Life Science & Healthcare Advisory

From discovery to deal.

We handle commercial complexity of partnerships, capital, strategy, so scientists can focus entirely on building what matters.

Introducing indeavour™ : Our dedicated India-entry practice
Explore our work
What sets us apart
LP →CEO
Syncing investor's discipline with founder's urgency.
Pre AI →AI
Spanning both the eras of innovation.
IN →World
Rooted in India but networked globally.

Our belief

Innovators are brilliant and driven. But exhausted by everything that isn't science.

Business development, partnerships and fundraising are full-time jobs that can seem overwhelming. Cofactor embeds alongside founders with the scientific credibility to speak your language and the network to open doors that matter.

Our name says it all. In biochemistry, a cofactor is the essential molecule that enables catalysis by an enzyme. We are that enabling force, catalysing the commercial potential of your innovation.

What we do

The cofactor behind
your most important work.

01 : Business Development

Open doors and
build a pipeline.

We map the competitive landscape, craft your commercial narrative, and open doors for client acquisition. From market entry to licensing, we find and execute the best pathways.

02 : Strategic Partnerships

The right alliance
at the right time.

We design and structure alliances with external innovation teams and select CROs for co-development. Be it platforms or products, we have you covered.

03 : Fundraising Advisory

Capital that understands
your science.

From investor thesis alignment and pitch preparation to access to grants, angels, VCs, and strategic capital. We bridge the gap between founders and investors.

indeavour™
Our signature offering.

The India opportunity is real but nuanced. We help you navigate it.

India is the world's most consequential life science opportunity and its most complex entry challenge.

A rapidly expanding biopharma sector complemented by a world-class scientific talent base and evolving policies. But entry without the right plan and on-the-ground relationships can pose a challenge.

The indeavour™ premise

A bridge between global innovation and India's ecosystem.

We built indeavour™ because of a pattern: founders ready to build, investors ready to deploy, and almost no one who knew how to actually land in India. It is a hands-on engagement, as against an arm's length advisory.

BD

Partnerships & Distribution

Alliances with the right pharma, CRO, and CDMO relationships across India's complex ecosystem.

RE

Innovation Infrastructure

From biopharma clusters to incubators and lab-ready real estate, support on where to land and how to structure your India footprint.

GOV

Policy & Regulatory Navigation

Connecting with ministries, state agencies, and cluster bodies to unlock the right commercial opportunities.

DF

Curated Deal Flow

Access to a pipeline of vetted opportunities pre-screened for scientific rigour, commercial readiness, and scalability.

VC

Capital Deployment Support

Navigate India-specific fund structures, co-investment opportunities, and government-backed grant schemes that de-risk early deployment.

ECO

Ecosystem Intelligence

On-the-ground relationships with incubators, biopharma clusters, and policy bodies giving investors the conviction before committing capital.

Our approach

Focused and curated engagements.

Our judgement is based on years of doing, not consulting.

Scientific Credibility

The team comprises of domain experts so we understand you beyond your slide deck.

Commercial Expertise

With experience across different business facets, we are polymaths of the life science world.

Network Depth

A cultivated network across India's ecosystem, extended into Asia and global innovation hubs.

Founder Alignment

Limited roster by design. We are invested commercially and personally in your success.

Our People
Ketki Tulpule
Ketki Tulpule, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO
LinkedIn →

A scientist who
left the lab, not science

Ketki began her career with a PhD from University of Bremen, Germany in neurochemistry followed by postdoc at IISER Pune, training that shaped a rigorous, evidence-based approach to every problem.

Over the years in the industry, she built expertise across AI-enabled drug development, life science real estate and also launched a venture capital fund (Cat-1 AIF) with a target corpus of USD 20 Mn. This diverse experience was instrumental in developing a systems-level understanding of how talent, infrastructure and funds must align to nurture innovation.

Cofactor, a synthesis of these experiences, is built for the founders she wished had better support during her own years on the frontlines of Indian life science.

