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·  Avendus Future Leaders Fund III leads Rs 300 Cr ($36M) investment in Aragen Life Sciences with SBI Life.

·  Aragen offers end-to-end CRDMO services from drug discovery to commercial manufacturing for small molecules and biologics.

·  Funding to broaden shareholder base and strengthen position with global pharma innovators.

Avendus Future Leaders Fund III, Avendus Group's private strategies flagship, has spearheaded a Rs 300 crore ($36 million) investment in Aragen Life Sciences, India's largest contract research, development, and manufacturing organisation (CRDMOs). The transaction, done in collaboration with SBI Life Insurance, is for taking a minority stake.

This is the second investment made by the third vintage of the fund, following its previous funding of La Renon Healthcare in 2025. The size of Avendus' holding is not revealed.

Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Hyderabad, Aragen offers end-to-end services for innovative pharmaceuticals spanning early-stage discovery to commercial manufacturing for both small molecules and biologics. Under CEO Manni Kantipudi, the company has significantly invested in advanced technology platforms, along with digital and AI capabilities, to power global drug discovery and development.

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 Avendus Future Leaders Fund managing partner Ritesh Chandra said,

Our investment in Aragen is an indication of our firm conviction in the growth of India's CRDMO industry, As more global pharma companies outsource drug research to India, Aragen will be able to ride this wave.

Aragen's current investors include Goldman Sachs and healthcare investor Quadria Capital. The firm stated that the new funding will widen its shareholder base and strengthen its position as a credible partner to international pharma innovators.

"We are thrilled to have Avendus and SBI Life Insurance join us as long-term shareholders," Kantipudi said. "Their investment will enable us to speed up our mission in the CRDMO sector for innovative drugs."

Avendus Future Leaders Fund has over Rs 3,750 crore worth of funds under its management and invests in late-stage market leaders from various sectors. Its portfolio comprises the likes of Lenskart, Sagility, SBI General Insurance, Licious, Juspay, Zeta, Indegene, Veritas Finance, FirstCry, and Avanse Financial Services. Its recent exits have been the sale of its holdings in Juspay Technologies in May 2025. In February 2025, the fund also picked up a minority stake in Ahmedabad-based La Renon Healthcare for Rs 160 crore.