New Delhi, May 26 -- Smile Group, a technology investor and operator, has appointed Gagandeep Singh Bedi, former managing director at AstraZeneca Pharma India, as managing partner to lead its new healthtech venture studio.
Bedi has nearly 25 years of experience in the healthcare domain. He has been associated with companies such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Baxter, and Eli Lilly in the past. He helped these firms build teams as well as shape market strategies across India, Africa, and global markets.
At AstraZeneca India, he led the company's turnaround, tripling its market capitalisation to $1 billion while contributing to India's COVID-19 vaccine response. He has also actively engaged with India's startup ecosystem through the India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre to accelerate tech adoption in clinics, Smile Group said in a statement.
"With AI in healthcare becoming a $50 billion opportunity across APAC, and India's market growing at 42% annually, the pace of change in healthtech is phenomenal.his (Bedi's) rare combination of corporate leadership and deep engagement with the startup ecosystem makes him the ideal person to work with our founders and lead this initiative," said Harish Bahl, founder and chief executive officer of Smile Group.
Smile Group, headquartered in Singapore and rooted in New Delhi, is a tech investor and operator focused on scaling ventures in high-growth markets. It primarily builds, scales, and exits technology ventures.
The group has incubated and launched several ventures, including Zupee, India's largest real-money gaming company; SingleInterface, a SaaS platform; and Tyroo, a media SaaS venture. It has also backed firms such as Airbnb, SpaceX, Animoca Brands, and Hive.
The company has sold two of its ventures; Quasar Media was acquired by WPP Digital in 2007, and SVG Media was acquired by Dentsu Aegis. It also operates a marketplace wherein it helps brands establish themselves in key markets. It says it has played a hands-on role in the Asia expansion for global brands such as Airbnb, Yahoo, and Ogilvy.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from VC Circle.