About NanoCoeur: The Story & the Founder

Ihab Rashad, MBA, PMP

Life Sciences Program Management Consultant · Fractional PMO · Serving clients nationwide

Life sciences program management consultant with 15+ years advancing drug development, medical device, and IVD programs from early R&D through commercialization. Across oncology, orthopedics, diagnostics, and blood products, Ihab has established more than half a dozen PMOs from the ground up, taken FDA INDs through to clearance, led partnerships with global diagnostics and device organizations, and directed cross-functional teams globally, including on a BARDA-funded Class III medical device program, supporting programs that have collectively garnered $100M+ in funding.

His fractional PMO engagements have delivered measurable outcomes in funding readiness, operational efficiency, and regulatory performance for clients ranging from early-stage biotech startups to publicly traded life sciences companies, with active AI integration work spanning governance, workflow automation, and executive decision enablement.

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Built on a Legacy. Committed to the Mission.

Fresh out of his MBA, Ihab Rashad joined his first startup, NanoCoeur, Inc., alongside its founder, Dr. John Fontana. It was one of the luckiest breaks of his career. John was more than a boss. He became a mentor who stayed by Ihab’s side for years, celebrating everything from his graduation to his wedding.

Not long before he passed, Ihab spoke with John after his surgery. When he tried to cheer John up by asking about their next big startup idea, John said something Ihab had never heard him say before: “I don’t know, not this time…” A few months later, he was gone. The final visit John had asked for never happened, and it left a sense that something was unfinished.

Before he passed, John handed Ihab the reins so the spirit of the idea would live on. Naming this firm NanoCoeur was a deeply personal decision. The name represents more than a business. It is a commitment to the same innovation and grit Ihab saw in John fifteen years ago.

NanoCoeur Consulting brings that agile, entrepreneurial spirit to organizations seeking strategic operations expertise across the life sciences product development lifecycle.