Abstract

Biocon India (Biocon), the number one biotech company in Asia in terms of revenues and market capitalization, was founded in the backyard of a suburban house in Bangalore in 1978 as a small operation of enzyme extraction. The woman behind Biocon - Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (Kiran) who dreamt of starting her own business with just Rs. 10,000 in hand and a degree in brewery - is now the richest woman in India. The case study describes how Kiran recognized the future potential of biotechnology industry when not many people in India knew about it. It describes in detail the challenges faced by Kiran in terms of gathering resources when she launched her biotech start-up. It discusses how Kiran’s firm determination and belief in herself helped in overcoming the various challenges she faced. The case then exa-mines how Kiran exploited the opportunities in the fast growing biotech industry in India and the major steps she took to grow Biocon’s business. The entrepreneur-ship and leadership skills of Kiran are also discussed. Overall, the case focuses on ‘opportunity recognition and exploitation processes,’ and ‘managing start-up and growth,’ while highlighting the role and importance of women entrepreneurs and the problems they face when doing business in India.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Role of an entrepreneur in creating a start-up.

Keywords

Case, Biocon India, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Woman Entrepreneurs in India, Businesswoman of the Year 2004, Opportunity Recognition, Managing Start-up and Growth, Exploitation Process, Glass Ceiling, G Scale, Leadership Vision, HR Practices and Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives