Events

Amity Institute of Pharmacy (AIP) organized a one-day workshop on Wednesday, 9^th April 2025 at Venture Center, 100, NCL Innovation Park, Pune, Maharashtra-411008. Students and faculty members of Amity Institute of Pharmacy & Amity Institute of Biotechnology participated in the workshop. Dr. Kavita Parekh, Associate Manager- Technology Connect, Venture Center welcomed the gathering and felicitated the speaker.  Mr. Vedang Pawar, Associate - Outreach and Technology Connects introduced the speakers and provided the program for one day visit cum mini workshop on Startup building. An ice-breaker talk was delivered by Dr. Mugdha Lele on “How Venture Center can contribute to your startup journey” followed by an hour talk on “Nuts and Bolts of creating startups” was delivered. She explained the students on how to get started for the startup journey along with essentials of science and technology-based Entrepreneurship. She emphasized the importance of learning the fundamentals first before starting for the deep tech startup journey. Currently Venture Centre have 105 startups and many already have reached a commercial level. After the talk, Dr. Deepti Khanvilkar demonstrated LC-MS and FTIR instruments. Students interacted with the technicians and understood the working and applications of these sophisticated analytical instruments.

Post- lunch session started with lab tour especially for prototype designs of medical devices including 3D printers and exposure to workspace for the individual startups which was an inspiring experience for the students. Thereafter, a short exercise and activity on need identification and value proposition was conducted by Mr. Vedang Pawar.

Two founders of Startup companies namely Dr. Preeti Nigam-Joshi (from Fastsense Diagnostics) and Dr. Asmita Prabhune (Green Pyramid Biotech) interacted with students on their own startup journeys. The key technology sectors for startup discussed were Healthcare, Agriculture, Energy and Environment, Waste to value etc. Both speakers are retired scientists from National Chemical Laboratories, Pune and showcased their products. They further explained about focussing on the fundamental science and its always best to start early and early to fail. From thousands of failures and many experiments a success comes and spoken about patience and perseverance is the key in the entrepreneurship.

Networking with the speakers over a tea break was highly interactive with students as well as faculty members. Workshop concluded with a feedback from participants through google forms.  

Objectives of program:

· To understand the Innovation Ecosystem

· To explore facilities and infrastructure

· Learn about incubation and support programs

· Network with startups and innovators

· To study best practices in technology commercialization

· Explore Collaboration Opportunities

· Inspire Entrepreneurship Among Visitors

Behavioral Impact:

Students gained exposure to real-world innovation setups encouraging students to think beyond textbooks and engage in creative problem-solving. Understanding the journey from idea to execution will help them to build belief in their own capabilities to innovate and take initiative to select entrepreneurship as career path.

Feedback:

Feedback by students

Students from both AIP & AIB were particularly impressed by the emphasis on research and innovation required to build deep tech startups, which ignited curiosity and encouraged them to explore new dimensions of their career path. The interactive Q&A session was also well-received, allowing students to clarify doubts and gain valuable insights. Overall, students described the workshop as inspiring and eye-opening, a perfect blend of academic learning and real-world application, encouraging to think beyond textbooks and focus on community impact as job givers instead of job seekers, a great motivation to pursue startup journey with a renewed sense of purpose.

Feedback by Guest speaker

Dr. Kavita Parekh from the Venture Center mentioned that it was heartening to interact with such a vibrant and inquisitive group of budding pharmacists and biotechnologists, and Dr. Kavita was particularly impressed by the students’ interest in learning about venture capital funding opportunities, real challenges in entrepreneurship, and their willingness to serve society by solving real life problems. Dr. Kavita also emphasized that such interactive and thought-provoking platforms are crucial in shaping future-ready students who are not only academically sound but also socially responsible. Dr. Kavita concluded by congratulating the institute for nurturing a generation of compassionate, ethical, and community-focused professionals, and conveyed her best wishes for the continued success of the Amity Institute of Pharmacy and Amity Institute of Biotechnology. Also, Venture Center is ready to host the next level workshop and willing to provide guidance to student startups as well as faculty startups (known as spin offs). The Venture Center is also interested in signing up the MOU with AUM for an year which includes the complete package of 3-4 FDPs, innovation showcase as well as conferences and workshops for student and faculty entrepreneurs.

Conclusion:

The one-day workshop on “How to build a startup, A Venture Capital Funding opportunity for Early-Stage Entrepreneurs” proved to be a highly enriching and inspiring experience for the students at Amity Institute of Pharmacy and Amity Institute of Biotechnology. The session successfully bridged the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world practice, offering valuable insights into the evolving role of pharmacists in the healthcare system as entrepreneurs. The talks delivered by Dr. Mugdha Lele and Dr. Kavita Parekh not only emphasized the importance of community engagement and ethical responsibility but also highlighted the significance of research, innovation, and continuous learning in the field of pharmacy for building a startup. Their interaction with the students fostered a renewed sense of purpose, compassion, and professionalism among budding pharmacists. The demonstration of high-end instruments such as LC-MS and FTIR was useful for the students to understand the applications of sophisticated analytical instruments in drug design, development and research in general. The session encouraged students to reflect on their role beyond the classroom and embrace their responsibilities as future healthcare providers and entrepreneurship through owners of startups by sharing their life journeys. Overall, the one-day mini workshop served as a powerful reminder of the profound impact pharmacists can have on individual lives and society at large.

Recommendations:

·      The one-day mini workshop on “How to build start up” was highly impactful, informative, and well-received by students and faculty alike. It is strongly recommended that such insightful sessions be conducted on a regular basis to further enrich students’ academic and professional development.

