Covid Pushed a VC Fund Out of Boston and Into a Health Goldrush

Bill Geary’s office desk in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood sits empty and idle, a casualty of the pandemic that stifled so many businesses. Yet the workplace diaspora energized Flare Capital Partners, his venture-capital firm that’s riding a wave of activity in digital health.

Until recently, U.S. health care lagged the world in embracing technology, slowly digesting electronic medical records, genome sequencing data and telehealth. Then Covid hit. Patients backed away from doctor’s offices, and investors took note. Amazon.com Inc.’s growing interest in health care and big deals like Teladoc Health Inc.’s $14.4 billion acquisition of diabetes startup ...