Business POV

Kirschner is the founder of Heartland Angels, a network of 21 investors that will consider funding requests for between $250,000 and $1 million. In 2006, they saw 300 companies and looked seriously at about 10. They currently have investments in three companies. Herein Kirschner explains Heartland's philosophy, what his investors expect as an ROI, and mistakes start-ups make when courting an angel.

Companies that Heartland favors fall into the following arenas: Science-based Innovations, Retail, Manufacturing and Distribution, Telecommunications, Information Technology, Real Estate

Ronald L. Kirschner, M.D. is President of Heartland Angels, Inc. Dr. Kirschner has a broad background in healthcare, start-ups and private equity. Dr. Kirschner practiced medicine for 23 years and anesthesia for 17 of those years. He taught at Illinois Masonic Medical Center and was an Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He was President of Irving Park Chapter of the Chicago Medical Society.

While practicing medicine, he started 3 companies of his own in the healthcare field dealing with Nutrition, Managed Care, and Utilization Review. He has been a consultant on healthcare issues to the State government and on funding and market strategies to both entrepreneurs and early stage companies. He was the VP of Technology Development for CDIB Biotech, Inc., a Midwest Biotechnology Venture Fund (started by China Industrial Industrial Bank) where his roles was to assist in the discovery and funding of early stage biotechnology in the Midwest and Canada. He was principal in the funding decisions concerning, among others, Aegera Therapeutics, Immunicon, and VitaGen (now Vital Therapies, Inc.). He was active in advising local companies, e.g., Neuronautics, on options relating to funding opportunities and was involved with the Board of Directors for Phytoceutica.

Dr. Kirschner received his BA from Beloit College and was awarded his Medical Degree from St. Louis University. He has completed residencies in Emergency Medicine at the University of Chicago and in Anesthesia at West Virginia University. He received his MBA in Finance from DePaul University.

Heartland Angels