START-UPS | [ 139 ]
Biotech startup trends The entrepreneurship trends in the biotech industry can be classified into three major time frames. One is an era before 2000, the second period is between 2000-2012, and the third phase from 2013 onwards. The period before the year 2000 had a handful of biotech companies in the country. Some of the key enterprises of that era were Biocon, Biological E, Bharat Biotech, Shantha COO, ABLE Biotechniques, Concord Biotech, Pana(SRINIVAS RAO CHANDAN, cea Biotec, and Serum Institute of India. CONSULTING EDITOR, ABLE) The period between 2000-2010 saw the emergence of new start-ups like Advanced Enzymes, MetaHelix Life Sciences, Strand Life Sciences, Shantha Biotech, xCyton Diagnostics, Sea6Energy and so on ... These were companies started by people who had been in the industry and founded companies to address a different set of market needs and regulatory conditions. The period since 2013 has been witnessing a new trend. We see a remarkable number of compaNumber of biotech establishments being formed in India nies starting from the classrooms or premium schools and labs as well. continues to grow every year. Nearly 840 new biotech The anchors in the era before the companies were established in 2020 year 2000 were passionate people who defied the gravity of the situation then. These were entrepreneurs like Dr. Kiran he Indian biotech ecosystem crossed an important Mazumdar-Shaw, Dr. Cyrus Poonawalla, milestone at the end of 2016 when the total bio- and Dr. Hamied Yusuf. They wanted to tech start-up base reached 1,022 by Decemcreate a niche, they wanted to solve ber end. In the year 2012-13, the biotech the concerns of affordability, industry, policymakers, and the othsustainability, and qualer stakeholders in the country, had identified ity. The focus for them that “start-ups” will be one of the key drivwas “Made-in-India”, ers for the growth of the biotech sector in much before the emfuture. phasis of Made-inAt one of the deliberations between inIndia gained atten“4,000+ startups; 150 dustry and the Department of Biotechnoltion in the last few marketed products; in ogy (DBT), the participants did a quick calyears. 5.8 lakh square feet of culation and suggested a target of creating The DBT was the incubation space” 2,000 biotech start-ups by 2020. This was to anchor in creating skills promote innovation and R&D. This was acceptin the pre-2000 era. DBT ed as a guidance number. ABLE has been tracking was still the anchor during the status of start-ups for the last few years. 2000-2010. This was the period According to the latest findings in the IBER 2020 Report of when the entrepreneurs like Dr. K. K. the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) and Narayanan, Dr. Krishna Ella, Dr. RaviBiotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), kumar, Dr. Varaprasad Reddy, Dr. Vijay as of December 31, 2020, India has a cumulative biotech start- Chandru, and Dr. Rashmi Barbhaiya, up base of 4,237. This is nearly double the initial target of hav- waded through the barrage of hurdles on ing 2020 start-ups by the year 2020. the regulatory front. This was the time
NARAYANAN SURESH
START-UPS CONTINUE TO MUSHROOM
T
5.8lk