Neurochemistry PhD AI Drug Discovery Life Science Real Estate Venture Capital Cluster Development India Ecosystem APAC Networks
Neel Lahoti
Neel Lahoti, M.D.
Founding Partner
LinkedIn →

A clinician who built
a CRO from scratch

Neel is a rare case of a gold medallist clinician deciding to build a company on his own. As Founder and CEO of Synergen Bio, he created a successful Clinical Research Organisation and grew it into a recognised name in India's pharma services ecosystem with a track record spanning BA/BE studies, pharmacovigilance, and multinational regulatory approvals.

Neel's value to Cofactor's clients is anchored in lived experience of technocommercial execution, from operations to closing commercial partnerships and managing regulatory aspects of the business to scaling operations. He brings a unique founder's lens to every advisory engagement.

MD Clinical Pharmacology CRO Founder Clinical Trials Pharma Services Regulatory Affairs India Life Science
New Partner Name
Ramjee Pallela, Ph.D.
Partner-Government & Ecosystem
LinkedIn →

A scientist who chose
ecosystem over experiments

Ramjee has spent over a decade at the centre of India's government-led biotech funding ecosystem. He managed BIRAC's Biotechnology Ignition Grant at IKP Knowledge Park and acted as the COO of AIC-CCMB incubator. He is well versed with the grant landscape and the key requisites for tapping into non-dilutive funds.

His scientific background with a Ph.D. from CSIR-IICT and postdoc from South Korea gives him the technical know-how to evaluate what founders are building, not just how they are pitching it. As a board member across multiple incubators and institutional innovation councils, his network runs deep into the public infrastructure.

BIRAC & Government Grants Biotech Incubation IPR & Patents Nanotechnology & Biosensors India Ecosystem Builder Academic Networks
Nitin Rao
Nitin Rao
Partner-Fundraise
LinkedIn →

A finance expert who truly
gets capital markets

Nitin has built a versatile financial services career across mutual fund research, investment product development and alternative fund distribution. Having spent over a decade at HSBC, he understands capital markets from every angle: how products are built, how investors think, and how fundraises are won.

For Cofactor's early and growth-stage clients, Nitin offers access to India's capital ecosystem. His current role driving AIF fundraises at Harvest Capital means he is actively working with the investors Cofactor's clients need to reach including family offices and HNIs with an appetite for deep-tech and life science ventures.

Alternative Investment Funds Capital Markets Investor Relations Fund Distribution Financial Strategy India Investor Network
New Partner Name
Nandu Gattu, Ph.D.
Advisor-AI Platforms
LinkedIn →

A scientist who bridged
biology and AI

Nandu is a physician, pharmacologist, and bioinformatician who built a 100-person drug discovery data business from scratch and spent over two decades with multinational pharma and CROs in the US, UK, and India. He has operated across the full spectrum of drug discovery: clinical sciences, pre-clinical research, computational biology, and AI-driven data platforms, including drug repurposing, genomics, biomarker discovery, and translational medicine.

For Cofactor's clients, Nandu is the person in the room who has already built what they are trying to build and brings the wisdom to commercialise it.

Bioinformatics AI/ML & Drug Discovery Genomics & Biomarkers Translational Medicine Computational Biology Pharma & CRO Networks
Aparna J Ramani
Aparna J Ramani
Advisor-Medtech
LinkedIn →

An APAC expert who turns
complexity into clarity

Aparna has operated at the highest commercial levels across Fortune 500 MedTech, Diagnostics, and Biopharma in APAC, the US, Europe, China, and Japan. She has navigated the full life science value chain from clinical trials and regulatory strategy to market access and distributor management across CGTs, Diagnostics, Digital Health, Precision Medicine, and beyond.

Aparna understands how government agencies procure, how hospital clusters decide and how KOL networks influence. Her active advisory role at a Singapore academic institute-led accelerator means she is as plugged into the future of APAC life science as she is into its present.

Medtech Diagnostics APAC Strategy Market Access Fortune 500 Advisory Digital Transformation
Collaborators

Who we work with

We collaborate with like-minded teams that are go-getters, dynamic and results-oriented.

NO BS Asia is a Singapore-headquartered operator-led firm that works with founders to execute business expansion plans in Asia.
Green Graffiti is an impact-led branding and digital marketing agency transforming purpose into powerful presence.

Your science is the catalyst.
Let's build the reaction.

Get in touch: connect@cofactored.com