Joanna Nathan is an investor turned entrepreneur on a mission to improve outcomes for lung cancer patients as the CEO of Prana Thoracic. Prana's technology is the first minimally invasive medical device to enable early diagnosis and intervention in lung cancer. At the start of Joanna's career, she received the gift of entrepreneurship, an unexpected pivot that changed her path from research to innovation. Joanna's roles as Research Engineer at Texas Heart Institute and Director of Product Development at Saranas taught her what it takes to bring innovative technologies from idea to reality. Joanna's work at Mercury Fund, followed by her role as New Ventures Manager at Johnson & Johnson MedTech Center for Device Innovation expanded her perspective on innovation to include the investor mindset and ultimately led her to step back into an entrepreneurial role with Prana Thoracic. Joanna is invested in growing and supporting Houston’s life science community. She has mentored countless founders, and continues to advocate for students and aspiring entrepreneurs, as co-founder of Enventure and as President of the Board for Rice University Engineering Alumni.