EP#10 Dr. Anand Anandkumar – The pursuit of solving problems at scale & the fundraising playbook for deep science startups

In this episode, Dr. Anand Anandkumar, Founder & CEO @Bugworks, joins our host Digjay, to talk about his experience of working in different domains across multiple geographies, what led him to become an entrepreneur in his late 40s and his pursuit of solving problems at scale, fund raising challenges for deep science startups & how should founders navigate these challenges.

Listed in the top 36 global gamechanging startups to watch out for in 2019 by CB Insights, Bugworks Research is a deep science startup that aims to discover novel treatment options for resistant bacterial infections. The company has won many national/international innovation awards and is the 1st company outside North America and Europe to win the coveted CARB-X grant.

Prior to Bugworks, Dr. Anand was the co-founder and CEO of Cellworks, a company specialising in personalized oncotherapy by making use of mathematical modelling frameworks, the co-founding Managing Director of the India operation of SpinCircuit (acq by Cadence, 2003) and Magma Design Automation (acq by Synopsys, 2011). He is also the co-founder of EVA, a life sciences and healthcare accelerator and founding member of TiE Bangalore. You can connect with him here on Linkedin / Twitter

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Show notes:

1. (01:16) Dr. Anand’s background in semiconductor and biotech space & path leading up to Bugworks

2. (09:06) Key stakeholders in driving R&D and funding in deep sciences; Factors constraining VCs from allocating more capital in this space

3. (14:20) Lessons from the fund raising experience at Bugworks; Importance of tapping global investors & seeking non-dilutive funding options like government grants

4. (19:06) What do VCs bet on when they invest in healthcare/bio-tech startups? Treating investors as part of your extended team and taking the onus of making them subject matter experts

5. (24:10) Need for more mentors in this space and the role of specialized accelerators/incubators

6. (32:00) Characteristics of a strong founding team

7. (33:55) Rapid fire and closing remarks