Arvind Gupta was going to participate in Startup Iceland 2016, but due to scheduling conflicts he could not make it. He is definitely participating in Startup Iceland this year. Arvind is a powerhouse when it comes to Biotechnology investments. Arvind is a general partner with SOS Ventures and the man behind IndieBIO accelerator, the world’s first Synthetic Biology accelerator – devoted to funding and building startups dedicated toward solving humanity’s most pressing problems with Life itself.

I am so fortunate to have connected with Arvind, thank you Om Malik. Remind me to tell you the story of how I got connected with Om and how that led to my connection to Arvind. I am super excited to have him participate in Startup Iceland. This year’s theme for Startup Iceland is Personal Data, Health, Wellness and Technology, there is no-one more in the centre of that topic than Arvind. Arvind has been a prolific investor in the space of biology and technology. According to Crunchbase, he has done 76 investment in 63 companies. Arvind is connected to Iceland and he travels to Iceland frequently and trains in Mjölnir MMA. He is into Brazilian Jujitsu, and I am getting more and more intrigued at trying this martial art form. Maybe one of these days I will take the plunge.

I was so inspired and hopeful for the future of our health and wellness after watch the Demo Day this year of the IndieBIO accelerator. Here is a recording of the demo day. Watch the truly ground breaking startups that are transforming what we know about biology and medicine using technology.

Here is a brief bio of Arvind:

With over a decade of experience, Arvind excels at empowering startups and Fortune 50 companies to launch new tech products. Arvind is the man behind the LEAP and IndieBio accelerator programs, imbuing them with deep expertise in purpose-driven design. A former equity options Market Maker, TEDx speaker, author, and winner of numerous international design awards, Arvind is passionate about investing in and mentoring hardware and software startups in the Bay Area and China.

Arvind holds a degree in Genetic Engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a Master’s Degree in Industrial Design from San Francisco State University. He also counts BASE jumping among his many hobbies.