Kevin McGovern on Building Venturous

When Kevin McGovern shifted from corporate leadership to full-time consulting, he kept facing the same problem: healthcare and startups needs experienced executives, but they don’t succeed with traditional hiring methods. That insight led to Venturous, a platform connecting healthcare companies with executive talent: part-time, fractional, project-based, full-time, and everything in between. In this conversation, Kevin shares how Venturous came to life, what makes our work so powerful, and why now is the moment to rethink how healthcare companies match with the right leadership.

Question: Thanks so much, Kevin, for joining us. Please begin by introducing yourself. 

Kevin: My name is Kevin McGovern. I'm the CEO of Venturous and I live in Chicago. I initially worked in the corporate world. For the last 30 years, I've held sales positions, served as Chief Commercial Officer, ran analytics, which eventually led to my own consulting side-business in 2012. My consulting work focused on investing, board work, and advising. In 2021, I shifted to full-time consulting due to increasing demand and saw an opportunity to run my own business. 

Question: So then how did that inspire the creation of Venturous? 

Kevin: Through my consulting business, I was frequently asked to help companies find executives, train them, and guide them through job searches. At the same time, candidates struggled because the job hunting experience had become less personalized. Companies had internal hiring teams that candidates could barely reach. AI entered the market, and large job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, and ZipRecruiter lacked an ROI on both the candidate and company side. Executives were caught in the middle of an ever expanding pool, getting completely drown out. 

I saw an opportunity to provide training and coaching—helping professionals find roles, create outreach strategies, and prepare them for interviews. The nature of interviewing had changed, with video interviews replacing face-to-face meetings, and I helped professionals navigate this shift. I was also working with young people just out of college to prepare them for job interviews and the workforce. 

In mid-to-late 2022, I began discussions with Jon Phillips, the managing partner of First Trust Capital. I was already engaged with them and doing business. He and I saw similar needs in healthcare hiring but had a broader vision: Could we also build a community of executives and connect them with these job opportunities? 

We expanded our discussions and realized that there was an opportunity to create a more exclusive, boutique experience for both candidates and companies. We realized that we could be the antithesis of outdated hiring methods and we could use AI and technology to do it. By December 7, 2023, we had our first kickoff meeting in Nashville. Venturous was created because of a clear market need that no one was addressing: match the right leaders to the generation of healthcare and healthtech growth.

Question: What problem does Venturous solve? 

Kevin: We solve a couple of large problems. First, for candidates, we get them into a community of their peers. They can upskill with Venturous. They can connect, learn or mentor with others at their level who understand both healthcare and the executive experience. Right now, no company is providing that to candidates, and they are also not providing them with relevant job opportunities that they can’t find elsewhere. Second, for those doing the hiring, whether it’s recruiters, HR teams, VC groups, or startup healthcare companies, we source them candidates within minutes. What typically would take them over 100 days takes us minutes. And for those who need problems fixed in their business, we have the exclusive, vetted network to fix them. These are the problems we solve, these are the pains we alleviate.

We only work with experienced executives across the spectrum—part-time, fractional, full-time, advisory, interim, board roles, or more. Our ideal candidates are executives with 10+ years of experience across functional areas like sales, marketing, board work, and data analytics. 

On the company side, we support healthcare and healthtech organizations ranging from early-stage ventures to more established, growth-focused companies. Whether they’re scaling after a funding round or expanding a mature operation, many of these organizations need executive leadership in areas like finance, marketing, or sales—but aren’t always ready or equipped for traditional hiring processes, and let’s be honest, they don’t have the time, the process or the budget to do it off the bat.

Venturous matched and placed a CFO at an early-stage healthcare startup. He started two days a week, eventually increased to three, and later joined full-time. That company just secured its Series A funding, demonstrating how hiring the right talent early accelerates growth. 

Question: Can you explain the concept of fractional work and why it's becoming more popular, especially in early-stage healthcare companies? 

Kevin: Many seasoned professionals want to give back and apply their expertise across multiple companies. Fractional roles, or even part-time or project-based roles, let them do that while maintaining flexibility and balance. Over 80% of our network are open to different engagement types, so they could scale up or down with a company as it makes sense. It's consulting at a strategic level, and it’s changing the game. 

