From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Aug 11: As many as 19 start-ups and 5 student innovators were the winners of the C-CAMP National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC) 2024 with support from Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) in Bengaluru.
The winning start-ups received a total of Rs 15 crore in cash prizes and investment opportunities, while student-led teams secured Rs 5 lac in cash prizes across various awards presented at the Grand Finale. Selected winners will also receive mentorship through partnerships with key industry leaders.
This year’s competition, attracted over 3,300 applications from 33 States and Union Territories, including a significant number from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, showcasing the quality and depth of biotech ideas emerging from smaller cities of the country.
The winning projects addressed critical challenges in areas such as cancer screening and therapeutics, rapid diagnostics, therapies for non-communicable diseases, dermatological health, AI powered data analytics for health applications, animal health, agriculture, aquaculture, water and sanitation including waste water treatment, food and nutraceuticals, biofuels, biopolymers and clean technology.
The jury team was chaired by Prashanth Prakash, chairman, Karnataka's Start-up Vision Group and partner at Accel Partners and experts from NBEC 2024 partners WIN Foundation, Novonesis, Anthem Biosciences, Mahyco, Aurigene, Loreal Research and Innovation, Social Alpha, Indian Angel Network & Bio angels, IIMA Ventures, Accel, Molecular Connections, Biocon, Biocon Biologics, Syngene, Synapses and Biocombinator.
The 22 finalists were shortlisted from a total of 62 pre-finalist startups based on novelty, scalability and business potential parameters.
IT-BT and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge, who presented the prizes, said the State Government is continuously evolving its schemes and policies to support entrepreneurs, particularly in the challenging field of bio-entrepreneurship.
With a longer learning curve and gestation period, bio-entrepreneurs play a crucial role in solving real-life problems. The government is committed to accelerating the biotech sector and supporting biotech startups. Karnataka contributes to nearly one-fifth of the country’s bio-economy, and initiatives like NBEC have successfully identified and nurtured our talent pool.
C-CAMP has been at the heart of Bengaluru’s bio-entrepreneurship ecosystem, supporting and nurturing young entrepreneurs to innovate, incubate, and drive change. The NBEC cohort will not only foster innovative solutions but also contribute to economic growth, create jobs, and elevate India’s presence in the global market, he said.