Our Core
Aarna, in Sanskrit, meaning “wave” or “current” evokes “waves” of innovation, flowing across borderless geographies, with “currents” of convergence, where insights meet investments, elevating the future of healthcare.
In the Aarna logo, this “wave” is depicted by the Fibonacci Spiral, which is pervasively present in nature, in the tiniest atoms, the nautilus shell, in the DNA helix and in the vast
spiral of the Milky Way galaxy.
Aarna Venture Partners accelerates the growth of innovative solutions addressing unmet, global medical needs by harnessing a carefully balanced investment strategy to create exceptional success for its portfolio companies, exponential returns for its investors while democratizing smart healthcare, thus striking the golden proportion.
Our Core
Aarna, the feminine Sanskrit name meaning “wave" is beautifully integrated with the Fibonacci Spiral, inspired by the brilliant 300 BCE Indian poet and mathematician Pingala’s discovery. This unique, universal and ubiquitous spiral pattern in nature, exists in the tiniest atoms, the nautilus shell, the DNA helix to the astronomically vast, spiral galaxy, the Milky Way, symbolizing growth, evolution, balance, and the celestial order.
Aarna Venture Partners accelerates the growth of innovative solutions addressing unmet, global medical needs by harnessing a carefully balanced investment strategy to create exceptional success for its portfolio companies, exponential returns for its investors while democratizing smart healthcare, thus striking the golden proportion.
Dr. Nandini Tandon
Founding Managing Partner
A venture capitalist with 30+ years of deep expertise in healthcare, focused on driving innovation for unmet clinical needs. Her earlier fund had an AUM of 1.2B USD. Her 14 investments saw 13 exits out of which 11 were acquired by major multinationals and 2 saw IPO exits. She has been awarded for her investments in early detection of breast cancer impacting several lives saved.
Vinod Dham
Founding General Partner &
Executive Chairman
Widely known Semiconductor expert with over 40 years of experience. Popularly acclaimed worldwide as the "Father of Pentium", for leading the development of Intel's iconic microprocessor. Entrepreneur, Venture Capitalist and Angel investor. Currently serving as an advisor to India Semiconductor Mission. In 2025, the Government of India awarded him with the 'Padma Bhushan' - one of the nation's highest civilian awards.
William 'Bill' Ruh
Founding General Partner
Global transformative leader and AI expert, bringing vast operational experience to the fund. Former CEO of GE Digital and Chief Digital Officer of GE, he built major industrial IoT and analytics platforms. He later led Lendlease Digital, advancing smart infrastructure and data-driven real estate innovation worldwide.
Dr. Anurag Mairal
Founding General Partner and
President, India Subsidiary
An Adjunct Professor at Stanford, directing Global Outreach Programs at the Mussallem Center for Biodesign, he focuses on bringing healthcare innovations to resource-limited settings worldwide. He is also a Faculty Fellow at the Center for Innovation in Global Health and co-founder of Orbees Medical, a consulting firm specializing in medtech.
Partners
Board Members & Advisors
Ajit Manocha
Board Member & Advisor
Ajit Manocha, President and CEO of SEMI, has over four decades of semiconductor industry leadership.
Previously, he guided GlobalFoundries to become a top three pure-play foundry and held leadership roles at Philips/NXP and Bell Laboratories. Recognized for his impact, Manocha is a member of the Silicon Valley Engineering (2020) and VLSI Research (2021) Halls of Fame.
Harsh Vardhan Shringla
Board Member & Advisor
Harsh Vardhan Shringla is a distinguished Indian diplomat who served as the 33rd Foreign Secretary of India and held key ambassadorial roles in the United States, Thailand, and Nepal. With over three decades in the Indian Foreign Service, he has been instrumental in shaping India’s foreign policy and strategic partnerships. He currently serves as India’s Chief Coordinator for the G20 Presidency.
Rene Canezin
Board Member & Advisor
René Canezin is the Founder of Evolution Credit Partners, bringing over 30 years of global investment experience across credit, fixed income, and derivatives. Prior to founding Evolution in 2018, he managed multi-asset portfolios at Harvard Management Company and held senior leadership roles at Lehman Brothers and Barclays, overseeing global credit trading and principal investments.
Dr. Ayesha Yasin
Board Member & Advisor
Dr. Ayesha Mohammed Abdulla Yasin is a distinguished leader in education, healthcare, and engineering with 32 years of experience. Recently retired as Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Higher Colleges of Technology, she previously led Dubai Healthcare City to international acclaim and has been pivotal in advancing healthcare standards and technological innovations.
Nola Masterson
Board Member & Advisor
A biotech pioneer with over 45 years in life sciences and venture capital. She co-founded Sequenom, Inc., led as CEO, and was the first biotech analyst on Wall Street. She has served on several boards. A mentor at Astia and co-chair of Women Corporate Directors, she holds advanced board certifications and degrees in biology and molecular sciences from Marymount College and George Washington University.
Dr. Yervant Zorian
Board Member & Advisor
Dr. Yervant Zorian is President of Synopsys Armenia - a global leader in chip design and test solutions. A pioneer in design-for-test technologies, he holds over 40 US patents and 350+ technical papers. Dr. Zorian previously held key roles at AT&T Bell Labs, LogicVision, and Virage Logic. He chairs the IEEE TTTC, founded the IEEE 1500 Standardization Working Group, and is an IEEE Fellow and recipient of Armenia’s National Medal of Science. He earned engineering degrees from USC and McGill, and an MBA from Wharton
Strategic Advisors
Sue Toigo
Senior Advisor
Sue Toigo, Chairman of Fitzgibbon Toigo & Co. LLC, has over 30 years of experience in financial services, supporting emerging managers and fostering industry relationships. She co-founded the Robert Toigo Foundation, aiding minority MBA students, and the Institute for Fiduciary Education. Sue is a Berkeley Women’s Hall of Fame inductee and industry leader.
Priya Tandon
Fouding Senior Advisor
Priya Tandon has led global initiatives for over 27 years, focusing on health, gender, and economic equity, while building strategic partnerships between India, the U.S., and other nations. Her efforts have raised significant funds, fostered cross-border collaborations, and positively impacted under-resourced communities.
Pushkar Ingale
Associate
Pushkar studied industrial design from IIT Bombay, and is the founder of Cohesive Design Labs. A Stanford-India Biodesign Fellow, he previously headed the India office of Laerdal Global Health. He has designed innovative solutions across various sectors, with a focus on user-behavior and design research for several organisations and startups. He is also an office bearer of the Association of Designers of India.
Devansh Sharma
Associate
Devansh Sharma recently graduated from Stanford University with BS and MS degrees in Computer Science, specializing in AI. He conducted interdisciplinary AI research, served as a Teaching Assistant for key Machine Learning and Generative AI courses, and led the Stanford India Policy and Economics Club. Devansh is passionate about strengthening India-US relations and is currently working at a New Delhi-based startup.