In this chapter of Career Stories, we bring you the story of Saloni Godbole, who is a scientist-turned entrepreneur. In this candid chat, she talks about her journey as a scientist as well as an entrepreneur and shares insights on how one can embark upon the journey of entrepreneurship in life sciences.
Please take us through your journey. Tell us about your childhood, what motivated you to take Science, study Microbiology?
You have taken me back 10 years from now to when the decisions of choosing a career took place. I was a pretty average to good student in school, who was very active and present – someone the teachers loved and I also in turn liked my teachers. I didn’t like math, so I knew one thing for sure- that when I grew up, I would not be getting into engineering! I always had an idea about my skills and abilities and was very active in extracurricular activities such as painting and handicraft. In fact, till 9th std I wanted to be an artist and I had almost decided to take up fine arts as my career. However, one fine day it struck me that painting is more of a mood-centric hobby that I won’t be able to take up as a job, or an obligation. Then I thought of the second option that I was good at – and that was biology. Thus, with some advice from my mom, I decided to keep art as a hobby and took up science after my 10th standard. 11th and 12th standard were easier as well as interesting- I got introduced to terms like DNA, RNA, microbes, genetic engineering. Eventually through discussions with family friends and acquaintances, I realised that I was more inclined towards microbiology than biotechnology, and that was a subject that could provide me with a strong basis to study biotechnology later on. Hence, I took up microbiology as my bachelors degree. After my bachelors degree I realised that I loved the subject and hence pursued my masters in the same subject.
After my masters, I had realised that the way the subjects are taught in college is not enough to be able to earn a PhD position abroad. So, I took up an internship at Tata Memorial Cancer Research Institute where I was exposed to hardcore research. That experience made me realize that it is not only research that I am looking for– but it is actually applied research. I would not want to only arrive at some conclusions and keep writing research papers, but would like to convert my knowledge into technology that is useful for the masses. That’s when I also realized that I do not need to pursue a PhD immediately and began my journey as a bioscience entrepreneur!
Could you elaborate more on your specific interest in applied research and the realization of not wanting to pursue research in basic sciences?
My coursework during my Bachelors required me to take up a project in the last semester which introduced me to research. What interested me was the fact that in research you take up a problem statement and you arrive at your own ways for solving it. There is no formula here. And while there are certain methods that you follow, there is no right or wrong answer in research; there is always observation and analysis. Later, during my masters I pursued research on biosurfactants producing microbes and we created a technology which an industry actually bought from our college- that’s where I got the initial motivation to convert research into products!
As mentioned before, my internship at Tata Memorial Cancer Research Institute after my masters, also made me realize further that I do not want to pursue pure research. I also realized that in government institutes in India, scientists get a lot of funding to do research, but a most of those funds are channelized towards presenting research papers. So it made me wonder– ‘why is it that in spite of getting funding we are not able to create something which is applicable?’ That is what triggered my interest in developing a product of my own.
How was the idea of Occamy Biosciences born? What were the challenges you faced and how did you address them?
Six months before I left the Tata Memorial Cancer Research Institute, I had already started thinking of starting a company, and therefore engaged myself in networking and finding the right kind of people. Fortunately, there was a senior scientist who also wanted to do something of his own. So, I started talking to him and realized that we both could start a company together- my lack of experience could be compensated by him guiding me. We completed the legal process of registering the company in August 2018. The initial journey was quite tough- we were very naive, didn’t know the nature of the company that should be formed, the guidelines etc.
Since we did not have our own research at that point, we approached scientists who were engaged in developing technologies and bought the technologies from them. We also did extensive analysis of the kind of research and work that was taking place in research institutions- trying to understand whether there was any convertible solution there, especially in places like cancer diagnostics, therapy and drugs.
Then, my co-founder suggested that we should get into the animal husbandry domain because it’s a very neglected domain in India and it’s not as complicated as cancer biology. The idea was that any product which could be made for animals will also sell faster and in turn give us the money required to run our daily operations. However, there were still a lot of challenges- such as setting up a factory, looking for a place, apply for funding/loans from the government etc.
Eventually, we got a loan sanctioned from the bank and built a manufacturing unit. This was March 2020- and while we were all ready to start manufacturing, COVID struck the world. After the pandemic subsided, we did not operate for 3-4 months and suffered some losses.
Looking back, there were many difficulties that came our way but because we were passionate about doing something we went on facing everything with patience and that’s how the journey began. Now we will be entering our fifth year and we are growing as a company.
Can you tell us more about Occamy Biosciences?
Occamy was started with a vision that we are Scientist turned Entrepreneurs. So the idea was to start a company by scientists to come up with scientifically proven products. Our main forte is to come up with products by doing research on the science behind it, prove it within the Indian scenario and bring it to the end-users. If you look at the word ‘Occamy’ it is the name of a character from the series- Harry Potter Fantastic Beasts. Occamy is a peacock-like creature in the series which has all attributes that we would want to associate ourselves with- it is Indian by nature, very original and has the ability to change its size based on its surroundings. So the name resonates with us and our approach of running the company.
