Mala Gaonkar
Mala Gopal Gaonkar | |
|---|---|
| Born | Error: Need valid birth date: year, month, day United States |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, portfolio manager |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Known for | Founder of SurgoCap Partners; former portfolio manager at Lone Pine Capital |
Mala Gopal Gaonkar (born November 1969) is a prominent American entrepreneur, formerly a portfolio manager at the investment firm Lone Pine Capital, and currently leads the investment company SurgoCap Partners.[1]
Early life and education
Although born in the United States, Gaonkar spent much of her upbringing in Bengaluru, India.[2][1] She completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard College in 1991, followed by an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1996.[3]
Career
Following her graduation from Harvard College, Gaonkar gained experience at Boston Consulting Group and had a brief tenure as an analyst with Chase Capital Partners before joining Lone Pine Capital in 1998.[4] She was instrumental as a founding partner and served as a portfolio manager there for 23 years.[1]
In 2015, she co-established the Surgo Foundation alongside Sema Sgaier and author Malcolm Gladwell, aiming to apply AI and data science to public health issues such as sanitation challenges in India.[4][1][2] By 2020, this initiative evolved into Surgo Ventures, collaborating with entities focused on global health solutions.[1]
Gaonkar departed Lone Pine in 2022 to create SurgoCap Partners, which launched its hedge fund in January 2023 with assets totaling $1.8 billion—marking the largest-ever hedge fund launch led by a woman.[1][5]
By 2024, SurgoCap’s assets had grown beyond $3 billion, with significant investments in technology companies like Nvidia, healthcare giant McKesson, and energy corporation GE Vernova. The fund also took part in the 2024 financing round of Figma following the termination of its acquisition by Adobe at the end of 2023.[6]
In addition to her financial career, Gaonkar has engaged in creative ventures, notably co-developing the immersive theatrical production "Theater of the Mind" with musician David Byrne in 2016.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
She is also an accomplished short story author who has received a nomination for a Pushcart Prize.[7]Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Her governance roles encompass board memberships at Surgo Ventures and Surgo Health, trustee duties at the Tate Foundation and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. Previously, she served on boards including Ariadne Labs, the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), RAND Corporation, and Harvard’s Global Advisory Council.Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Personal life
Gaonkar was previously married to businessman Oliver Haarmann, with whom she has two sons. She is a participant in the Giving Pledge. As of 2025, she is romantically involved with David Byrne, lead singer of the band Talking Heads, collaborating with him on multiple artistic projects.
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