WAAH Accelerator Programme
The WAAH Accelerator (www.waahaccelerator.org) will emphasize on co-creation and co-development of new technologies in water, agriculture, animal and human health to address challenges in One Health. It is a new bilateral collaboration to leverage advances in therapeutics, diagnostics, vaccines, digital health and devices. The current partners of the WAAH Accelerator include the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Platforms (C-CAMP) Bangalore, India, The Netherlands Antibiotic Development Platform (NADP) and AMR-Global from the Netherlands. The formal launch of the initiative took place December 2022, at the official residence of the Netherlands’ Ambassador to India [see articles: 1, 2].
Mission
Creating an Indian-Dutch Accelerator for One Health innovations in India and the Netherlands, to pursue optimal health outcomes recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
Vision
A world where we improve the lives of all species - human and animal - through the integration of human medicine, veterinary medicine, and environmental science. We start by strengthening the scientific, technological, and innovation leadership position of both the Netherlands and India in order to address key challenges in One Health.
Innovation Challenge
On yearly basis, an 'Innovation Challenge' will be launched and a call for applications announced. Innovators can apply and after evaluation (based on criteria such as scientific strength, team/partnerships, commercialization potential, value proposition and go-to-market strategy, scalability, and sustainability) top applicants will be selected and invited for the WAAH Accelerator programme.
Activities
- Mentoring sessions by anchor advisors and domain mentors;
- Domain-specific mentorship e.g. intellectual property, regulatory, quality systems, HR;
- Workshops / webinars / seminars / mentoring;
- Networking events / matchmaking sessions;
- Fund raising support.
Timelines
2023 will be the pilot phase. The accelerator concept will be established, expanded with additional partners, and with seed funding and a first pilot start. In 2024 the programme is expected to be in full swing, with a the selection for the first participants and expansion of the funding base. From 2024 onward new yearly rounds are being organised.
Envisioned outcomes in 3 years
- Innovations delivered for both countries: Delivering >25 innovations to enable both countries in their fight against AMR, and with a large societal, environmental, and economical impact potential;
- Long-term Innovation Platform: Build a long-term bilateral One Health, AMR innovation bridge between India and Netherlands
- Impact delivered: Delivering science/innovation based long-term innovations and impact for Environment, Agriculture, Animal and Human Health.
Interested to invest in the WAAH Accelerator Programme?
The WAAH Accelerator (www.waahaccelerator.org) will leverage existing Indo-Dutch networks within businesses, governments, academics, and investors as an early stepping stone toward each other’s health systems and swiftly develop soft landing spaces. It is open to partners from the industry and institutions that link their respective value chains from the Biotech, AgriTech, HealthTech and CleanTech industries. As we gear to initiate the Pilot phase this year, we request your participation and support.
In the pilot phase of the WAAH Accelerator this year, we are requesting investment and partnerships from Indian and Dutch entities. The investments will be utilized to operate the Water, Environment, Agri, Animal and Human Health focused accelerator, and, to establish and implement an innovative pilot program for novel solutions in the One Heath domain for India, the Netherlands, and beyond. From the second year onwards, we aim to expand the scope of the accelerator to support and integrate more innovations, across wider geographies within the two countries.
Investment need
- Ideal investor profile: Initial financing for seed investment from both angel as well as professional investors, with priority return on their investments.
- Required investments: Total capital need 2023: 300k EUR (seed),
- Ticket size: Minimal investment in this round is 100K EUR (equity)
- Investment horizon: 5-7 years
Our value proposition
- Anticipated success rate ~25% on all the investments, (strong experience of the consortium partner in company scouting, specific focus on incubation and mentoring towards One Health);
- Investors contribute to important societal challenge in addition to an honest financial return (Potential ROI 2 x - 3 x);
- We anticipate finding multiple subsidies, sponsorship and supplementary revenues that cover much of the operating costs of the Accelerator;
- Moreover, our strong focus on scouting companies with an experienced and trustworthy management, fundraising experience and a solid business plan will ensure success.
