Who would have thought that a silkworm’s delicate web could be used to make strong bones and tissues for humans? But Dr. Anuya Nisal, who has a Ph.D. degree from IIT Bombay in Chemical Engineering, looked at these intricate ‘webs’ differently. And after five years of hard work, the Serigen team succeeded in creating bioabsorbable implants (bone and tissue) that can help doctors treat their patients.

These bioabsorbable implants have a huge potential. According to Zelam Chaubal who heads the TiE Pune Women’s initiative, “the med tech industry is humungous and India’s needs are largely neglected by the western world. Anuya’s bone and tissue grafts are the first of its kind and have the potential to meet not just our needs but are better than the existing implants globally.”

Which is one of the reasons why Anuya’s company Serigen MediProducts was chosen as the India winner at the TiE Women’s Global Pitch Competition. Says Anuya, “Serigen is a spin-off company of CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory. At Serigen, we leverage the material science of natural silk to develop innovative tissue regeneration products. Our flagship product, Serioss, is a bone void filler that facilitates superior healing of large cavities in bone. Serigen is the first company globally to have received the permission to conduct a clinical trial for use of silk in bone.

“We were incubated at Venture Center, India’s largest science and technology business incubator, till 2020. Now we have established our own state-of-the-art facility that caters to our pilot manufacturing requirements. Over the years, Serigen has raised more than USD 800,000 primarily through prestigious and competitive grants, promoter investment and angel investment. We intend to do a fundraise in 2022 that will power our aggressive growth plans and further strengthen our IP portfolio.”

Says Zelam, “The whole world will benefit immensely from such implants.” TiE helps start-ups become successful through its various programs and has mentored Serigen Mediproducts in its early phases. Says Anuya, “We have immensely benefited from our interactions with TiE Pune. The discussions and conversations with TiE Pune mentors were thought-provoking and have helped us to not only shape our storyline and improve our pitch but also strategize on various aspects of entrepreneurship including go-to-market and fundraising”.

The India winner will not just receive mentoring, but also get connected to global players to help Anuya’s implants reach the world. It is through this Global Competition that female entrepreneurs from India can showcase their work globally. In fact, for the past two years, it is female entrepreneurs from Pune who have been the winners. More power to them!