Dan Phillips

Dan Phillips has spent over a decade investing in innovative technology companies. He joined Sandbox Industries as a Partner in May 2011, where he became a member of the investment team focused on healthcare technology and helped build Healthbox, a seed-stage healthcare startup accelerator founded by Sandbox. His investment focus centers on B2B technology and technology-enabled services businesses across all stages in the healthcare and insurance industries.

Before entering venture capital, Phillips worked in healthcare consulting. He held senior consultant roles at The Camden Group and at Sg2, where he concentrated on health system strategic planning, operations, and clinical innovation. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Michigan.

In January 2024, Phillips became Managing Director of The Blue Venture Fund, a strategic vehicle that mobilizes roughly $900 million from Blue Cross Blue Shield companies to back emerging companies relevant to their strategic goals. Across the broader Sandbox platform — which manages approximately $1.2 billion in AUM and partners with 50+ corporate limited partners — the firm invests across healthcare, insurance technology, sustainability, and food & agriculture. Phillips also serves as a Managing Director of Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, Sandbox's food-and-agriculture-focused strategy.

He currently sits on the boards of Fort Health, Solera, Abacus Insights, and Smart Data Solutions, and is a board observer at Care Connectors. He has also served on the boards of Cultivian Sandbox portfolio companies including Debut Biotech, Culture Biosciences, and Supergut, and is on the board of the Sustainable Food Center, an Austin-based nonprofit. He lists running, cycling, and travel photography among his personal interests.

• Invests primarily in B2B technology and technology-enabled services businesses in the healthcare and insurance industries, "across all stages."
• Through The Blue Venture Fund, backs companies strategically relevant to Blue Cross Blue Shield plans — favoring startups with clear value to large healthcare/insurance incumbents and paths to commercial distribution.
• Through Cultivian Sandbox, invests across the food & agriculture technology value chain, including regenerative agriculture and biotech-enabled food/ingredient platforms.
• Platform check sizes range widely (~$1M–$50M) with Sandbox often leading rounds and providing distribution/commercial support via its 50+ corporate LPs.
• Strong bias toward companies that benefit from strategic corporate partnerships — a founder offering a credible enterprise/payer distribution angle fits the model.