Cancer biology.
Machine learning. One team.
Ten people working on blood biomarkers, specialist models, and the studies needed to evaluate them. Based in Pune. Building for earlier cancer detection.
Meet the founders
Personal.
Then scientific.
After losing her father to lung disease, Manasi began asking what better detection could make possible.
That question led to BioMarkIQ. With Snahlata’s background in cancer biology and Atharva’s work in technology, the team began connecting biological signals with machine learning.
Read Manasi’s story in Rediff (opens in a new tab)Three ways of thinking.
The same direction.
Structural biology. Cancer biology. Technology and product. Each brings a different part of the answer.
01 / Structural biologyManasi Khasnis
Co-founder & CEO
02 / Cancer biologySnahlata Singh
Co-founder & CSO
03 / Technology & productAtharva Joshi
Co-founder & CTPOThe people moving
the work forward.
From reading the literature to running the experiment. From a measurement to a model.
Jahnavi Kulkarni
Principal Biomarker Scientist
Kalyani Gore
Associate Biomarker Scientist
Kamal Biswas
Senior Biomarker Scientist
Kuldeepkumar Singh
Associate Biomarker Scientist
Sayali Marathe
Founders’ Office
Shashwati Pani
Research and Operations Associate
Vaishnavi Pande
Research and Operations AssociateCareful work.
Every day.
Panels are built at the bench in Pune: samples prepared, runs reviewed, every step written down.
From a question
to a clinical study.
Since we registered in Pune in March 2023, the work has moved from incubators and pitch stages to a test licence and ethics clearances at three cancer hospitals. Here is the record, newest first.
- Awards, grants and programmes
- 16
- Regulatory and clinical steps
- 2
- Milestones since March 2023
- 24
Milestones in 2026
6 milestones
Investment from Anand Deshpande and Sonali Anand Deshpande
Anand Deshpande and Sonali Anand Deshpande invested in BioMarkIQ through convertible notes.
Featured in Change Makers (LinkedIn post, opens in a new tab)
The Ministry of Education’s Innovation Cell featured BioMarkIQ in its Change Makers video series.
An NBEC 2026 investment opportunity (LinkedIn post, opens in a new tab)
At C-CAMP’s ninth National Bio Entrepreneurship Competition, BioMarkIQ won an investment opportunity from Indian Healthcare Angels.
Ethics clearance for a multicentric study (LinkedIn post, opens in a new tab)
Ethics committees at three Tata Memorial Centre hospitals, in Mumbai, Varanasi and Sangrur, cleared our VarSee diagnostic accuracy study, planned for about 1,000 participants.
MD-13 licence for test and evaluation (LinkedIn post, opens in a new tab)
CDSCO granted an MD-13 licence to manufacture VarSee Lung for test and evaluation, with the work planned alongside Dr Ashish Dhande of Dhande Path Labs.
World Cancer Day, by our team (LinkedIn post, opens in a new tab)
Eight team members made a carousel for #UnitedByUnique about care that listens, family strength, and seeking help early.
Milestones in 2025
6 milestones
Indus CSR project delivered (LinkedIn post, opens in a new tab)
We completed the VarSee Data Collection Application, built with an Indus Biotech CSR grant awarded in January 2025 and Venture Center’s guidance.
NIDHI-SSS seed support (source, opens in a new tab)
Seed support under the Department of Science and Technology’s NIDHI Seed Support System, through Science and Technology Park, Pune.
BFI-SAMARTH grant with Tata Memorial Hospital
Blockchain for Impact’s SAMARTH grant supports our translational cancer research with Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.
Second place, The Health Pitch ’25
We placed second at The Health Pitch ’25 as part of the MUHS DISHA cohort at the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik.
Top 100, Maharashtra Startup Week 2025
The Maharashtra State Innovation Society recognised BioMarkIQ among the Top 100 startups of Maharashtra Startup Week 2025.
EvolutioNari grant
One of 13 women-led startups awarded EvolutioNari 2024–25 grants by AIC-Pinnacle and HPCL’s Udgam initiative.
Milestones in 2024
7 milestones
Annual Year End Review in Lung Cancer
Snahlata Singh presented “Detecting Lung Cancer Early: VarSee Lung’s Biomarker-Based Approach” at the eighth Annual Year End Review in Lung Cancer, 21 December 2024.
Top six, TiE Women Global Pitch
We pitched VarSee at TiE Global Summit 2024 in Bengaluru as one of the top six startups in the TiE Women Global Pitch Competition.
Third place, Sandeep Nailwal Startup Pitch
Third place in the Sandeep Nailwal Startup Pitch Competition at Global Bio India 2024, New Delhi.
Winner, TiE Women Pitch, Pune chapter
We won the Pune chapter of TiE Women’s pitch competition, a year after placing second runner-up.
BFI-Biome Fellowship (source, opens in a new tab)
Blockchain for Impact selected Snahlata Singh and BioMarkIQ for its BFI-Biome Fellowship.
TiE Pune Nurture Accelerator
Manasi and Snahlata at the graduation ceremony of TiE Pune’s equity-free Nurture Accelerator.
Award of Excellence, Aegis Graham Bell Awards
VarSee: Discover Early was a finalist in the Innovative Diagnostics Solution category at the 14th Aegis Graham Bell Awards.
Milestones in 2023
5 milestones
Startup India Seed Fund
Support from the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, a Government of India fund for early-stage startups.
NIDHI-PRAYAS grant
Support from NIDHI-PRAYAS, the Department of Science and Technology’s programme that helps innovators turn an idea into a working prototype.
Second runner-up, TiE Women Pitch, Pune chapter
We placed second runner-up in the 2023 Pune chapter round of TiE Women’s pitch competition.
Indian Cancer Congress 2023
We spoke at the Indian Cancer Congress 2023 in Mumbai.
BioMarkIQ begins
Manasi, Snahlata and Atharva registered BioMarkIQ Scientific Technologies in Pune to find cancer’s signals earlier.
Backing the work.
From the beginning.
From a research idea to a growing company. These programmes have supported BioMarkIQ along the way.
Receiving DST NIDHI support. 
Prototype grant + seed supportDST NIDHI
NIDHI PRAYAS supported turning a research idea into a working prototype; the NIDHI Seed Support System backed the early company.
Welcomed by AIC SEED under the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme. 
Debt + grantStartup India
Early backing through both debt and grant funding.
About the programme : Startup India (opens in a new tab)
On stage with Blockchain for Impact at the i3 Summit. 
Research grantBFI-BIOME SAMARTH
Support for Advancement in Medical and Applied Research for Transformative Healthcare.
About the programme : BFI-BIOME SAMARTH (opens in a new tab)
Work with the team
building VarSee.
We welcome research groups, laboratories, commercial partners, and investors working to make earlier cancer detection possible.
