LVPEI BioNEST StartUp Challenge 2026 organized in Hyderabad

What does the future of eye care look like? Is it AI-powered diagnostic tools capable of early detection? Or maybe systems that make treatment safer and accessible? Perhaps it’s still an idea, waiting to grow in the right ecosystem?

With this in mind, the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI) BioNEST Incubator organized the third edition of the LVPEI BioNEST StartUp Challenge, in collaboration with the All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) on May 29 – 30, 2026 across its two campuses in Hyderabad— Kismatpur and Banjara Hills. The two-day program focused on identifying and supporting breakthrough innovations in the field of eye care.

The program brought together approximately 120 participants, including innovators, startups, clinicians, researchers, mentors, investors, industry leaders, and other key stakeholders. The aim was to exchange ideas, share perspectives and drive meaningful change in the field of eye care by exploring solutions to real-world healthcare challenges. With support from over 10 industry partners, the event demonstrated the importance of collaboration in driving innovation-led healthcare solutions.

The program kicked off at LVPEI’s Gullapalli Pratibha Rao International Centre for Advancement of Rural Eye Care (GPR ICARE) Campus in Kismatpur, Hyderabad, where participants took part in an innovation bootcamp designed to explore what it really takes to build a healthcare venture. Through discussions with experts spanning clinical, business, intellectual property, regulatory, and investment disciplines, participants gained a closer understanding of the journey from idea to impact.

The second day, hosted at the Kallam Anji Reddy (KAR) Campus in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, shifted towards execution. Startups and Hackathon participants presented their ideas before a jury of clinical experts, industry leaders, and investors, with each solution assessed not only for their technical innovation, but also for scalability, clinical relevance, and their commercial potential.

Leading voices from the startup ecosystem, namely, Mr Satya Prakash Das, CEO, IKP Knowledge Park, and Mr G V Keshav Reddy, Board Member, Reddy Ventures, also shared their insights on innovations, entrepreneurship, investment, and scaling healthcare technologies.

Among the innovators recognized this year were ideas with strong potential to shape the future of healthcare and ophthalmology.

Achievements:
StartUp
Winner: Yolia Health by Mr Alberto Osio
Runner-Up: SMART-LIFE Drape by Dr Tanvi Sharma & Dr Gowtham Kim
Second Runner-Up: SCULPT-Eye by Dr Nishwath & Dr Priyanka

Hackathon
Winner: Dr Jitendra Jethani, Baroda Children Eyecare & Squint Clinic
Runner-Up: Dr Chetan N Murthy, Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research
Second Runner-Up: Dr Ankit Gupta, Navjyoti Netralaya