Serving as Executive Director and Co-Founder of NGEN, Harsha was part of the core leadership team behind the initiative. The one-day conference, held in Midtown Manhattan, convened more than 80 PhD, Master’s, and research-driven founders from leading institutions, including Harvard, MIT, Columbia, NYU, Princeton, and the University of Pennsylvania.
The conference was organised by a cross-university team of student leaders headed by Conference Director Ethan Tse (University of Pennsylvania), alongside Bryce Alexander (Dartmouth University), Marissa Coppin (University of Pennsylvania), Amesh Sarecha (Columbia University), and Akshay Amesur (Brown University).
Held at SOSV’s IndieBio, the event brought together voices across biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and venture capital, with a focus on how scientific research can be translated into scalable, venture-backed companies. Key discussions explored the growing role of AI in accelerating research, the transition from academia into startup ecosystems, and how investors evaluate early-stage deep-tech ventures.
The conference featured speakers and industry leaders from organisations including Kynetyk AI, Envisagenics, SeqHub Analytics LLC, Reflector Bio, Neurosteer, Serinus Biosciences, SOSV IndieBio, 2048 Ventures, and The Wistar Institute. Participants gained direct insights into building and funding science-driven startups, supported by global partners and sponsors such as SOSV IndieBio, J.P. Morgan, Mercury, M31 Capital, and OVO Fund.
“Don’t be afraid to use AI for research, and if you are actually developing your own research for the use of AI in life sciences or pharma or biotech, just spin it out and enjoy it,” said Maria Luisa Pineda, CEO and Founder of Envisagenics.
Joshua Ziel, Co-Founder of Kynetyk AI, highlighted the importance of building trust in AI systems, emphasising the need to continuously use, test, and validate technologies to ensure responsible and reliable adoption in research and real-world applications.
Beyond panel discussions, the program emphasised practical application through founder TED-style talks and curated networking sessions, enabling direct engagement between researchers, founders, and investors.
“So the word of the day at our Lab-to-Startup conference is interdisciplinary, because I met so many wonderful people here from across different industries, across different research areas, who all agreed with me that the best part of this event was being able to meet each other, learn from speakers from across these different spaces, and pick up the little nuggets of knowledge that help them be better at their own ventures and their own research projects,” said Harsha Ravindran.
Harsha’s involvement reflects the growing presence of Malaysian talent in global innovation ecosystems, particularly within high-impact sectors such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and venture-backed entrepreneurship. Through NGEN, she continues to foster cross-university collaboration among leading institutions, creating high-impact environments that support the development of next-generation startups.
Building on this momentum, NGEN is set to host its next Lab-to-Startup conference in Fall 2026, further strengthening its role in supporting the next generation of science-driven startups.