The first thing we made was protein supplements for animals. Because we realized that there are a lot of supplements that fulfill a human’s nutritional requirements but there are no such supplements available for animals. After doing some extensive research, we developed products, got them tested and started working with farmers. The first range of products we have created is for cattles – to improve animal productivity and the quality of milk.
Now, apart from animal related nutrition products, we are doing a lot of research to come up with products for humans as well.
Can you describe an incident from your workplace that is really close to you?
During the initial period when we were testing our products, we went to a farmer in Mumbai to give him a trial product to try it on his animal. His buffalo was giving really low milk and it was very old and hence no longer profitable to the farmer. So he was going to give it up for culling. We requested him to try our product for 4-5 days and that if there was no improvement, then he could go ahead with his initial decision. So he agreed and just in four days the health improved so much that the buffalo started giving milk better than what it was. After seeing the benefits of the feed on the animal, he decided to keep it for one more year. This incident made me realize that our work could benefit someone on such a grassroot level.
Another such incident was where there was one old cow which was just lying around, completely losing its hair and skin. With the incorporation of our feed, the health of that cow improved.
There were also some instances when we realized our products have helped improve the quality of milk, which is indirectly also improving human health. There are cases in which adulteration in milk is also causing cancer because milk is adulterated with the chemicals, that the animals are injected with. So somewhere we are trying to reduce these practices, reducing the instances of cancer and other diseases due to adulteration. If we see the impact it really gives us goosebumps and ensures that although it will take some time, we have to be on this path.
What were your thoughts staring out? Did you feel doubtful about entering into the journey of entrepreneurship?
I actually didn’t know that it was something unique. I did it because I liked doing it. In those times, I just followed my heart–something I always wanted to do. When it came to business, initially there were so many times that I really doubted myself. Because until and unless there is financial success you always doubt yourself. The career choices that we make are usually dictated by the money and the lifestyle we want to give to ourselves and our family. There were so many challenges that we faced especially during COVID when our funds were stranded. Meanwhile my friends were growing in their life, having good employment, job security. They were getting married, having children; everything was so wonderful for them. So when there is comparison there is always self doubt. But what worked in my favor is that I’m quite self motivated. More importantly, in my college days I came across practicing meditation. That was a very big support system for me, especially during the pandemic. It really helped me and was the reason that self doubt never really poisoned me. It takes patience and you have to be very persevering. But when you see people appreciating you, that gives you hope.
You have transitioned through different roles in your career. How did you acclimatise yourself through these transitions?
When I started the company I was very naive and I did not know how to behave like a cofounder or a director. I was just being myself. I had a natural inclination of being an entrepreneur. I think it came from my grandparents. Both my grandmothers are very enterprising. With whatever they did they had a business mindset. I think, I somewhere imbibed that mindset to sell – whether it is my art or anything else that I created,
I missed doing research a lot in the initial times when I was not in touch with the lab. I missed that environment of constantly being curious and patient, being okay when your results fail. But I believe that all the skills that are required to become an entrepreneur were developed during my training as a scientist. Becoming an entrepreneur is easy if you are a science student. I firmly believe that life in science teaches you everything you need to become an entrepreneur. So becoming one was easy. But it was in the last two years when I was exposed to other people, startups, and business, that is when I realized that there are certain skills I’m good at and certain skills that I need to really develop to be at par with everyone out there. So I started working on my own self as a cofounder, as an entrepreneur. Till then I was just going with the flow. I’ve taken a lot of effort to understand how business works, what entrepreneurship really is and what it means to be a woman in business. There are so many other things that came to me in the last few years through which the actual learning of being an entrepreneur happened. It was a time taking process but the transition happened gradually. You need to put a lot of effort on yourself to move through the transition.
What do you like the most about being an entrepreneur in your field? What keeps you motivated?
The best part about being an entrepreneur is having the independence to be your own boss. However, it’s a double-edged sword. You have to always keep yourself motivated and ensure that you are on the right track.
My personality is such that I cannot work under someone. I have my own ideas. I can incorporate suggestions but I have to ensure things are done in a particular way only. So with my nature, I realize that being an entrepreneur is the only way because entrepreneurship gives me the openness, and the freedom to be myself; to lead my own self as well as people who are working with me. That is what I love about entrepreneurship.
What motivates me is the fact that we are doing something for the environment, society, for everyone. By doing small things, albeit, over a longer period of time, we are able to create a larger impact on the society. Our work is to make high quality products and ensure that it reaches the farmers. What happens later due to this– the benefits for animals, farmers, society and environment, is the impact that we create. When we look at the benefits and the money we get by doing something that we feel good doing, we feel that we are on the right track.
