If you do anything in the IT investing world and in particular the health IT investment world, then you’ve no doubt seen the name of Esther Dyson before. She’s a real power in the investing world and one of the smartest people I’ve seen and heard. So, I was intrigued to read this interview with Esther Dyson.

One question that really interested me was this one that speaks to why she’s so interested in health IT.

BI: As a pioneer in the Internet space, why the connection to health?

ED: It’s the most intellectually interesting and financially rewarding. I don’t do this for the money, but I expect it to be profitable. But it’s also fundamentally more interesting and fundamentally more valuable. I’m not sure how to fix education, but I do think I can impact people [by helping them live healthier].

It has been interesting to see how many recent investments she’s made in healthcare. Here’s the list:
Applied Proteomics, Genomera, Habit Labs, HealthEngage, Health Loop, HealthRally, HealthTap, Keas, Medico, Medivo, Omada Health, Organized Wisdom, PatientsLikeMe, Resilient, Tocagen, Mequibrium, VitaPortal.ru, GreenGoose, PatientsKnowBest, and Valkee.

I think Esther is right about healthcare IT investing will be profitable and also will really impact people. For these reasons, I think we’re about to see an explosion in health IT investment in startup companies that we hadn’t seen before.