Alyssa Rapp
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship
Biography
Alyssa currently serves as the CEO and Director of Healthwell Acquisition Corp. I (NASDAQ: HWEL) today, having managed the IPO and M&A process throughout the SPAC’s lifecycle. Alyssa also currently serves as an independent director for two portfolio companies for Chicago based private equity firm, Shore Capital Partners, where she actively engages with fellow board directors and management teams on best in class execution, mergers and acquisitions and new platform strategies. Finally, Alyssa is an elected member of Illinois’ District 36 School Board.
From 2018-2021, Alyssa served as the CEO of Surgical Solutions by private equity firm Sterling Partners. Within six months, she was named one of Crain’s Chicago’s “Notable Women in Health Care” (2018), and made the list for a second year in a row in 2019. She was also been named one of the Top 100 Healthcare Leaders by the International Forum on Advancements in Healthcare in 2019. In February 2020, Alyssa successfully completed the transaction of Surgical Solutions to a private equity-backed, global strategic player in the healthcare services space, for which she served as the CEO post-acquisition until leaving to launch Healthwell.
Starting in 2014, Alyssa joined the ranks as a lecturer-in-management at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business teaching a sold-out class annually on the Dynamics of the Global Wine Industry. She was also named an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Chicago’s Booth Business School, commencing April 2020, to teach a course on Women as CEOs, Investors, Directors, and Executives. As of August 2023, Alyssa has also led the Global New Venture Challenge course for Booth's eMBA program.
From 2005-2015, Alyssa served as the founder & CEO of Bottlenotes, Inc., the leading interactive media company in the U.S. wine, craft beer, and artisanal spirit industries. During the Bottlenotes years, Alyssa was named one of Inc. Magazine's “30 Under 30” coolest entrepreneurs in America (September 2008) and routinely one of the wine industry’s top 25 of 100 most influential people by Intowine.com (2012 onward). Bottlenotes also received the “Best Advertising and Marketing Company” and the “People’s Choice Award” at the Empact 100 in September 2013 at the United Nations, honoring the top 100 companies with founders under 35.
From 2015-2017, Alyssa served as the Managing Partner at AJR Ventures, a strategic advisory firm for Fortune 500, $500MM+ privately-held companies, and private equity firms on their new business unit/new market development, digital and e-commerce strategies. As of 2018, her activities via AJR Ventures are primarily angel/seed stage investing.
Alyssa earned a B.A. in Political Science and the History of Art from Yale University in 2000 and an M.B.A. from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business in 2005. At Yale, she earned the Frank M. Patterson prize for the best essay on the American political system for her senior thesis on public housing reform in Chicago.
Alyssa was honored to have been appointed by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner in 2015 to serve a four-year term on the board of directors of the Illinois Housing Development Authority. She served on the organization’s audit committee during her tenure, auditing $1B of assets and $100MM operating expenses in partnership with KPMG. Her public service continues as she was elected to Illinois' District 36 School Board in April 2021.
In November 2019, ForbesBooks released Alyssa’s second book entitled Leadership and Life Hacks: Insights from a Mom, Wife, Entrepreneur, and Executive. It hit the Amazon bestseller list in business management in January 2020.
When not immersed in business and civic life, Alyssa loves to Peloton, do yoga, ski fast, and try as hard as possible to decipher a slider from a curve ball from her husband, 1990 MLB World Series champion and current partner at X10 Capital, Hal Morris. Alyssa and Hal are the proud parents of Audrey Margaret Morris and Henriette Daniella Morris.