·      This workshop served as a powerful platform to broaden students' horizons beyond classroom learning and instilled in them a deeper understanding of their role in the startup ecosystem.

·      Future workshops and outreach events should continue to focus on integrating theoretical knowledge with practical exposure, inspiring students to pursue excellence in ideation, validation, and commercialization of products through entrepreneurship.

·      Additionally, it is recommended to expand the scope of such lectures by including interdisciplinary themes, interactive components, and collaboration with industry and academic experts. This will ensure a more holistic learning experience and better prepare students for the dynamic demands of the pharmacy profession.

Point-wise Outcome Report:

1) What was the Inspiration behind taking up this Particular Subject for the Programme? 

The inspiration behind selecting the topic “How to build startup, A Venture Capital Funding  opportunity for Early-Stage Entrepreneurs” stemmed from the need to bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world professional responsibilities in the field of pharmacy. The aim was to help students realize the concept of entrepreneurship and demonstrate the paths towards their own startup building using deep tech innovations.

2)  Who were the Distinguished Guest Speakers Invited for the Event. Kindly give their Names.         

     Designations, Organisation, Qualifications, Area of Expertise and any Honours and Awards received   

     by them.

a)      Dr. Mugdha Lele, Head – Social Innovations, Venture Center, Pune, India is a Ph.D. from School of Health Sciences, University of Pune and has teaching and research experience in a State Government medical university. At Venture Center, she is responsible for driving the Social Innovations and related activities and is responsible for technical mentoring for incubatees at Venture Center. Mugdha has been a Fellow of the Chevening Rolls Royce Science, Innovation, Policy and Leadership Programme (CRISP) at the Said Business School, University of Oxford UK, in 2016. In 2018 she has also been part of the Aritra Accelerator Program for Leadership in the Social Sector at IIM Bangalore with Phicus Solutions and Dr. Reddy’s Foundation. She is interested in driving programs which support development of novel technology solutions for the impact in social sector.

b)      Dr. Kavita Parekh, Associate Manager - Technology Connects, Venture Center. Dr Kavita is a doctorate from school of health sciences, University of Pune, and has research and teaching experience of more than 11 years. She has industry experience of working with biomarkers of cancer and her research interests are in molecular diagnostics. At Venture Center, she is responsible for technology marketing and lead generation activities. She also identifies Tech partners in academic and research institutes.

c)      Dr Asmita Prabhune, Dr. Asmita is the founder and director, responsible for providing technical, scientific and developmental insights from time to time setting up a strong foundation of Research and Development for the company. She is PhD in chemistry from NCL, Pune and retired as senior Scientist.

d)      Dr Preeti Nigam Joshi is a Founder Director of Fastsense Innovations. She is a PhD from IIT (BHU) Varanasi in Biochemical Engineering and Bioinstrumentations. Fastsense Diagnostics is focused on developing low-cost high efficiency diagnostics devices for complex diseases such as cancer. Their current focus is to develop a hand-held portable electrochemical diagnostic/screening system for liver cancer.

3) What was the Criteria Considered for inviting the Various Individual Guests, Internal as well as  

    External? 

The experience, proven prototypes as well as commercialised products, impressive academic and research profile and standing in the scientific community.

4) Were the guests informed in advance and if yes, from what previous interaction?  Were the guests    

    recommended by someone. If yes, who?  

    Dr Kavita Parekh’s name was recommended by Dr Prasad Pofali through Dr. Manish Gore who has worked together under the same PhD supervisor at Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai.

5) Who all attended the program? Also, if possible, give the numbers.  

The 12 students of first year B. Pharm (AIP), 11 students of first year M Tech Biotechnology (AIB) and 4 faculty members attended the guest lecture.

    List of attendees as given here under.

6) What were the ‘Take Homes’ for the Guests and the Attendees in the form of knowledge, facts,            

    information etc.? Please give the Salient Novel Points Covered by the Guest Speakers, in Bullet   

    Points Format.     

·         Do not just be Pharmacists or Biotechnologists by qualification but become a job giver instead of job seeker by the process of entrepreneurship.

·         Development of entrepreneurial spirit through a systematic guidance from mentors like Venture Centre is needed to help individuals to build their own business through innovations.

7) Has the Guest lecture been able to generate any Tangible Gains for the Faculty, Researchers and  

    Students of Amity. If yes, what are these?  

    Yes, session was very insightful with respect to real-world impact of entreprenerd       

    knowledge, the evolving responsibilities of pharmacists, and the role we play as healthcare   

    professionals.

8) What are the ‘Progressive Outcomes /Way Forward’ planned, based on the event of the event. Please   

     give them pointwise, with timelines and names of the persons responsible for their execution.

    Introduction of startups awareness program, student mentorship & career guidance   

    sessions, collaboration with research institutes & industrial visits, student-led community health

    outreach campaigns.

9) Have we Followed-Up with the Guests to consider Various Collaborations such as Joint Research

    Papers and Publications; Joint Funded Projects; Student Internships and Placements; Participation

    in National/ International Seminars/Conferences,/Workshops ; Student/Faculty Exchange

    Programmes ; Post Doctorate tie ups etc.   

   Yes, future collaborations with Venture Center, Pune for mentorship on startups and participation in various workshops and student/faculty exchange program have been discussed. Also, Venture Center is interested in signing the MOU with AUM for mutual benefit.

10) What are the plans for utilizing the contacts developed with the Invited Guests, for future cooperation     

     to meet the targets of ‘Mission: Connect’ and Mission: Synergy of Brains? Please give a roadmap

     with timelines.  

Increasing future collaborations for student research interest to carry out next levels of startup   workshops, utilization of research lab facilities for innovation and research for betterment of effective therapeutic and diagnostic solutions through entrepreneurship.