the team

Rachna is an Outcomes-Based Leader with experience in Venture Capital, Healthcare marketing, Supply Chain, Disruptive Technology Management, External Manufacturing and R&D for big corporations and start-ups. Her career spans across USA, Europe and Asia, and companies like Philips, Handshake Solutions  and Johnson & Johnson. 

Some key accomplishments include successfully managing a network of external manufacturers with P&L of $350 Million, Global Commercial Launch for groundbreaking depression/suicidal drugs and leading a technology startup in the bay area for three years.

rachna@sugativentures.com

Dr. Milan Chavarkar, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, IFMCP is a healthcare expert,

practicing as an advanced practice nurse for 25 years. She opened Lotus Integrative Health and Nursing, an integrative and functional medicine practice focused on women’s health and fertility, as a novel approach to health care. Patients receive hour-long visits and an attentive and caring professional who is their partner in understanding the root cause and providing natural and conventional solutions to long-term true healing, prevention of disease, and optimization of health and longevity. Fueled by her late start as an entrepreneur, she sees the power of women in business and is dedicated to helping other women transform their lives personally and professionally. In addition to her practice, she now serves as a medical advisor to two femtech companies Maternal+ and Fibra, partner at Sugati Ventures, LP in Coyote Ventures, fintech angel investor in Braid, and volunteer faculty at UCSF School of Nursing. Entering the venture world has reinvigorated her career and passion to help others.

Nola Masterson is the founder and Managing Director of Science Futures.

She founded Science Futures in 1983 to provide investment advisory services to venture capital and Wall Street in the field of biotechnology.

Working with San Francisco based venture firms she helped create and

invest in Biotechnology companies, acquired by Biogen, InSight, NASDAQ INCS, and ReSound. She is the co-founder of Sequenom, which after going public on NASDAQ in 2000 (acquired by Lab Corp in 2021) and Agena Biosciences, acquired by Mesa Labs in 2021. She joined the

venture capital firm of TVM Capital in 2000 and opened their San

Francisco office. She has served on boards of directors of many private

and public companies. She was Chair of the board of Repros

Therapeutics acquired by Allegan.

She currently is a venture partner at www.Portfolia.co where she leads

the investments in the three Femtech Funds. She has an BS and an MT (ASCP) from Fordham Marymount College, and an MS from George Washington University and did post graduate work at the University of

Florida.

Emily Hu is a Biomedical Engineer, Clinical Operations Consultant, Startup Advisor, Angel Investor, and 4-Time All-Time World Record Holder in Powerlifting. She brings expertise in Clinical Operations for FDA and consumer product trials, particularly in the medical device, health and wellness, supplement, and human performance sectors. She has led clinical studies for all classes of medical devices, including those that secured Verily’s first FDA clearance. Currently, Emily is the Senior Director of Clinical Trials at Unilever, overseeing studies in nutraceuticals, cosmetics, and wellness. Emily has extensive experience with Silicon Valley medical device startups, often as the first clinical hire. Over 15 years, she led the clinical efforts for 4 FDA 510(k) clearances, an SBIR grant, 5 consumer product launches, and Nutrafol’s acquisition by Unilever. She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from UC Irvine and an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University.