BIRAC LEAP Fund — ₹30 Lakh to ₹1 Crore Equity to Pilot and Commercialise Biotech Products
Capital for the launch, not the lab
LEAP was launched in 2018 to fund the stage after SEED: a biotech startup with a validated product that needs money to run pilots, obtain approvals and enter the market. BIRAC gives each partner incubator up to ₹5 crore to invest, and the incubator takes equity or equity-linked instruments in startups at between ₹30 lakh and ₹1 crore each. The stated aim is to shorten the gestation period to commercialisation and make the startup ready for venture capital.
The floor is as important as the ceiling. A startup whose need fits within ₹30 lakh is routed to the SEED Fund; LEAP begins where SEED stops.
Terms of the investment
| Item | Position |
|---|---|
| Amount | More than ₹30 lakh, up to ₹1 crore per startup |
| Instrument | Equity or equity-linked, held by the partner incubator |
| Use | Pilots, scale-up manufacturing, regulatory approvals, market launch |
| Support | Incubator mentoring, BIRAC network, investor introductions |
BIRAC and partner incubators
BIRAC selects LEAP fund partners from its BioNEST network and monitors deployment; each partner's investment committee decides on individual startups under BIRAC's 2021 LEAP guidelines. Venture Center in Pune, FITT at IIT Delhi and C-CAMP in Bengaluru are among the active partners; Venture Center's most recent LEAP round closed on 27 February 2026.
Validated product, incubated with a partner
- •Biotech, med-tech or life-sciences startup registered in India as a private limited company
- •Incubated at a LEAP fund partner or BioNEST incubator
- •Product validated to the point of piloting or commercialisation
- •Capital need above ₹30 lakh
- •Prior BIRAC support is not required, but a BIG or SEED history is common and helps
What the partner's investment committee needs
- •Certificate of Incorporation, MoA/AoA, cap table and prior investment agreements
- •Incubation agreement with the LEAP partner
- •Validation data, pilot results, and regulatory status (CDSCO, FSSAI, BIS as applicable)
- •Commercialisation plan: manufacturing, pricing, channels, first customers
- •Financial statements and a three-year model with unit economics
- •Use-of-funds plan with milestones for the LEAP amount
- •IP register and freedom-to-operate view
- •Founder KYC and team CVs
Questions founders ask about LEAP
Yes, if your capital need is above ₹30 lakh and the product is ready to pilot. SEED is not a prerequisite.
No. It is equity-linked investment by the incubator. BIRAC's grant instruments are BIG and SPARSH.
Some partners take observer or board rights at this ticket size. It is negotiated in the term sheet.
Venture funding — BIRAC's AcE daughter funds are the natural next stop, with tickets up to ₹7 crore.