Kanchan is founder of SwitchBiotics. Prior to this, she completed her PhD at Harvard Medical School in cell, molecular and cancer biology. Her dissertation work with Dr. Alan D’Andrea focused on understanding the molecular underpinnings of Fanconi’s Anemia, an inherited childhood cancer susceptibility syndrome. Kanchan has served as co-managing director of the GSAS Harvard Biotechnology Club, a student organization aimed at bridging the gap between academia and industry. During her tenure at the Harvard Biotechnology Club, she has helped raise the visibility and prize money for the annual biotechnology entrepeneurship competition and has forged alliances with leading players in the biopharmaceutical industry. Kanchan has also served as an intern with Flagship Ventures, a leading seed-stage venture creation fund in Cambridge MA helping with intellectual property assessments for a life-science start-up. Kanchan is especially interested in life-science venture creation in the developing world and in alleviating disease through innovation and technology. She was selected as a 2008 Fellow to the Startup Leadership Program in Boston, and launched and ran the program in New York in 2011. In 2011, she was named one of 25 women to watch by Venture Beat, and 30 Founders to follow on twitter by Huffington Post. She has combined her Doctorate in Molecular Biology from Harvard and her training from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition to elevate tiny taste buds with science and flavour. She is the founder of Spice Spice Baby, which brings to light the science-backed health benefits of ancient spices and inspires their use in babies’ and kids’ foods in simple, delicious and nutritious ways.

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Shalabh Gupta, Founder & CEO, Biocycive Shalabh Gupta, is Founder & CEO of BioCycive, Inc, a biotech company focused on developing new drugs in niche therapeutic indications, with a world-class scientific advisors, board members and strategic partners. Shalabh also serves on the board of directors of Phenomenome Discoveries, Inc, a diagnostic and therapeutics company backed by Canadian pension and PE funds. Earlier, Shalabh worked in Genentech, Inc. where he marketed Rituxan and Actemra, and worked on pipeline products. Prior to joining Genentech, he worked in equity research covering large-cap pharmaceutical companies at UBS and Rodman & Renshaw. He also served as an advisor to Green Hills Ventures, an early-stage private equity fund based in New York, where he managed the life-sciences portfolio for the fund. Shalabh was an attending physician and completed his MD at the NYU Medical Center and Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine. He has written and presented more than two dozen papers focused in the field of cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, and coordinated phase III and IV clinical trials at the NYU Medical Center. He was President of the national organization overseeing the 1500-strong rehabilitation resident physicians across the United States. Shalabh is a board certified physician with the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. He also received his Masters in Public Administration in health management from the Wagner School of Public Services at NYU. While in investment banking, he also held Series 7, 63, 86, and 87 securities licenses.

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