India’s biotech growth needs more long-term capital, says expert

India’s biotech ecosystem has grown significantly in recent years, with the country now having more than 2,500 biotech startups, but capital investment without expectations of quick results and stronger links between research and commercialisation are important for the sector’s next phase of growth, said Ajay Mahipal, co-founder and general partner, HealthKois.

In a conversation with Serena Josephine M., Special Correspondent, The Hindu , at the Biotech Conclave 2026 presented by VIT Chennai in association with The Hindu , Mr. Mahipal said India had moved beyond being primarily a manufacturing base and was gradually emerging as a hub for biotech innovation. “We are now seeing quality startups that are essentially trying to accelerate this journey,” he said.

Areas such as cell and gene therapy, precision medicine, genomics, AI-enabled drug discovery, microbiome and immunology-driven therapeutics were attracting growing interest from investors. However, funding remained a key challenge, he said.