Today's episode explores three ideas that caught my attention:
The courage to admit ignorance can be a competitive advantage - Trey's willingness to ask "dumb" questions in healthcare settings was one of the key distinctives that allowed him to learn and grow so quickly.
Personal pain often drives conviction in healthcare entrepreneurship - Trey noted healthcare found often lost loved ones or had bad experiences, resulting in higher-than-average grit.
Relationships are everything healthcare adoption - Despite compelling ROI data, an innovation’s success often hinged on finding internal champions willing to take personal risks on new solutions.
I explore these ideas and more with Trey Bowles, Founder and Managing Partner of the Bowles Investment Group and co-founder of 1845 Venture Studio.
Trey Bowles is an ecosystem builder and investor as Founder and Managing Partner of The Bowles Investment Group and co-founder of 1845 Venture Studio. After spending three years as Managing Director at Techstars, where he overcame his initial healthcare investment reluctance, Trey now champions a venture studio model that sits between bootstrapping and traditional VC. His unique perspective comes from building multiple organizations while simultaneously serving as co-chair of the North Texas Angel Network, giving him rare insight into both the founder and investor experience across Texas's rapidly growing entrepreneurial ecosystem.
During our conversation, Trey shares:
The healthcare sales discovery framework that actually works - moving from "here's my solution, where would you put it?" to "what are your biggest problems?" followed by systematic needs mapping before any product presentation.
The relationship-first healthcare market entry strategy - identifying that success requires finding specific individuals within health systems who are willing to try something new, not just institutional buy-in.
How to leverage angel networks as subject matter expert resources - transforming group investing from capital aggregation into knowledge-sharing platforms that reduce individual due diligence blind spots.
What We Cover:
00:00 Introduction
03:59 Launching 1845 Venture Studio
05:00 The Venture Studio Model: A Middle Ground
07:48 Transitioning to Healthcare Investments
08:55 Learning the Healthcare Market
11:25 Challenges in Healthcare Innovation
15:35 Advice for Aspiring Angel Investors
18:52 The Role of Angel Networks
20:35 The Importance of Relationships in Healthcare
26:39 The Value of Non-Dilutive Funding
27:40 Fundamentals of Successful Startups
29:53 Respecting and Supporting Entrepreneurs
Check out the entire show library and follow via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
Connect with Trey
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/treybowles/
Connect with Andrew
Newsletter: https://thediligentobserver.com/
Website: https://pitchfact.com/
Stuff We Reference
Dallas Entrepreneurship Center: https://thedec.co/
DFW Startup Week: https://dfwstartupweek.com/
Eagle Venture Lab: https://eagleventurelab.com/
Ryan Brown: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-brown-84688937/
Andreessen Horowitz: https://a16z.com/
University of North Texas Health Science Center: https://www.unthsc.edu/
Kaiser Permanente: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kaiser-permanente/
Texas Health Resources: https://www.texashealth.org/
Baylor Scott and White Health: https://www.bswhealth.com/
Ochsner Health System: https://www.ochsnerhealthnetwork.org/
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All opinions expressed are personal and may not reflect the views of the individual’s organization or of The Diligent Observer. Not investment advice.
