Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tarul Kode. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Tarul , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

The biggest risk I’ve taken is betting on myself. I grew up as the eldest daughter of immigrant parents. Until I approached my 40s, I spent my life taking care of my loved ones at all costs, personally and professionally. Every decision I made was based on what others needed me to be to them. I graduated with a doctorate in pharmacy at the age of 22, knowing I did not want to be a pharmacist; I had wanted to be a family practice doctor like my mom. My parents were divorced while I was in my graduate program, so instead of pursuing medical school, I went to work with the hope of helping my mom with my younger siblings. I carved a niche career for myself as a managed care executive and leaned into growth, building a dynamic skillset. In parallel, I got married under family pressure, and found peace for some years with my children, Sanaya and Shrey. As I approached 40, my people pleasing caught up with me; I felt like I was choking on all of it, even though it seemed like I ‘had it all’ from the outside. I started making incremental changes to realign my life. I left my ‘safe’ managed care career of 15 years, got an executive coach, and went back to school to study global healthcare leadership at Harvard, my childhood dream school. I dove into the start-up world as the Chief of Staff to to the CEO of a virtual primary care platform to close gaps in healthcare disparities. I initiated my divorce and blew up my personal life and family relationships. My daughter got sick with a pancreatic tumor in midst of this, and I nursed her back to health. I lost my start-up job right after she was discharged. I overcame fear based decisions to build my own consulting practice and began advising founders and early-stage companies. I studied venture capital to influence how early stage healthcare companies are funded and built. I lost my grandmother, who raised me. I overcame enormous adversity, grief, bias, and harassment personally and professionally. Yet, I kept showing up each day, a bit more as my true self until something incredible happened. I found alignment. I began attracting community, connections, and opportunities that that bring me purpose, joy, and a sense of service. My kids and I love this as part of the legacy we are building together. There is something magical about being true to ourselves and our unique highest paths. While I’m always going to be focused on growth, I’m at peace with my past, but most importantly with my present. Today, I’m a venture partner with LOUD Collective, Co-Founder at Naviday Health, as well as advisor, board member, and investor with several healthcare, healthcare-tech, and non-profit organizations.

Tarul , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ll give you the official version. :)

Dr. Tarul Kode is a dynamic executive leader, co-founder, board member, advisor, and angel investor with over twenty years of trailblazing accomplishments in consulting, partnerships, and enterprise growth within the healthcare ecosystem.

As Venture Partner at LOUD Capital/Collective, she builds community and connections for purpose-driven investing, rooted in multidisciplinary collaboration, action, and health equity. She is co-founder of Naviday Health, the first personalized AI-guided menopause care plan to empower patients to track symptoms, understand patterns, inform providers, and take action with confidence. As co-founder of Ellipsis Healthcare Leadership, she propels early-stage companies forward to scale and transform human-centered care while also serving as a board member and advisor for several pioneering healthcare, healthcare-tech, and non-profit organizations, including: Executive Women in Bio, Women Leaders of the World/How Women Lead, CSweetener/HLTH Foundation, Springboard Enterprises, and more.

Tarul is passionate about affecting meaningful change at the intersection of healthcare equity, technology, and values-driven leadership. She holds a Doctorate in Pharmacy (cum laude), completed Harvard Medical School’s Executive Global Health Care Leaders Program (cohort 1), and the VC University program through Berkeley Law/NVCA/Venture Forward. She has been named in the 2025 BLOC100 list, in recognition of 100 of the most impactful women of color and allies in biopharma, healthcare, and the life sciences.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

My biggest and boldest contributions will always be rooted in the authenticity of my relationships and my passion for service. My goal is for everything I touch to be highly relational and aligned with my values. Whether it’s leadership, mentorship, advisory/board work, the organizations I’m affiliated with, the people I surround myself with know me, and I know them. There is no room for pretense. This is my reputation and my personal brand.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Serendipitously.

I met Buffy Alegria, one of our managing partners at LOUD Collective, at a Wonder Women dinner. We had both taken a risk to show up at an executive women’s leadership dinner in Seattle, not knowing anyone. We clicked instantly, during a time I was finishing my venture capital course. She introduced me to Navin and the rest of the team, and the rest is history. We are presently growing together to advance inclusive, people-centered care for patients, providers, families, and founders. We aim to accelerate the creation and scale of high-value healthcare and life science companies by investing in early-stage ventures.

I met David Franklin, Founder of Naviday Health, through a networking event for the Harvard Global Health Care Leaders Program, a year after I had graduated from the first cohort. The mission of Naviday had been the theme of my capstone project the previous year – a patient centered healthcare record to empower people to live their healthiest lives. Through tracking daily insights/symptoms, medication history and more using evidence based guidelines, AI, and blockchain technology, our goal is to inform provider care plans and close gaps in care to bring people their best health outcomes, personalized care, and a more inclusive healthcare experience. We are presently setting the stage for our first AI-Guided Menopause Care Plan (AGCP), delivering tailored support across every phase of the journey. I joined his Board of Directors last year, and was recently appointed Co-Founder to scale our mission to advance patient centered innovation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ellipsishealthcareleadership.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tarulk/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tarul.tripathi
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tarul-kode

Image Credits

BLOC, Naviday Health, Bespoke Concierge MD