Ms. Desai, earned a B.S. Biology from University of California Irvine and an MBS Master of Bioscience – BioPharma Entrepreneurship from the Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Lifescience. In addition, she earned certificates in Strategic Foresight from University of Houston and a certificate in Financial Modeling and Valuations from the Investment Banking Institute. Ms. Desai applies her scientific, foresight, and entrepreneurial acumen to create commercialization frameworks for innovations and new product development. She develops investment theses for biotechnology applications in medical device, biopharma, molecular imaging and biofuels arena.
Ms. Desai keeps an eye toward innovation and is a builder by nature who can execute day-to-day activities and sustain a long term vision. She has experience researching opportunities, developing investment thesis for technology applications and communicating findings in terms of portfolio strategy, market opportunity and resource needs with multiple stakeholders in finance and R&D. In addition, she creates technology roadmaps, white papers and dynamic Life Cycle Strategic Plans.
Prior to graduate studies, Ms. Desai conducted research in Cell and Molecular Biology, where she perturbed genes and performed intravital imaging as well as confocal microscopy utilizing the zebrafish embryo as an animal model for development. Ms. Desai also gained industrial manufacturing experience in the pharmaceutical industry by working in operations and quality control.