20 Years in the Making
As Venture Center moves towards completing 20 years on 18 December 2026, we are bringing back Keeping In Touch to share more regular updates from across our ecosystem. For those new to Venture Center, we are one of India’s leading technology business incubators focused on science-based and deep-tech innovation.
In this issue:
• Looking back at FY 2025–26: The Year That Set the Tone
• Startup highlights and milestones
• Ecosystem updates, new initiatives, and partnerships
• Featured reads, podcasts, and conversations
• Launch of CanDid Vol. 2 with Dr. Anand Deshpande
• And more from across the Venture Center community
📖 We hope you enjoy reading Keeping In Touch and stay connected with the journey ahead.
FY 2025-26: A year that set the tone
Looking back, Looking ahead
As Venture Center moves towards 20 years, this newsletter will occasionally revisit milestones, moments, and reflections from across our journey. In this issue, we look back at FY2025–26, a year of meaningful transition for Venture Center. The year saw expansion into new areas through the Food, Feed and Nutrition Lab and the upcoming Clean Energy and Green Hydrogen Center of Excellence. It also marked important national programme leadership through ANRF missions and outreach initiatives, deeper international collaborations through partnerships such as UNIDO, and significant startup milestones across funding, product validation, and market deployment.
Startup Highlights: Celebrating the big stories from our community!
AeroDel Technology’s PEPAIR™ Launched with Zydus Lifesciences
PEPAIR™ is India’s first affordable OPEP device, designed to support airway clearance. The handheld solution, developed by Aerodel, could improve access to respiratory care for more than 90 lakh patients in India living with chronic respiratory conditions.
Kozhnosys Named Among Top 100 Deep Tech Startups by Hello Tomorrow!
Kozhnosys has been selected among the Top 100 Deep Tech Startups of 2026 by Hello Tomorrow, from over 4,800 global applicants. The team will present at the Hello Tomorrow Summit in Amsterdam in June.
Craste Granted US Patent for Biomass Processing Innovation
Craste has been granted a US patent for its biomass treatment process for pulping and biorefinery applications, helping turn agricultural residue into scalable industrial feedstock.
Startups in the news
• SPEZL featured in the Indian Express for its innovative lightweight, heated jackets using printed electronics. Read More ...
• Bioprime Agrisolutions enters into a commercial collaboration with The Mosaic Company, a global leader in crop nutrition. Read More ...
• Rechargion featured in the Indian Express for its work on sodium-ion batteries. Read More ...
ICYMI: What’s New at Venture Center
ANRF Maha AI-SE & MedTech Missions: Venture Center is the Project Monitoring Unit for the ANRF Maha AI-SE and MedTech Missions, supporting national-level implementation and oversight. Read More ...
MoU signing with Blockchain for Impact for BFI–NAMAH: This new MedTech accelerator supports startups from concept to real-world deployment by providing structured, end-to-end support across design, prototyping, regulatory pathways, validation, manufacturing readiness, and market entry. Read More ...
ANRF+ Venture Center Outreach Initiative: This collaborative initiative is designed to strengthen intellectual property awareness and innovation capability within India’s research community through expert guidance, curated knowledge, and practical support on commercialization pathways. Read More ...
Center for Biopharma Analysis expands NABL accreditation: Venture Center’s CBA has expanded its NABL accreditation under ISO/IEC 17025:2017 to 5 additional analytical techniques, strengthening its analytical testing capabilities for the biopharma sector. Read More ...
Venture Center Studio, Pune: A fully equipped studio space for founders and teams to create podcasts, interviews, and professional-grade video content. Take a look
Featured Reads and Conversations
From everyday aids to advanced systems, assistive technology is undergoing a quiet transformation. As Ramakrishnan N highlights, a new wave of innovation is redefining not just accessibility, but what independence itself can look like.
The article features insights from the CEO of AssisTech Foundation (ATF) along with founders using deep tech to build assistive technologies across mobility, rehabilitation, adaptive clothing, and AI-based accessibility solutions.
In our latest podcast, Mainak Chakraborty, Co-Founder and CEO of GPS Renewables, reflects on building one of India’s leading bioenergy ventures and shares insights on entrepreneurship and the future of sustainable energy. Listen to the podcast.
Launch of CanDid Volume 2 with Dr. Anand Deshpande
Venture Center hosted an engaging evening with Dr. Anand Deshpande on scaling technology startups, exploring why technology alone is rarely enough and how successful ventures are built around solving problems that matter to people. Drawing on examples across sectors, the discussion got people thinking about sales, culture, leadership, and the importance of clarity in defining the problem being solved.
The evening also marked the launch of CanDid Vol. 2, Venture Center’s latest collection of 15 founder stories from Venture Center’s deep-tech ecosystem.
Building on the first edition, CanDid vol. 2 continues to document founder journeys while expanding into CanDid Conversations, a podcast series exploring entrepreneurship through candid founder conversations.
Read the Event Summary || Watch Dr. Deshpande's Talk || Listen to the CanDid podcast
Get your copy of CanDid on Amazon: Volume 1 | Volume 2
Other updates from Venture Center
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Visit by Dr. Shrikant Patil, CEO of Maharashtra State Innovation Society, for discussions on strengthening the innovation ecosystem. | Read More
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Visit by Smt. P. Bharathi (Dept. of Science & Technology, Govt. of Gujarat), Dr. Snehal Bagatharia (GBRC), and Dr. Anand Bhadalkar (Savli Technology & Business Incubator) to explore opportunities for collaboration. | Read More
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Masterclass with Anand Sivaraman on building MedTech and AI ventures from India for global markets, highlighting opportunities and challenges. | Read More
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Collaboration with Wadhwani Innovation & Translation Centre (IIT Bombay) through an MoU to strengthen science-led innovation, translational research, and deep-tech entrepreneurship in India. | Read More
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World IP Day Event on IP and Sports: World IP Day event focused on “IP and Sports,” bringing together discussions on the role of intellectual property in emerging sectors. | Read More
Stay connected with Venture Center
Whether you are an entrepreneur, researcher, mentor, investor, or ecosystem partner, we invite you to stay engaged with the work happening across our community.
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For enquiries, reach us at 9172232215 or email: managerincubator@venturecenter.co.in
