Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw founded the Indian biotechnology company Biocon in 1978.
Mazumdar-Shaw started Biocon in her garage in Bengaluru, then known as Bangalore, with a rented shed and a small number of employees. The company initially produced industrial enzymes, including enzymes used in brewing and food processing, before expanding into pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceutical research.
Biocon became one of India’s best-known biotechnology companies. Its work has included insulin, biosimilars, diabetes treatments, and cancer therapies. Biocon Biologics, a subsidiary, focuses on developing and manufacturing biosimilar medicines.
The company is often confused with Indian pharmaceutical firms such as Cipla and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories. Those companies were established earlier and developed different business histories; Biocon’s distinctive origin was as a biotechnology venture founded by Mazumdar-Shaw in 1978.