Sixteen startups and six student teams were announced as the winners of the C-CAMP National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition (NBEC) 2025, held with support from the Department of IT, BT, S&T, Government of Karnataka, Startup Karnataka and K-Tech Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS) at Bengaluru.
The winning startups received a total of approx. 40 Crore INR in cash prizes and investment opportunities, while student-led teams secured 9 Lakhs INR in cash prizes across various awards presented at the Grand Finale. Selected winners will also receive mentorship and handholding support through partnerships with key industry leaders.
This year’s competition, attracted almost 3100 applications from 34 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 various challenges across diagnostics, drug discovery, water and sanitation, and agriculture. From developing novel cancer drugs using AI, to transforming carbon emissions into biochemicals and creating naturally degradable batteries, NBEC 2025 showcased groundbreaking innovations with a strong societal impact.
The jury panel was chaired by Dr. Murali Ramachandra, CEO, Aurigene Oncology and experts from WIN Foundation, Anthem Biosciences, Mahyco, Novonesis, Loreal Research and Innovation, Social Alpha, Enzia, IIMA Ventures, Ideaspring, Theia Ventures, ISBA and Omnivore.
The 25 finalists were shortlisted from a total of 65 pre-finalist startups based on novelty, scalability and business potential parameters.
Dr. Taslimarif Saiyed, CEO and Director, C-CAMP: “NBEC began as a small leap of faith to see and test the power of ideas. Now it has grown into a nationwide movement, enabling innovators from across India to bring forward transformative ideas in health, agriculture, environment, and more. This journey is a reminder that nothing phenomenal happens overnight. It takes bold ambition, persistence, and courage. C-CAMP remains committed to nurturing this ecosystem, helping ideas get tested, supported, and scaled into global successes.”
Winner Profiles:
| Name | Startup | About the technology | Award Money and Sponsor | Investment opportunity |
| Dr. Tanveer Ahmed | Individual Category | Developing metabolically enhanced CAR-T cells that boost mitochondrial health and persistence to improve long-term cancer immunotherapy outcomes. | 3L – Biocon Biologics | |
| Aridni Shah | immunitoAI Pvt Ltd | Developing Novel Single Domain Antibody (SdAb) Drugs for Autoimmune Diseases and Cancer using our proprietary AI platform | 3L – Anthem | |
| Ramesh Rao | Contrivation Labs Pvt Ltd | An advanced post-harvest automation solution to separate the stem and calyx from the red chilli pod | 8L – Ankur | |
| Shreyansh Jain | IIOT INNOVATION PRIVATE LIMITED | Transforming Industrial Carbon Emissions into High-Value Biochemicals through Advanced Microalgae Biorefinery Technology | 6L – Loreal | IIMA Ventures, Social Alpha, Enzia |
| Harsha Paladugu | Individual Category | Develops cost-effective, scalable, and biocompatible Liver-on-chip devices that improve drug testing accuracy while reducing reliance on animal models | 3L – Syngene | Social Alpha/ IdeaSpring |
| Nikhil Das | Sedign Solutions Pvt Ltd | A membrane-module-mounted ultrasound technology to enhance ultrafiltration output in bioprocessing. | IAN, Social Alpha, IdeaSpring, Enzia | |
| Nishita Baliarsingh | Nexus Power | Bio-material based naturally degradable batteries for mobility and stationery applications out of crop residue. | 4L – Mahyco | Theia Ventures, IdeaSpring, Social Alpha |
| Jasveer Singh | Waterfall Automation Pvt Ltd | IoT-based smart irrigation solution designed to revolutionize agriculture by optimizing water usage and enhancing crop yields. | 3L – WIN Foundation | |
| Sagar Patel | NEWWAY BIOTECH PRIVATE LIMITED | Developing Vitamin-D Concentrator – a portable, low-cost UVB device that biofortifies mushrooms into plant-based superfoods, addressing malnutrition and agro-waste sustainably | 3L – WIN Foundation | |
| Dr. Nidhi Didwania | Individual Category | A cost-effective, eco-friendly, high shelf life biopesticide formulation for foliar pathogens in Tomato | Social Alpha | |
| Rahul Krishnan | Ivory | A Digital Cognitive Screening Tool to Identify Early Signs of Brain Decline and Promote Brain Health through Personalized, Science-Based Interventions | TiE Angels | |
| Sabir Hossain | Miraqules medsolutions Pvt Ltd | A novel biopolymer for rapid hemostasis of uncontrolled post-trauma or surgical bleeding. | 3L – Novonesis | BioAngels. Social Alpha |
| Dr. Sreedhara M S | Neo Avishkar Pvt Ltd | A novel neonatal bubble CPAP device | 3L – Biocon | Social Alpha, IdeaSpring, Enzia |
| Anand Parikh | Shira MedTech Private Limited | Low-cost, high-precision implantable device that enables faster, safer, and sutureless microvascular anastomosis, improving surgical outcomes and access in resource-limited settings | IIMA Ventures | |
| Bipin Pradeep Kumar | Iom Bioworks | Transforming underutilized coffee husk into pectic oligosaccharides with neuroprotective potential, offering a sustainable, scalable solution for brain health and circular bioeconomy. | Theia Ventures | |
| Dr. Subhash Chandra Yadav | Individual Category | Affordable Nanotech-Based Visual Diagnostic Kits for High-risk HPV-Driven Cervical Cancer Detection for Low-Resource Indian Healthcare Settings | 6L – Aurigene Oncology | Social Alpha |
Social Alpha has committed up to ₹10 Cr in investment opportunities for seven startups, while Enzia has pledged up to ₹5.1 Cr for three startups. IIMA Ventures has announced up to ₹1.7 Cr investment opportunity per startup winner, and Ideaspring has committed up to ₹8 Cr for four startups. Theia Ventures is offering between opportunity from ₹2 Cr up to ₹6Cr per startup, and TiE Angels has pledged ₹1.7 Cr for one startup.
Indian Angel Network and Bioangels has shown interest for investment opportunity of up to ₹3.5 Cr for three startups and Omnivore has committed ₹8 Cr for startup of its interest which is yet not announced. The investment opportunities committed to startups will be extended only after the completion of the due diligence process.
Student Teams:
| Name | Affiliation | About the Technology | Award Money from Accel | ||||||
| ANKITHA S, Gayathri Menon & Angel GC |
|
Novel Bioactive Bone Filler for Orthopaedic Application | 2 L | ||||||
| EKTA SRIVASTAVA, Triya Saha & Ayushi Mairal | Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur | RegenaCure: Revolutionizing Regeneration and Precision Drug Delivery | 1 L | ||||||
| MOUSUMI MEGHAMALA NAYAK, Anjani Kumar Upadhyay & Pratik Acharya | Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology | Development of a LAMP kit as a point of care device for rapid pathogen detection involved in neonatal sepsis. | 1 L | ||||||
| VISHAL R SHETTY, Gaurav Nirmal Kumar & B V Aditya | Ramaiah Institute of Technology | AI-Powered Remote Wound Monitoring and Area Detection for Diabetic Foot Ulcers to Improve Patient Outcomes Through Smartphone-Based Analysis. | 2 L | ||||||
| RUDRANIL SENGUPTA, Paramita Majumder & Arijit Das | West Bengal State University | Low-cost bioremediation approach to reuse and recycling of highly polluted parboiled rice mill effluent coupled to phosphorus recovery and hydroponic cultivation of economic vegetable crops | 1 L | ||||||
| GARVIT SHARMA | ICGEB | Novel dry yeast formulation for enhanced ethanol production from molasses and grains | 2 L |
About NBEC
Launched in 2017, NBEC, is a launchpad for science-driven ideas. Over the years, the competition has highlighted over 110 promising young entrepreneurs who have gained attention from global investors and won global accolades NBEC has help create this steady pipeline of innovative solutions with demonstrated commercial potential, that address India’s most formidable challenges in healthcare, agriculture and environment.
About the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP):
The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) is India’s premier research and innovation hub in the biosciences and one of the largest and most vibrant life sciences incubators in the country. C-CAMP has established several state-of-the-art technology platforms for facilitating cutting-edge research in the biosciences which have supported 250+ publications. C-CAMP has helped catalyse research translation and commercialisation of more than 10 academic inventions as industry-ready technologies for further productisation.
- Press release
