Biotech Could Create India’s Next Big Investment Opportunities Saurabh Mukerjea x Ria Deshpande

Invest with Marcellus: https://invest.marcellus.inWhat if some of the most important technologies of the future are already living inside us?In this episode of Coffee & Investing, Saurabh Mukherjea speaks with Ria Deshpandey, co-founder and CEO of Jinsei Bio, a Pune-based biotech startup working on indigenous probiotic solutions and microbial technologies designed for Indian environments.They discuss why India still depends heavily on imported bacterial strains, the science and manufacturing challenges involved in developing indigenous probiotics, and how bacteria could transform areas ranging from human health and wellness to food technology, preservation, skincare and cleanliness.The conversation also explores India's emerging biotech ecosystem, why Ria chose to return to India after studying and working in the US, and what it will take for India to build a stronger science and R&D base.Saurabh and Ria also look at how AI is accelerating biological research, the growing possibilities of gene editing and CRISPR, and the ethical questions that come with the ability to engineer biology.---💡 Key Takeaways⮞ India’s Probiotic Gap: Why many of the bacterial strains used in India are still imported, and the opportunity to develop indigenous alternatives.⮞ The Science of Bacteria: What makes bacteria difficult to grow, combine, preserve and manufacture consistently at industrial scale.⮞ A New Biotech Opportunity: How microbial technologies could impact human health, food technology, preservation, skincare and more.⮞ Building India’s Science Ecosystem: Why India needs stronger R&D clusters, funding and opportunities for scientists to work on frontier research.⮞ AI Meets Biology: How AI can accelerate biological research by helping scientists identify which experiments are worth pursuing.⮞ CRISPR & Gene Editing: What gene-editing technologies can do, their potential applications and the ethical questions they raise.⮞ The Return of Indian Talent: Why scientists and entrepreneurs like Ria are choosing to return to India and build here.⮞ The Road Ahead: Why the convergence of biology, technology and manufacturing could create significant opportunities for India.---💼 Invest with MarcellusIf India's next wave of growth is going to be built on innovation, science and technology, investors need to understand the businesses and sectors that can compound through these structural shifts.Explore Marcellus' approach to long-term investing: https://invest.marcellus.in/---💼 About Marcellus Investment ManagersMarcellus Investment Managers is a SEBI, US SEC, and IFSCA registered portfolio manager. At Marcellus, our Purpose is to make wealth creation simple and accessible by being trustworthy and transparent capital allocators.Discover our approach to investing here: www.marcellus.in---Chapters00:00:00 Coming Up00:00:58 Meet Ria Deshpandey & Jinsei Bio00:03:16 Why India Needs Indigenous Probiotics00:07:32 The Many Applications of Bacteria00:09:00 Why Is Bacteria So Difficult to Manufacture?00:15:16 The Opportunity for Indian Biotech00:17:05 Why Ria Returned to India00:20:02 AI, CRISPR & The Future of Biology