairs on-site and virtual care teams with software to help cardiologists move from volume to value. Since founding Karoo in 2021, he has grown it to dozens of employees, raised seed funding, partnered with cardiology networks across roughly a dozen states, and teamed with Heartbeat Health to assemble a national end-to-end cardiac care solution.

- **Role:** Co-Founder and CEO at Karoo Health
- **Organizations:** Karoo Health, Ovation Fertility, Advantia Health, Patient Ready Clinicians, ESPN Radio
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S., Eastern Mennonite University, Attended, University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Co-founded and leads Karoo Health, a value-based cardiovascular care company, Raised $3.4M in seed-stage venture funding, Grew Karoo to roughly 39 employees and partnerships with 700+ cardiologists across nearly a dozen states

## Career timeline

- **2012** — Founded Patient Ready Clinicians, a Virginia-based healthcare staffing and recruiting firm, serving as President and CEO
- **2014** — Best friend dies of a heart attack - the catalyst that later drives him toward cardiovascular care
- **2017** — Joins Advantia Health as VP of Provider Growth, leading talent strategy for the PE-backed women's health company
- **2019** — Becomes VP of Physician Partnerships at Ovation Fertility
- **2021** — Co-founds Karoo Health in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as CEO
- **2023** — Karoo launches its digital cardiovascular platform backed by $3.4M in venture investment, with nearly 100 providers lined up
- **2024** — Karoo partners with Heartbeat Health to build a national, scalable, end-to-end cardiac value-based care solution; grows to 700+ cardiologists across nearly a dozen states

## Achievements

- Co-founded and leads Karoo Health, a value-based cardiovascular care company
- Raised $3.4M in seed-stage venture funding
- Grew Karoo to roughly 39 employees and partnerships with 700+ cardiologists across nearly a dozen states
- Forged a national partnership with Heartbeat Health to create an end-to-end cardiac value-based care solution
- Previously founded and ran Patient Ready Clinicians, a healthcare staffing firm
- Backed by FirstMile Ventures and BIP Ventures

## Latest updates

- **2024-05** — Karoo Health partnered with Heartbeat Health to create the first national, scalable, end-to-end cardiac value-based care solution.
- **2025-03** — Featured in FirstMile Ventures' '4-Min Founder' interview, sharing his founding story and operating habits.

## Links

- Website: https://karoohealth.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/iankoons/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/ian-koons
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-24