Grants4Apps Bayer Startup Program Shanghai 2017: Full Overview and Portfolio Insights

Influenced by the overarching policy of “Mass Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” a growing number of young Chinese professionals are joining the wave of innovation and entrepreneurship. In this context, pharmaceutical giant Bayer has fulfilled its social responsibility as a leader in health innovation by launching the “Bayer Start-up Program Shanghai” under its Grants4Apps initiative. This year’s event marks the second edition.

During the online launch event of “Bayer Grants4Apps Shanghai 2017,” held at 20:00 on July 13, 2017, VCBeat interviewed Mr. Lin Kai and Ms. Vivian from Bayer China, who were responsible for the project, providing a detailed interpretation of the initiative for Chinese health innovators closely following Grants4Apps.

Unlike last year, this year's project comprises two plans: namely, the original“Incubator Program”Its purpose is to identify the most promising Chinese startups for incubation and growth support, as well as newly launched“Dealmaker Program”Through this initiative, Bayer aims to identify industry partners to address 21 key pain points.

So, what was the original intention behind this project? What qualifications must selected companies meet? And how will this project empower health innovation enterprises in China? Let’s find out with Lin Kai, Strategy Director of Bayer China Innovation Projects, and Vivian, Shanghai Project Manager of Grants4Apps!

The Grants4Apps project, an open innovation initiative focused on the healthcare sector, originated in Berlin, Germany. It began its global rollout in 2016. As a key destination for this worldwide expansion, Shanghai saw Bayer China launch the project on February 22, 2016.Grants4Apps “Bayer Startup Program Shanghai”Therefore, this year’s event marks the second round of the “Bayer Grants4Apps Shanghai” initiative. Building on the original “Incubator Program,” this year’s projects have incorporated the “Dealmaker Program.”

Bayer Grants4Apps “Bayer Startup Program Shanghai 2017” is seeking novel software, hardware, technologies, or methodologies that can be applied to specific areas such as improving health outcomes or pharmaceutical processes, and invites you to submit innovative health projects.

We are looking for three such enterprises for “"Incubator Program"：

● Startups that provide digital health or biotech innovation solutions to improve healthcare and address challenges

● The product is relatively mature, with a prototype available for demonstration (submissions consisting solely of entrepreneurial concepts will not be considered).

● Early-stage startups (one year or less)

● The team must consist of at least three members

● Startups in Greater China (Chinese startups based overseas are also eligible to participate, provided that their core founding team members are stationed at the Bayer China Shanghai office for 88 days)

We are looking for such enterprises for“DealmakerPlan”：

● Mature innovative companies that have secured Series A or Series B financing

● Offered relatively strong and cutting-edge innovative solutions to Bayer’s 21 challenges

These 21 challenges mainly encompass seven major areas: (1) self-health management; (2) smart packaging; (3) environmental protection; (4) medication adherence; (6)Intelligent Process;(5) Patient Management; (7) Optimization of Medical Resources

(For specific challenge details, please click:www.grants4apps.com/shanghai）

"The Incubator Program" will provide innovative enterprises with:

(1) Coaches and mentors from Bayer China’s executive team

(2) Provide training related to startups, such as business model design, venture capital sharing, and digital marketing.

(3) 88 days at Bayer’s Lujiazui Campus, featuring innovative, comfortable, and inspiring workspaces

(4) Opportunities for engagement with government agencies, Bayer partners, investors, media, and other stakeholders

(5) Subsidy of RMB 30,000

(6) Monthly roadshows and the final Demo Day, along with various opportunities to meet with investors

The Dealmaker program will provide mature startups capable of addressing Bayer’s 21 business challenges with:An opportunity to work closely with Bayer.

Grants4Apps “Bayer Startup Program Shanghai” hasApplications Open on July 3Among them,“The Incubator Program” willApplication Deadline: August 4，“The Dealmaker Program” will beDeadline: August 11Application. You still have approximately 3-4 weeks to apply. 

This initiative is part of Bayer’s Open Innovation program. By launching this campaign, Bayer positions itself at the forefront to gain insights into developments in the digital health landscape. Bringing startups into our work environment introduces a refreshing “change” to our corporate culture, with no strings attached. If any startup offers solutions that complement Bayer’s product portfolio, that would be highly beneficial; if not, that is perfectly acceptable as well.

It should also be noted that the “Incubator Program” does not expect participants to generate any value or short-term benefits for Bayer; rather, its sole purpose is to provide services to innovators by leveraging Bayer’s existing industry resources and professional networks. During the project implementation period,All intellectual property rights developed by the startup shall belong to the startup. Bayer shall not claim any credit, derive any benefit therefrom, or hold any equity interest. 

