Smitha Murthy

Fractional CPO & Board Director | Scaling Companies, Strengthening Boards in Health Tech, Life Sciences Tech & AI-Driven Product Companies | Investor

New York City Metropolitan Area

About

You’re at an inflection point. The question is who you bring in to navigate it. If you’re a founder or investor at a growth-stage health tech or life sciences tech company, you know the moment: what got you here won’t get you to the next round. You need product discipline and someone who embeds at the C-suite level and owns outcomes. If you’re on a board or nominating committee, you need a director who knows what the right answers look like — and can hold management accountable on AI risk, product strategy, and platform decisions because they’ve made those calls themselves, at scale, in regulated industries. That’s the role I play. From both seats. And right now, that combination has never mattered more. AI is evolving faster than any governance framework can keep up — boards need directors who are living inside it as operators, not just asking questions about it. 💼 FOR GROWTH-STAGE COMPANIES — I SCALE WHAT YOU’VE BUILT. As Fractional CPO and Interim Product Leader through Open Cliff Partners, I embed at the executive level with Series A+ companies in health tech, life sciences tech, and cybersecurity — owning strategy, roadmap, and commercialization as your CPO. I’ve managed P&L from under $1M to $1B, driven 2X–7X revenue growth at life sciences tech platforms, and delivered 20%+ top-line growth at a leading health tech company. Currently Interim Product Leader at ACTO, an AI-powered field excellence platform for life sciences. Five times a Chief Product Officer. Once a CEO. Always accountable for outcomes. 🏛️ FOR BOARDS — I BRING OPERATOR FLUENCY TO GOVERNANCE JUDGMENT. I’ve spent decades on both sides of the boardroom — presenting strategy as a CxO, driving accountability as an operator, and governing as a board member when I served as CEO of a cybersecurity startup. I join the Board of JBWS.org in July 2026. I’m building an independent director portfolio at growth-stage companies in health tech and life sciences tech. 🧵 ONE MORE THING — I’M ALSO A FOUNDER. I launched Ancestral Closet, a curated heirloom saree consignment platform connecting South Asian heritage textiles with their next steward. It keeps me sharp on what matters most: consumer trust, capital discipline, and the weight of every decision when there’s no safety net. Every founder I advise or govern alongside recognizes that instinct immediately. If you need a fractional CPO who operates with board-level strategic discipline, or a board director whose governance instincts are grounded in decades of operating experience — I’d like to talk. 📩 [email protected] | opencliff.com

Experience

  • Founder & Managing Partner at Open Cliff Partners
    2017 - Present · 9 yrs 6 mos

    Open Cliff Partners specializes in: --> Scaling Growth-Stage Companies I work with Series A+ companies as a Board Advisor and Fractional CPO. My clients benefit not only from my deep background in product and technology but also from my experience as a CEO of a cybersecurity startup—bringing both an operator’s and an investor’s perspective to strategy and execution. --> Transforming Product Orgs in Mid- to Large Enterprises With my larger clients, I conduct Executive Workshops on transforming their product management organizations by crafting a vision for the future that leans on my expertise building product organizations from the ground up to optimally functioning, strategic teams across product management, UX and Learning Experiences.

  • ACTO (Remote)
    • Interim Product Leader
      2026 - Present · 6 mos

    • Board Advisor
      2025 - 2026 · 1 yr

      Strategic advisor and mentor to the CxO team on product strategy & innovation, roadmap, GTM and product operations.

  • Founder & CEO at Ancestral Closet
    2026 - Present · 6 mos

    Ancestral Closet is a curated marketplace for luxury and heirloom sarees. Buy pre-loved. Rent for a special occasion. Donate so the story continues. Sustainably honoring our cultural heritage - one saree at a time! Think The RealReal meets Rent The Runway! Still a product manager. Still a builder. Building this platform at scale! Building a community of women whose saree stories continue!

  • Venture Capital Limited Partner at How Women Invest
    2025 - Present · 1 yr 6 mos

    LP with HWI $100MM Fund III focused on Series A & B women-founded/led tech-driven startups in Health / Women's Health, Future of Work, ClimateTech. How Women Invest is a women-led venture firm that invests solely in women founders. Our network is our greatest asset - our limited partners are a community of industry leaders investing together to shift the venture capital landscape one woman at a time. Together with sister organization How Women Lead, a professional network of thousands of women, we work to create ecosystem change by investing in and supporting women leaders and founders.

  • Chief Product Officer at Beghou Consulting
    2024 - 2025 · 1 yr

    Product Executive overseeing Beghou's current portfolio of products and responsible for product strategy, go-to-market and new product development.