Nikhita Kulkarni oversees AIF’s investor communications, outreach efforts, and preparation of investment materials. She also conducts preliminary due diligence on prospective opportunities and prepares investment deal memos as part of the fund’s investment process.

Nikhita began her career as a Research Associate at Brandes Investment Partners, a buy-side investment management firm with ~$25 billion in assets under management. In her role within the healthcare team, she identified potential investments, built valuation models, and authored research reports for over thirty companies across pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and managed care sectors.

Following this experience, Nikhita co-founded Houston Venture Labs, a healthcare-focused venture studio, where she executed three pilot programs to validate startup concepts. Concurrently, at the Ion, she launched a founder-investor matching program and integrated numerous entrepreneurs into the Houston startup ecosystem.

Nikhita earned her BBA in Finance with a minor in Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.