Applications can be submitted via the official website of this project. Application portal:www.grants4apps.com/shanghai

Scan the QR code to go directly to the registration page

(Please indicate during registration that you saw the event information on VCBeat~) 

1. What is the relationship between these two plans? How do they differ?

First, these two programs target innovative companies at different stages: the “Incubator Program” primarily focuses on early-stage startups, while the “Dealmaker Program” is more inclined toward identifying innovative enterprises that have already secured Series A or B funding, or are even more mature.

Furthermore, the platform for the “Incubator Program” is open; regardless of your entrepreneurial ideas in the health sector, you are welcome to participate. In contrast, for the “Dealmaker Program,” we place greater emphasis on addressing specific problems and challenges. That is to say, the “Dealmaker Program” prioritizes enterprises capable of directly tackling the 21 challenges outlined by Bayer. Of course, these 21 challenges are not intended to constrain your thinking. They merely provide a contextual framework. Please do not overanalyze the intent behind the formulation of these challenges. If you have alternative solutions related to these challenges, we encourage you to share them with us for consideration.We also look forward to the surprises that other projects may bring us.

Finally, the support provided to the winners differs. The three innovative companies selected for the “Incubator Program” receive support through collaborative work within Bayer’s offices alongside our employees, senior experts, and external partners. In contrast, the winners of the “Dealmaker Program” engage directly with our business leaders and division heads to negotiate potential collaboration opportunities.

2. Will Bayer arrange roadshows and facilitate investor matchmaking for companies selected into the “Incubator Program”?

This is guaranteed. We will conduct a series of roadshows, initiating preliminary engagement with you from the very beginning when founders join the program. In addition to a large-scale Demo Day at the conclusion of the program, we will organize monthly roadshows throughout the duration, introducing these startups to relevant investors.

3. What are the specific details and current status of the three companies selected in last year’s event?

Last year, the first selected startup, “Ruijia,” is a medical imaging processing company based in Wuhan. Its team members all come from the PETLab at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, possessing extensive software engineering experience and a background in interdisciplinary collaboration between medicine and engineering. Ruijia’s primary focus is on medical image processing platforms; it has built a SaaS-based medical image processing platform that provides services to doctors and hospitals requiring image analysis. At the time of selection, it was merely a three-person founding team composed of recent graduates. Within two weeks after completing our 88-day incubation and training program, the company secured seed-round investment. Its team has now grown to nine members.

The second startup is “Huasheng Mi,” which developed an ultra-thin (flexible) wearable device. This device is currently capable of monitoring key health metrics, including body temperature, and can be integrated into close-fitting clothing, making it suitable for infants and young children, women, as well as bedridden elderly individuals and patients. After they completed our program, we introduced them to the Dubai 100 Training Camp incubator program. Following this initiative, they secured a substantial amount of seed funding.

The third startup, “Wubei,” offers a product that leverages smart devices to monitor and improve patient medication adherence accurately and at low cost. By integrating extensive market research, patient behavior studies, modern technology, and product design, it successfully combines hardware and software to provide a comprehensive solution for medication adherence challenges. The product consists of three components: a hospital-side medication dispensing system, a portable patient pillbox, and a mobile app, thereby delivering end-to-end medication management services from hospital to home. The company has already partnered with pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacies and has launched commercial sales.

4. Are there any win-win case studies for Bayer's plans?

The three companies selected last year have all performed well subsequently, continuing their entrepreneurial journeys without immediate opportunities for collaboration with Bayer. However, in its Berlin program, Bayer has maintained ongoing partnerships with numerous startups. For instance, a clinical trial-focused startup from the 2015 Berlin cohort demonstrated strong alignment with Bayer and successfully established a partnership.

5. If selected, is it mandatory to relocate to Shanghai?

For the “Incubator Program,” participation is mandatory. Selected companies must dispatch a team of at least three and no more than five members to Bayer China’s Shanghai office for an 88-day incubation training program.

For the “Dealmaker Program,” the answer is complete flexibility. When face-to-face negotiations are required, our meetings can take place at any of Bayer’s offices worldwide.

6. RegistrationIs there a fee?What are the precautions?

Registration is free. Please note: Ensure the accuracy of your contact information, such as phone number and email address, to avoid any impact on subsequent communication between both parties.

Want to see more exciting Q&A sessions? Click the link now to watch the replay of the Grants4Apps “Bayer G4A Shanghai 2017” online launch event:

https://m.qlchat.com/topic/details?topicId=230000505078948