Federation of Asian Biotech Associations (FABA) in association with ASPIRE – University of Hyderabad and other leading incubation centers in the country in the biotech sector is organizing “Whale Tank Event, a Venture Capital – Biotech Startup Connect”, which will be held virtually on 18th & 19th August 2022. This Whale Tank event will bring amazing start-ups, venture capitalists, pharma and biotech firms, and leading incubation centers together on one platform. The purpose of this event is to facilitate potential investments in Bio start-ups and nurture the start-up ecosystem in the life sciences space in India. It is an excellent opportunity for startups in Bio or Life Sciences, including MedTech, AgriTech, FemTech, Digital Health, eHealth, and Health-Tech.

About ASPIRE:

‘Association for Scientific Pursuits in Innovative Research Enterprises’ (ASPIRE), is a Not-for-Profit Section 8 Company, promoted by the University of Hyderabad to foster an Entrepreneurial ecosystem in and around Hyderabad. ASPIRE envisions creating an inclusive and enabling resource platform for budding entrepreneurs in diverse science and technology fields. Currently, there are 3 incubation centers (ICs) functioning under ASPIRE, i.e., ASPIRE-BioNEST, ASPIRE-TBI, and ASPIRE TIDE, providing incubation support in the areas of Life Sciences, Pharma & chemistry as well as materials and IT & Electronics, respectively.  These ICs are equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, and spread over 53000 sqft, with plug-and-play state-of-the-art lab suites. Put together the three ICs shall cover almost all the major areas of research and provide ample opportunities for the budding entrepreneurs emerging from the campus as well as from the surrounding region. Since the beginning, the ICs together have supported more than 80 start-ups and helped them to translate their ideas into technologies. At least 10 of the graduated companies have entered the market space and generated significant revenues each. The ICs created nearly 500 jobs, supported the filing of 20+ patents, and enabled the development of more than 15 products, while a few more are in the pipeline.

About the Event:

This two-day program is an exceptional opportunity for big Pharma and Biotech companies to evaluate and make smart investments into technologies/products. For the participating startup, it gives a chance to demonstrate their product/technology to global industry leaders and to promote their technologies, and explore funding from prestigious VCs. The Venture Capitalists that will be at the event include Genome Capital, Indian Angel Network, BioAngels, Oyster Venture Partners, Technology Development Board – GoI, IdeaSpring, etc.

This event is being organized by the esteemed leaders of the Federation of Asian Biotech Associations (FABA), Hyderabad including Prof. P. Reddanna, Executive President, FABA and Director, ASPIRE; Dr. P. Ratnakar, Vice President & Head, Persistent Systems; Dr. Uday Saxena, Co-founder, ReaGene Biosciences; Dr. Ajith Kamath, Advisor, Pandorum Technologies, Dr. Jagadeesh Gandla, CEO and Co-founder, Dare to Start.org; and Dr. Prabhat Arya, Co-founder, Smagen, to name a few. An expert panel discussion on “Challenges in building a successful startup incubation center” by CEOs of leading incubation centers, and “Strategies for drawing synergies from the start-ups by Indian Biotech Industry” are also part of the program. The program includes VC presentations, start-up pitches, and fireside chats involving CEOs of successful start-ups.

At this event Dr. Renu Swarup, Former Secretary, Dept. of Biotechnology Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India will deliver the keynote address  on “The Biotech Startup Ecosystem in India: Opportunities and Challenges in Making a Global Impact” on 18th August,  Mr. Sanjiv Navangul, MD & CEO, Bharat Serums and Vaccines (BSV) will deliver another keynote address on 19th August and Valedictory address is delivered by Dr. Shirshendu Mukherjee, Mission Director, Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC).

This event is providing a platform for interactions among:

Ø Startups and Investors/Venture Capitalists for investments

Ø Startups and Big Pharma/Biopharma leaders for investments, outsourcing technologies/product, and tie-ups

Ø Startups and CEOs of leading incubation centers for providing enabling environment

Ø Startups and Ecosystem enablers for laboratory supplies and equipment

For more information and registrations visit: https://biofaba.org.in/whaletank/