Miscellaneous
The Beyond Meat IPO in 2019 marked an inflection point not just for the global alternative protein ecosystem but the fledgling Indian innovation ecosystem as well. Calls to offer capital, R&D and entrepreneurial talent started pouring in. But the best things take time, and building something entirely new takes much more. An innovation ecosystem takes patient capital, collaborative partners, supportive incubators, and years of developmental research being translated from the university to the market via entrepreneurs collaborating with researchers. While these components exist in every market, in India, the ecosystem is still embryonic. Each of these elements - research, incubation, capital infusion, product development, industry collaboration, and finally market launch takes enormous effort and has to be built from scratch. Connections between these players have to be forged, and we’ve played matchmaker for technology transfer, talent pool development and connecting catalytic capital or corporations to the right companies. Today’s guest Shardul Dabir is GFI India’s Innovation Specialist. Shardul has been thinking of food systems since his teenage years, and offers some innovative answers for how we can grow the early stage Indian ecosystem in smart protein.NOTES:Organisations mentioned:NIFTEMICTCFTRIIIFPTIIT-KGPIIT-DelhiCCMBMOFPIICARBIRACCSIRDBTDSTRISECompanies Mentioned:Impossible FoodsMosa MeatMemphis MeatsBeyond MeatJUSTGood DotGood MylkBibliography:Shardul’s Blog: The India Smart Protein Innovation Challenge: Unlocking talent bottlenecksThe India Smart Protein Innovation ChallengeGFIdeas India Smart Protein Innovation CommunityFood Pathshala Essay Competition - 2016. Blog by ShardulFor Further Reading:Innovators' Lightning Showcase: Hear from the most promising Indian entrepreneurs in new protein at the Future of Protein Summit 2019.For more on our GFIdeas India Webinars check out our YouTube page.