Kent Marquardt has over 30 years of healthcare experience with a track record of helping entrepreneurs create significant and successful enterprises. Kent joined Cardinal Partners as an advisor in 2017 and since October 2018 has served as a General Partner of the firm.  Utilizing his over 30 years of healthcare and investment expertise, Kent’s investment focus at Cardinal is in AI and machine learning driven companies and technology-enabled services to drive next generation of member experience and engagement.

Most recently, Kent has been CEO of Maverick Advisors, LLC, since July 2017.  Maverick Advisors specializes in innovation and strategy with early stage companies and has focus on companies using advanced analytics and customer engagement to attack inefficiencies in health care costs.  Kent has worked with a number of early stage companies to develop and refine their strategy and transition to a viable product offering.  One example of this is his work with VIM to shift their focus to be an innovative referral management and curator of specialists, along with the connector of the last mile of healthcare services to the member, the plan and the providers.

Kent currently serves on the Board of Directors of Cardinal portfolio company’s Cardinal Analytx and Brook an early stage machine learning digital experience diabetes management company.  He is also a strategic advisor to VIM, Tuzag and Quartet.

Prior to joining Cardinal Partners, Kent was EVP and CFO of Premera Blue Cross for 19 years, where he lead Innovation and Strategic Investments.  He drove the early development and Premera investments in the following companies:

• Landmark where Premera was the first plan to use Landmark for commercial membership and an early investor.
• Mobe where Premera was the first design partner and plan to use Mobe. Along with being an early investor.
• Cardinal Analytx where Premera was the design partner and an investor.
• VIM where Premera was an early design partner.

While at Premera, he lead the development of the Blue CFO group and developed key relationships with a number of Blue plans, including Florida Blue, North Carolina, South Carolina, Highmark, IBC, Nebraska, Arizona, Tennessee and Michigan.

Kent also is the managing partner of Balboa Winery, LLC and Stoney Vine Vineyard, LLC.

Kent received his BBA degree in accounting from University of Wisconsin – Whitewater and MBA from University of Wisconsin – Madison.