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

Meera Desai, Ph.D. , NACD.CD

Go-getter · DISC type d
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.

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

How Meera shows up

Self-Confident
Vision Oriented
Direct & Candid

They respond well to confident salespeople. They can be nudged to make faster decisions by offering what they value. They care equally about the product and its potential impact.

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.
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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)

d

Dominance (D)

Dominance (D) reflects how goal and task oriented a person is, and their ability to accomplish results irrespective of how demanding the circumstances might be. Those scoring high tend to be motivated by winning, competition, and success.

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