Milind Deshpande is a Venture Partner at RA Capital, and President & CEO of Nayan Therapeutics, a RA Capital portfolio company. Milind has more than 25 years of leadership and operational experience through all stages of drug discovery and development.

He is the co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Spero Therapeutics, and past President, CEO and member of the Board of Directors of Achillion Pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining Achillion, Milind was Group Leader at Bristol-Myers Squibb for all early stage discovery programs in infectious diseases and neuroscience.

He is the co-inventor of first-in-class HCV NS5A inhibitors, which led to the approval of DaklinzaTM, the first marketed drug in its class. Milind has co-authored more than 80 scientific articles, is co-inventor on 30 patents, and is a frequent speaker at international scientific conferences.

He received his doctorate in Organic Chemistry from Ohio University, and was a Fellow and Instructor in Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine. Milind attended the residential Executive Program at The Wharton School of Management.