Meera Desai, Ph.D. , NACD.CD in

Meera Desai, Ph.D. , NACD.CD

Login to view DISC.
Founder and Managing Partner at Karana Biotech, LLC
📍 San Jose, California, United States

Dr. Meera Desai is a seasoned biotech executive and founder of Karana Biotech, a life-science advisory firm. An NACD Certified Director, she serves on the boards of Nielsen BioSciences and DMK Pharmaceuticals. She holds a Ph. D. in Analytical Chemistry and specializes in corporate development, including licensing, financing, and alliance management.

A deal she was instrumental in, the Protagonist / Takeda Rusfertide agreement, was selected as a Finalist for the prestigious 2024 Scrip Deal of the Year Award.

Read the full overview →
Experience
5 Years
Current Role
Founder and Managing Partner
Job Level
Leadership
Location
San Jose, California, United States
Personality Overview

How Meera shows up

Communication Style
Decision Approach
Work Preference

Behavioral traits and communication patterns that shape how this person evaluates opportunities, builds trust, and makes decisions in professional settings.

Login to view personality overview.
Priorities

Topics Meera cares about

Biotech Corporate Development
Her advisory firm, Karana Biotech, and board roles are centered on helping companies with licensing, financing, M&A, and investor relations to meet strategic objectives.
Drug Commercialization
She has extensive experience leading product teams through all stages of development, from the initial discovery phase all the way to commercial launch in the market.
+4 more topics Login to view topics
Career

Work history

8-2018
Founder and Managing Partner
Karana Biotech, LLC
4-2022
Independent Director
Nielsen BioSciences, Inc.
5-2022
Glynn 100 Member and Partner
Glynn 100
10-2021 - 6-2024
Independent Director (Nasdaq: DMK)
DMK Pharmaceuticals Corporation
9-2018 - 11-2019
Managing Director, BIOTECH
KYBORA
In the press

Media appearances

No media yetWe could not find public media appearances for this person.
Education
2010 - 2012
Certification
University of California, San Francisco - School of Pharmacy
2000 - 2004
PhD
Iowa State University
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

DISC behavioral profile

Dominance, influence, steadiness, and calculativeness scores with guidance on how this person prefers to communicate and decide.

Login to view DISC.

More profiles

Discover additional public profiles from our index.

SG
Saravanan Gopinathan
Global TA Lead - US
TECEZE
 Yamo Afzali
Yamo Afzali
Finance Business Partner / FP&A a.i.
Nebius
 Bhavna Doegar
Bhavna Doegar
Senior Vice President, Finance and Strategy
Kyndryl
 Brandon Frederick, CPA/MBA
Brandon Frederick, CPA/MBA
VP of Finance
Unchained Labs
Unlock the full playbookSee exactly how to sell to Meera. Free, 10 seconds.