Rick Valencia

President
Qualcomm Life

Rick Valencia has more than 25 years of entrepreneurial innovation and executive leadership experience in rapid-growth, technology-enabled businesses along with a proven track record in market disruption, strategy execution and value creation. As the founder and president of Qualcomm’s healthcare subsidiary, Qualcomm Life, he directs Qualcomm’s product, technology and M&A strategy in the wireless health market. Valencia also has a hand in driving wireless health innovation outside the company through his involvement with organizations such as the World Economic Forum’s Health Systems Initiative, business accelerators such as Rock Health and through his oversight of the $100 million Qualcomm Life Fund which makes direct venture investments in digital health startups. Valencia is an active member of ACHE, HIMSS and mHIMSS.

Earlier in Valencia’s career, as founder and CEO of ProfitLine, he cultivated his business savvy building the company from a one-man consulting firm into a 200 person, multi-million dollar enterprise that is now the West Coast arm of Tangoe Inc. (TNGO). During Valencia’s tenure as CEO, ProfitLine was one of Inc. 500’s fastest growing companies in America for three years and on Deloitte & Touche’s Fast 50 companies four years in a row. Valencia was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2003.

Valencia is a native San Diegan, committed to the community. He uses his business building know-how to help fellow entrepreneurs launch enduring technology companies as a mentor at the Founder Institute and a member of the executive committee of the San Diego MIT Enterprise Forum. He also supports student entrepreneurs as a member of the board of advisors at the University of San Diego School of Business. He is a board member of Pedal the Cause, a cancer research fundraising organization, a former chairman and long-time board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County and actively supports Rady Children’s Hospital and the Pediatric Diabetes Research Center at UCSD.