DeepTech Open Mic: Health + Biotech Edition • IIT-M • Chennai • Jun 4
A collaboration between Beyond Next Ventures India, HTIC IIT Madras & 8X Ventures
Translating lab-speak into compelling business narratives is one of the hardest challenges for technical founders.
AI models help with the deck or website, but pitching and narrating are more human-dependent. It's possible to become better at it with practice.
DeepTech Open Mic is a storytelling workout room designed specifically for deeptech and science-led founders to strip away dense jargon and test their commercial messaging in a safe, low-stakes environment.
This edition is a thematic collaboration between Beyond Next Ventures India, HTIC IIT Madras, and 8X Ventures — to focus specifically on deeptech and deepscience breakthroughs in health and/or biotech.
Featuring Guest Anchors:
Ravi Ramanathan, CEO, WIN CoE For Medtech and Healthtech at IIT Madras
Vikeesh Kesavan, VC, 8X Ventures
Karthik Varada, VC, Beyond Next Ventures India
How It Works:
The Pitch: 5 early-stage technical founders or researchers will deliver a pre-prepared 8-minute pitch about their work. To force a reliance on powerful analogies and narrative arcs rather than dense charts, slides are strictly capped at a maximum of 3 (preferably zero).
The Ask: Every pitch must end with highly specific "Asks" (e.g., "I need an intro to a bioprocess scaling partner," or "I need a better way to explain X").
The "Pay-It-Forward": Immediately following the pitch, our Guest Anchors (expert founders, buyers, or investors from the deep-tech ecosystem) and the audience offer rapid-fire "Gives"— such as narrative tweaks, positioning advice, or direct resource introductions.
Silent Feedback: During the brief transition between pitchers, the audience can instantly log anonymous, rapid-fire constructive feedback via a quick QR code scan.
Who Should Attend:
Pitchers: Early-stage deeptech/science founders, researchers, and academic innovators building specifically within health and/or biotech — who want to build their storytelling muscle before taking it to the market.
Audience: Deeptech and science-led founders, researchers, and operators. Whether you are pitching or in the audience, come ready to actively support and strengthen the deeptech ecosystem.
Got questions? Reach out at: [email protected]