VYOME
Founders: N. Venkat & Dr. Shiladitya Sengupta
Headquarters: Delhi, India
Year Founded: 2010
Year Romulus Invested: 2016
Vyome is an innovative Indian company that is developing novel drugs for antibiotic-resistant acne and other opportunist pathogens. Its lead program, VB 1953, targets antibiotic-resistant acne with a topically-administered gel.
The Vyome-Romulus story:
Shiladitya was a postdoctoral student at MIT when Krishna was an undergrad there; they met through the Indian community and discussed some of Shiladitya’s earlier startups before Vyome. Vyome is another example of a company that demonstrates our our interest in the intersection of medical needs and cosmetic wants. It is Romulus’ first portfolio company in India, where we believe there is great potential for home-grown innovation. “Vyome’s office is in a part of Delhi I’ve visited more than 20 times since a child,” notes Krishna. “It is indicative of India’s rapid development that the area previously known for its large dairy operation now has an industrial park that houses cutting-edge research startups. In hindsight, it was audacious of us to partner with Vyome—we invested in Indian rupees, for example—but the company excites us along multiple facets.” Krishna has been working with the company and our board representative (Chris Garabedian) as Vyome prepares for Phase II trials.
Romulus value in action: Engineering. Vyome has tactically constructed a platform targeting dermatological use cases where antibiotic resistance is becoming a major problem. Its clever approach to solving a clear unmet need in the market reflects how thoughtfully the company itself has been built over the years, from its humble beginnings in a small part of Delhi to its successful fundraise from Romulus and one of the best biotech hedge funds (Perceptive).