This is what inspires me everyday–the fact that we are able to do something for our country and for the animals around us. So when we think of the larger picture, that’s motivating.
According to you, what can be done to encourage more women to take up entrepreneurship roles?
I had talked about this recently at the Indian Women’s Science Association-I would think about the changes in two ways: firstly in girls/women, and secondly in the surroundings. According to me the women need to change themselves in a manner that they become confident of who they are. Being confident does not mean being rude. It is about being compassionate yet being strong to fight for what you believe in. Women have to realize if they really are enterprising, which I think they are and they need to explore more.
When it comes to surroundings whether it is society, parents, circumstances, they should also be more open. What society can do is– make it easy for women. For example; you will not see women working in rural areas, because there are no washrooms, no hygienic toilets and no safety. So the surroundings need to change, become more open for women to travel and should be safe and hygienic so that women can explore different places and also get the job done.
Very often it’s also a taboo that women will not get proper marriage proposals if they are into business because no man wants a dominating wife. People should understand that we are not bossing around in our houses, we already are a boss in our office. We can differentiate our family life and our work life. The men should be more supportive; they should be open to doing household chores that would reduce the women’s workload.
So if a rise in entrepreneurship happens, it would be because there is change in the society and in women as well. Now we are in an era where a lot of women are turning towards entrepreneurship.
However, it is first essential to understand ourselves and ask ourselves- Is entrepreneurial approach really our way? Is it something that interests us? It is only when the path truly interests us, that one should become an entrepreneur, not just because everyone around us is becoming one. In a startup not everyone is a leader; you need followers, managers, and everyone in the team plays different roles. So we need to understand whether we are a leader, follower or manager. Some people have really good ideas and they know how to manage people and get the work done. Some of us are good followers; so if there is a command given, we can follow it excellently. Those people are also needed in the team. So let us be confident with who we are and love ourselves for being what we are. Then there will naturally be more startups, entrepreneurs whether it is women, men or anyone else.
Please tell us about your work as a meditation trainer at Heartfulness Institute. How has this practice helped you professionally and personally?
I was first introduced to meditation by a college teacher who I admired. During that time I did it for the sake of it. But then I came across the Heartfulness Institute for meditation. They did a session in our college after which my mom noticed a lot of change in me. Eventually, my mom got interested in it and I was also willing to give it a chance.
At Heartfulness Institute after the introduction of the practice, there are trainers who act like your buddies. You can ask them your doubts, and also meditate with them. My trainer, who was a laser scientist from Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC) was a very good inspiration for me. Seeing a scientist practicing meditation inspired me that in future if I want to be a successful scientist I also need to practice meditation. I started going to her and eventually my mom also joined. Slowly we both started seeing a lot of positive changes in us- our sleep cycles and our thought patterns improved. We got a lot of clarity about the work that we were doing. I had an opportunity to volunteer as a trainer in 2016, and that experience was also quite helpful.
I liked the Heartfulness way of meditation because it is based on a scientific approach. It is based on experience- one does it only if they find it useful after a first-hand experience. Because the approach was logical, I followed it. With all the difficulties I had in my career, I was able to make the right decision because of having clarity of thought due to meditation.
Apart from this, a lot of character-building also takes place due to meditation- so that even when things are turbulent around us, we can be at peace. When I started working and having employees, they liked my approach as a mentor-which made me realize that this indeed works! The courage that I have to start a company, the clarity and confidence, are qualities I never had in me before- Heartfulness brought these changes in me. I find myself to be a very evolved person then what I was in college. Meditation empowers me and that’s why I kept doing it.
What career advice would you like to give to students based on your experience?
Take your parents’ help while making decisions related to your career. If your parents are not equipped enough, then you can consult their friend circles, or anyone else that is relevant, but always keep talking to people who are in a domain of expertise that you want to go to. That will give you a lot of clarity.
Also, try to understand what it is that you really like to do; something that your heart desires. All of us have an inclination towards something– whether it is history, music or art. Identify what you love. Ask yourself what activities, topics or tasks make you lose track of time or bring you immense satisfaction. If you have found such a thing, that is something you would want to do as a career. For example, you can be a consultant if you’re good at advising. Find out what you’re good at, keep questioning your own ideas and interests, talk to your friends and discuss with them.
And more importantly it is okay if you are clueless. But if you are clueless and you have to make decisions at that moment, take broader decisions that will allow you to have multiple options in the future. Keep all options open until you realize what you like.
Start by exploring the world around you. By exposing yourself to a variety of experiences, people and ideas you increase the chances of discovering something that truly sparks your interest. Use the internet for the right reasons. Somewhere there will be something that interests you. You can explore it more and maybe then you’ll find your way!