Question: What makes Venturous different from traditional hiring methods? 

Kevin: Venturous stands out in several ways. First, we provide speed to the market. We already have a built-in community of executives, so we don’t start sourcing when a company reaches out—we already have relationships with vetted candidates. 

We are cost-effective. We leverage technology to streamline matching and selection. Every executive in our network undergoes a 360° profile assessment, so they are 80% ready to go when matched to a company’s opportunity. We conduct cultural fit assessments for candidates and companies, ensuring alignment beyond skills and experience. We’re talent-matchmakers, helping companies define what they actually need and then connecting them with execs who can deliver—whether that’s fractional, full-time, or something in between.

Question: What do executives gain from working with early-stage companies in a fractional capacity?

Kevin: Well, I think they gain a few things. Many of these executives have already had successful careers, and some of the companies they work with are mission-driven, so there’s a sense of contributing to a noble cause. 

Beyond that, they find fulfillment in guiding in their area of expertise—whether it's finance, sales, or another specialty. Venturous.work allows them to engage with multiple companies instead of being deeply entrenched in just one. This broadens their perspective and allows them to share insights across different organizations while maintaining confidentiality. 

They also meet new people and work with innovative technologies they might not have encountered before. For example, some executives who have experience in VC are now engaging with AI-driven companies that are revolutionizing the market. This exposure to cutting-edge advancements is both professionally and personally rewarding. 

Another key benefit is work-life balance. Many of our executives have spent 25, 30, or even 40 years in full-time roles, and now they prefer to focus their time on select opportunities. Instead of committing to a 60-hour work week, they might work one day a week for a company they truly believe in. This allows them to live where they want and set their schedules. 

Question: What is you long-term vision for Venturous. What does it look like in three years and five years?

Kevin: It’s really simple. Our vision is to become the go-to platform for executive talent in healthcare innovation—not just for part-time work, but for full-time, board, interim, and advisory roles too. We want to be a place where all companies and executives come to find opportunities and build value within our community. 

Question: What impact do you hope Venturous will have on the healthcare industry as a whole?

Kevin: The executives we place match so well with these companies that they help drive innovation faster, more effectively, and more efficiently. Many of these healthcare companies are tackling critical challenges—improving access, reducing costs, and increasing transparency. By placing the right executives in the right roles, we accelerate their ability to make a difference. 

Question: What does Venturous look like in three to five years?  

Kevin: From a growth perspective, our goal is to accelerate the success of healthcare companies. Without the right people, some of these companies might struggle or miss opportunities to transform healthcare. 

The impact goes beyond cost savings and efficiency. We’re seeing advancements that directly improve patient outcomes—supporting elderly care, ensuring people receive the right treatments at the right price, and integrating AI-driven solutions. By providing top-tier executive talent, we help drive this transformation forward. 

Question: How is AI being utilized at Venturous?

Kevin: AI is deeply embedded in what we do, particularly in our matching process. Without giving away too much of our secret sauce, our AI helps us quickly and accurately match executives with the right opportunities. 

We don’t just rely on job descriptions—we take the time to understand a company's culture, interview them, and assess their needs. On the candidate side, we conduct pre-screening interviews, applications, and cultural assessments. AI then helps us analyze both sides of our network to create a precise match. 

Beyond that, we use AI to optimize our sourcing, outreach, CRM processes, and data analysis. We’ve explored off-the-shelf solutions, but we haven’t found anything that meets our needs. That’s why we’re building our own proprietary AI tools, leveraging both internal talent and third-party experts. We believe this gives us a significant advantage in the market. 

Question: How can candidates apply?

Kevin: Our platform is live at app.venturous.work and candidates can easily apply in minutes. Have a resume ready to upload and be ready to tell us about yourself. It takes less than 15 minutes to start the process. From there, we approve or decline candidates before we prepare them for opportunities. If you’re a healthcare executive, join us today, there is no cost for candidates to apply and join Venturous.

Question: Can Healthcare companies sign up?

Kevin: Yes, companies can also onboard themselves to our platform app.venturous.work and add a job opportunity to receive candidate matches. We do not charge for that, so we encourage healthcare hiring teams to come on over. Need a strategic problem solved? Start with us and let us match you with candidates who have the exact experience to solve them.