Hitha Palepu

Hitha Palepu is a New York-based operator-angel affiliated with Rhoshan Pharma, writing sub-$25K checks at pre-seed and seed into pharma and women’s and reproductive health. The Rhoshan affiliation is informative: it places her in the pharmaceutical operating world with credibility on therapeutics, manufacturing, and regulatory pathways, which is an unusual combination with the consumer-and-femtech-leaning women’s health vertical. The check size is small, which positions her as an advisor-and-signal investor rather than a meaningful capital source, with highest value to founders who want a pharma-credentialed angel on the cap table. AI is not flagged, so the framing is on therapeutics, regulated women’s health products, and pharma-meets-consumer plays rather than software-led pitches. Founders most likely to fit are early therapeutics teams targeting women’s health indications, regulated femtech products with a pharma or device anchor, and any team that benefits from pharma-operating advisory at pre-seed and seed. Pure consumer wellness without a regulated product, clinical software, devices outside women’s health, and SaaS for providers are weaker matches. The check itself will not move a round, so founders should treat the engagement as advisory-first, with the small check serving as a signal of conviction. The entry path is a LinkedIn message, ideally warmed by a mutual women’s health, pharma, or New York healthcare connection, leading with the regulated-product thesis, the team’s clinical or scientific credentials, and the specific pharma-operating help her profile materially provides.