Company leader
Ram Krishnan
CEO
Valant
Ram Krishnan is chief executive of Valant, a Seattle, Washington company that makes electronic health record and practice management software for behavioral health practices. A therapy or psychiatry practice uses it so its clinicians write notes, schedule, and bill in one system. He joined in 2020 after nearly 15 years at GE and several software companies.
Systems Engineering at Virginia
He studied systems engineering at the University of Virginia. He compares the discipline to designing a car: chemical, mechanical, and electrical engineers each build a part, and the systems engineer makes sure it all works together. "I've always looked at the world through a systems lens," he said. He later earned an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Fifteen Years at GE
At GE he went through the Information Management Leadership Program and went on to lead the Global Radiology and Services business units. "GE is where I learned the foundations of management and leadership," he said. Running global businesses taught him how leading a team in Japan differs from leading one in Germany or Egypt. After GE he led several software-as-a-service businesses, including one that was public.
Coming to Valant
Valant hired him as chief executive in October 2020, when its founder, psychiatrist David Lischner, moved to business development and product strategy. He wanted to get back into healthcare and into a smaller company, in a market where technology could change how people worked. "Didn't feel like there was a clear market leader," he said. In December 2023 Resurgens Technology Partners bought Valant from Gemspring Capital, and Valant now also sells tools for intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs. Outside work he enjoys traveling, time outdoors, and playing a little guitar.