American businesswoman
Mala Gopal Gaonkar (born November 1969) is an American businesswoman, former portfolio manager at investment firm Lone Pine Capital, and the head of hedge fund SurgoCap Partners.
Early life and education.
Gaonkar was born in November 1969 in the U.S. and mostly raised in Bengaluru, India. She earned a degree from Harvard College in 1991, then an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1996.
Career.
Gaonkar was a founding partner of investment firm Lone Pine Capital, where she worked for 23 years and was a portfolio manager. After graduating from Harvard College, she worked for Boston Consulting Group and completed her MBA at Harvard Business School before Lone Pine's inception in 1998. 
In 2015, Gaonkar along with co founder Sema Sgaier founded the Surgo Foundation, with the aim of using data science to solve public health problems. In 2020, Gaonkar co founded the nonprofit Surgo Ventures to further the same cause.
In 2022, she left Lone Pine Capital and started SurgoCap Partners, a hedge fund which was launched on January 3, 2023, managing $1.8 billion. This was the largest-ever debut of a hedge fund run by a woman. By 2024, SurgoCap had grown its assets to over $3 billion, achieving a return exceeding 25% for the year. The fund’s diverse portfolio includes major tech stocks like Nvidia, along with significant holdings in companies such as healthcare conglomerate McKesson and energy firm GE Vernova. Additionally, SurgoCap participated in Figma's fundraising round in 2024, following the collapse of Figma's acquisition by Adobe in late 2023. 
As an author, she collaborated with David Byrne in 2016 to create a guided immersive theater performance, "Theater of the Mind".
She is a published short story writer and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
She is a member of the boards of directors of Surgo Ventures and Surgo Health and a trustee of Tate Foundation and the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. She previously served as a trustee of Ariadne Labs, Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), RAND, and as a member of Harvard’s Global Advisory Council.
Personal life.
Gaonkar was formerly married to businessman Oliver Haarmann. They have two sons. Gaonkar has taken the Giving Pledge. She is currently in a relationship with David Byrne, frontman of the band Talking Heads, with whom she has collaborated on several artistic projects.
References.
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