About Us
Chaanakya Capital brings together investors, scientists, and operators with decades of experience across venture capital, healthcare, biotech, software, and engineering. Our team is driven by the belief that diverse expertise and diverse perspectives lead to better decisions and bigger outcomes.
Together, we’ve supported over 20 companies through investment, mentorship, and strategic advisory — unlocking 10x markups and helping visionary founders turn scientific breakthroughs into world-changing businesses.
Quick Stats
10x MARKUP
on investments in Neurotech and Medtech
15+ YEARS
in Venture Capital
15+ YEARS
in Technology and Software Engineering
20+ YEARS
in Neuroengineering, Life Sciences, Biotech, Medtech, and Healthcare
20+ COMPANIES
with success stories under our mentorship, advisory, or partnership
GLOBAL REACH
spanning North America, Latin America, India, Africa, and the European Union
Our Heroes
Varun Turlapati
Managing Director
Varun holds a Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering and brings nearly two decades of technology industry experience across diverse verticals. His work with companies of all stages and sizes—from early-stage startups to established enterprises, including both successful ventures and instructive failures—has shaped his strategic perspective and deep understanding of what it takes to scale transformative technologies.
Currently, Varun serves on the boards of two organizations while also functioning as fractional VP of Engineering for an EdTech/Media startup. In the venture capital space, he works as both Venture Analyst and Venture Partner with multiple firms, focusing on identifying and supporting innovative founders who are building breakthrough solutions. His hands-on experience as a former Fractional CTO at an early-stage PropTech startup gives him unique insight into the operational challenges founders face when scaling deep tech innovations.
Beyond his corporate roles, Varun is developing a passion project in regenerative farming and land stewardship while maintaining ownership of two small businesses, reflecting his commitment to both technological innovation and sustainable impact.
Johana Carolina M Vega Leonel, PhD
Advisor
Johana holds a PhD in NeuroEngineering and has dedicated decades to scientific research, including her work at the Center for Disease Control. Her interdisciplinary expertise spans tissue engineering, biochemistry, materials science, polymers, electrical engineering, and medicine—providing the deep scientific foundation essential for evaluating breakthrough neurotech and medtech innovations.
In addition to her experience as a postdoctoral researcher and teaching faculty at Stanford, Johana has established herself as a strategic advisor in the healthcare innovation ecosystem. She serves on boards and advises prosthetics, medtech, and healthcare startups while also providing guidance to venture capital firms investing in revolutionary healthcare technologies, bringing crucial scientific rigor to investment decisions.
Additionally, Johana mentors and advises fast-growing companies operating at the cutting edge of brain-computer interface and bionics technologies, leveraging her deep scientific background to support breakthrough innovations in human-machine integration that may reshape the future of healthcare and neurotechnology.
Lawrence Maina
Principal
Lawrence is an investment professional with extensive experience in venture capital, startup acceleration, and ecosystem development. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with diverse startups, accelerators, and investors to shape founder journeys, unlock capital access, and build supportive infrastructure for early-stage innovation.
His expertise encompasses guiding startups from initial concept through investment readiness, providing strategic growth advisory, and cultivating partnerships that generate sustainable value. Lawrence excels at connecting capital with opportunity, combining strategic insight with practical execution to accelerate the growth of breakthrough neurotech and medtech ventures that deliver real-world impact.
Driven by his belief in great science deserving great support, Lawrence remains dedicated to empowering visionary founders in healthcare innovation and fostering ecosystems where transformative technologies can flourish—delivering lasting value to companies and strong returns to investors.