Journey of sailing through my aspirations and research leading to entrepreneurship

Interview with Neera Singh, Founder ProCyto Labs

About

Neera Singh is the founder of ProCyto Labs, a Biotech start-up incubated in KIIT-TBI, Bhubaneswar. With Master’s in Biotechnology from Kurukshetra University, she went to study at IIT Mumbai and did her Ph.D. in Maternal and Child Health from “NIRRCH”, Mumbai on ICMR fellowship. After her Ph.D. she worked in the USA in one of the prestigious cancer hospitals “MD Anderson Cancer Centre” in Houston, Texas. In the year, 2011, she moved back to Odisha. She was not much interested in continuing her career in academics but due to lack of suitable opportunities in Bhubaneswar, she went to work in Novartis, Hyderabad. Soon she moved back to Bhubaneswar due to family reasons. While working as a DBT-BioCare women scientist in ILS, she decided to start her own Biotech venture. Her company focuses on diagnostics and making affordable molecular biology reagents and teaching kits for colleges/universities and received prestigious grants from the government.

Interview

Tell us about yourself.

I am Dr. Neera Singh, a Scientist by profession. I obtained my PhD from Mumbai and went to work in the USA at the prestigious MD Anderson Cancer Centre and then returned to India.

How did you come up with this start up idea?

Upon returning to India, I didn’t find suitable job options in Biotechnology here in Bhubaneswar.

What was it about a career in healthcare/pharma/biotech that appealed to you?

Being a PhD in Biotechnology, I always imagined making some breakthrough discoveries. I have always been curious and this is what drives me in science.

At what point did you realize you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Despite working in academics and scientific writing jobs, I still was not very happy and satisfied in Bhubaneswar. I desired something challenging and different and always liked being in a leadership role.. That desire was getting stronger and I decided not to look for more jobs.

What would be your alternative career choice if you weren’t as a CEO/Founder?

A writer or probably fashion modelling.

Who were your inspirations and mentors, both professionally and personally?

As a professional, Kiran Majumdar’s journey has always inspired me and I wanted to achieve that status. I am also inspired by Steve jobs life. Personally, my father and husband always believed in me and has inspired me to pursue this goal.

Do you have any fond or interesting memories from your professional life you would like to share?

I was attending a Make in Odisha conclave in November 2018 when I wanted to meet Bharat Biotech Chairman Dr. Krishna Ella. I was a new startup and I wasn’t sure he would give me time. Fortunately I was able to speak to him and he invited me to join him for lunch in a separate arrangement for bureaucrats. As we were moving to get a table assigned for him, he introduced me to Mr. Chopra, who was then the Principal secretary for industries. He was such a handsome man with white hair and well dressed up. Dr. Ella read my bit surprised expressions and smilingly looked at me saying you must be wondering if he is an actor or model. When I said, of course, he is very handsome, we all laughed. We had a great meeting and Dr. Ella told me that he would give full support to our start up and asked me to write to him if I needed any help.

“One important thing that I learned in my career is that one’s communication and networking skills have to be really good in order to be successful.”

What were the most important, funny, or weird things you have learned over the course of your career?

One important thing that I learned in my career is that one’s communication and networking skills have to be really good in order to be successful. We should not miss any opportunity to talk with people and discuss our ideas or problems.

What is something your friends and colleagues don’t know about you?

My friends think of me as a simple and subtle person but I like to experiment and am very bold with my ideas.

What’s something unique you keep on or around your workspace?

Although I am not very religious, I keep Lord Ganesh idol everywhere. This includes my bag, car and lab.

What advice personal/professional have you received that has stayed with you?

My father always told me that there is no shortcut to success and we must work hard and keep trying. I always keep that in mind.

What were your greatest professional challenges along the way and how did you get past them?

I never like to travel and talk much. After forming the company, I made myself comfortable in opening up with people and travelled often so that it doesn’t become a limitation.

Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?

While working on one of my projects I used to go to a hospital to get patients. The person in charge has been misbehaving which I overlooked a few times. I was upset and thought about leaving the project. In one instance, I just came back to my office, relaxed and calmed myself. I told myself that I would be meeting such people everywhere. I have to learn to handle them and take control of the situations. I called up the person and politely but strongly told him that I understood his intentions and would report it if needed since then everything went fine. While working on several collaborative projects and writing grants, generally I used to be the one working hard and driving them. Most collaborators will never help much. I used to get irritated but I generally finish what I take up. My struggles taught me to take everything as a challenge and try to complete or finish the task whatever is taken.

Looking back, are there any career moves or decisions you’ve made for which you’d like a second chance, so to speak?

I never regretted my decision or choices as far as my career is concerned.

Do you think networking helped you in finding the right career opportunity? If yes, can you explain how you approached it?

Yes, access to information and networking is the most important aspect of any career. The more we communicate with people and approach them for help, something always works. I simply write to people honestly, about what I do and why I am connecting with them.

What advice would you give to others looking to get into the industry/entrepreneurship or move up the ranks?

It is very important to see the unmet need and address a problem whatever one wishes to establish. Secondly, to have a good network and flexibility in your approach.

What do you think are the challenges associated with this career?

Arranging for funds and finance is the biggest challenge.

How do you cope with the challenges and keep your passion afloat?

I do at least 25 minutes of pranayama and 2 to 3 hours of walking everyday which helps me to stay motivated during challenging situations. Listening to music is something that helps me instantly in keeping up my spirits.

Edited by: Sukanya Madhwal

Meet the communication managers

Oindrila Bhattacharjee

Oindrila Bhattacharjee has done her Masters in Biotechnology and is working as a Project Associate II in Dr.Srikala Raghavan’s Lab at inStem Bangalore following the submission of her Ph.D. thesis. Her Ph.D. was in the field of immunology and cell biology. She takes interest in reading, writing, and communicating science to a large audience. In her free time, she prefers to engage in dancing, writing, sketching and clicking photos.

Kavita Rani Malik

Kavita Rani Malik is an enthusiastic person with determination and consistency in her work. She has done a Ph.D. in Animal Biochemistry from ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute Karnal Haryana. Currently, she is waiting for her Ph.D. final defense and searching for jobs in the R & D sector in private or govt. organizations.