A global award, a UN case study, presence in 8 Indian metros, 4 countries, 15 million plastic bags saved and speed tracked for foreign government collaboration. What makes the AIC-IIITH incubated startup BioReform, a great newsmaker is that it was also founded by a 21-year-old entrepreneur, with a fisheye lens of the world.

BioReform, a rising star on the sustainability landscape, is making your life and mine, more mindfully impactful. The Greeny bag is a fully biodegradable alternative to the bane of modern civilization – the ubiquitous plastic bag. Manufactured from plant-based raw materials like corn starch and biopolymers, it will decompose naturally within months, assures startup founder Mohammed Azhar Mohiuddin, a young engineer from Hyderabad.

“When BioReform came second among 300 startups from 40 countries at the international competition in Saudi Arabia, under the aegis of the Ministry of Haj and Umra, it was a proud moment for me.  We were creating environmental impact and it was a cultural representation of how open we are in India”.

AIC IIIT-Hyderabad’s Midas Touch
BioReform was part of the second cohort of Atal Incubation Centre – IIIT Hyderabad in 2024. The eight-month accelerator program included monthly boot camps and workshops led by experts in business development, sales, finance, customer connect and GTM strategies, explains Ravi Sarkunan, CEO of AIC-IIITH.

Rinkesh Dharod elaborates, “The BioReform team comprising Founder Azhar and CMO Rehan came to us in May 2024. Being a young team, they were very responsive, especially on discussions around economics of scale and expansion possibilities in B2B (Sattva City) and B2C markets”. The startup received milestone-based seed grant in two tranches through the EPAM Social Impact Innovation Program (ESIIP) that focuses on India’s sustainable development goals.

The agglomeration of  IIIT Hyderabad’s cluster of  research centers, its prime location in the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), Products Labs and resources like co-working spaces, has network and multiplier effects for early stage startups. Success stories to emerge from AIC-IIITH include Muddle Art, a pre-consumer textile waste recycler, The Rainwater Project that spearheads the transformation of decrepit stepwells into thriving water reservoirs, Verdant Impact that creates data-driven solutions for dairy farmers facing challenges related to animal health monitoring, breeding efficiency, and farm productivity, Phool.co that upcycles floral waste into charcoal-free incense cones, and Ecowrap, a tech-driven waste management company, among others.

Entrepreneur and social impact activist rolled into one
“I was always passionate and chulbula with an entrepreneurial streak”, shares Azhar whose childhood was an eventful series of side hustles. Whether investing pocket money in products to sell to schoolmates, or selling life insurance in his mother’s name, the teenager always had a scheme up his sleeve. The pandemic lockdown changed his world view, allowing him the time and space to rethink his goals. “I realized that more than quick money hacks, I need to solve real-world problems and build business to create impact”.

Three foundational insights recalibrated his trajectory.First was the realization that among the top ten global issues, plastic topped the list, putting human, animal and marine life at risk. “Secondly, I was fully convinced that it was a worthy cause when I came across our Prime Minister Modi’s October 2019 speech, where he envisioned a single-use plastic-free India by 2030”.  

Deep-diving into the problem, Azhar concluded that while UN policies, global awareness campaigns, and government bans were good, enforcing it needed an impactful and viable alternative. Paper and cloth had limited range. 

BioReform is born
During his exploration, Azhar came across early biopolymer research on open-source platforms that became the bedrock of his product. “Of the ten available materials, I formulated my own proprietary product, using cornstarch and four types of biopolymers that decompose within 180 days”.

The idea, born in October 2021, during his B.E second year was selected by EdVenture Park, a student-focused idea-stage startup incubator. “Within eight months, we were able to raise the pre-seed round from the incubator itself. On 12th January 2022, our manufacturing unit in Jeedimetla industrial area was inaugurated”.

“Among the ten incubation centers and accelerators that we participated in, what makes the AIC-IIITH cohort stand out for us is the grant that helped us build something tangible. The finance session, the networking and the climate sustainability mixer were extraordinary”, recalls Azhar.

College. Factory. Deliveries. Repeat
“No matter how great the technology is, a startup founder will not be able to build a great product, if we do not have the initial believers” observes Azhar, narrating his first customer encounter with Mr. Faddy. Ruing the high price of sustainability, the client related how a 15-rupee paper bag had cost him a 300-rupee refund claim; since paper bags get damaged by water droplets, even though the food inside is safe.

“I instantly offered him an environmentally-friendly sustainability solution and whipped out our sample bag.  Initially hesitant, he asked the question that I often encounter. “You look very young. Yeh company aap ka hai, ya daddy ka hai!”

Azhar’s passion clinched his first deal; a small order to test the waters, that he messed up three times. He chuckles, “First it was a printing customization issue, then problems with the handles and sealing quality. The fourth run turned out perfect and we received our first big order”.

Ironing out the kinks, tweaking formulations and machinery calibration took three weeks. “My initial schedule was packed. College till 4pm, followed by market visits till 8 pm and sometimes all-nighters at the factory to execute the orders that were delivered the next morning before heading to college. Working with one laborer to unload material and load deliveries taught me the ergonomics of stacking”.  

Today, the Bio Reform manufacturing facility at Jeedimetla is equipped with five machines and in-house printing, run by a team of eleven who share his vision. “From our corporate office in Masab Tank, CMO Rehanuddin makes my vision happen, practically every day. Our 300 strong B2B and B2C customer base is spread across eight metros and four countries, including Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and London, UK”, notes Azhar who is very chuffed that he received his state and central level certifications ethically and with honesty! 

The company’s bio-degradable product range is designed for the special needs of sectors like retail, hospitality, logistics and for large-scale environments like pilgrimage ecosystems (Haj). The range includes compostable carry bags, food grade pouches, garbage bags for industrial, domestic and commercial categories, pet waste and bio medical waste bags for hospitals.

Awards and setting sights on the horizon
A top favorite at international startup and sustainability programmes, BioReform has racked up multiple awards and seed grants in its two-and-a-half-year trajectory, featuring in the Maharashtra Startup Week 2025, Kotak Bizlabs, T-Hub in 2025, Impact Lab by the Lufthansa Group and Top 40 in the Zomato Sustainability Expo: Packathon 2025. As a case study under PLEASE Project with World Bank and UNOPS, the company is creating sustainable alternatives for the plastic problems of island nations like Maldives, backed by Climate Collective Foundation, an accelerator for environment-friendly startups.

Marhaba! Ras Al Khaimah
The recent Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between UAE and India was an opportunity to scale for international expansion. When UAE uploaded an application link for startups, 10,000 applications were received in a single day. Several elimination rounds later, BioReform emerged as the only Student founders to make it to the Top Five. In January this year, the UAE government initiated discussions to set up a manufacturing facility in Ras Al Khaimah. “After a seven-day exploration hosted by the UAE, and meetings with stakeholders and officials, we are at the stage of company incorporation now” he reports.

“We started with absolutely zero in college and today we are at roughly 8 figures in revenue and have replaced 15 million+ single-use plastics. While revenue is a key metric, our internal KPI is to measure our impact in plastic bags replaced”.

Diversify. Dairy and seeding better ideas
“I am not an innovator,” he freely admits. “I am an entrepreneur with the risk appetite to bring social impact solutions into the market”.

BioReform developed one of India’s earliest eco-friendly food-grade milk packaging for a leading supplier of A2 organic milk in Hyderabad. “For a multinational seed technology and life sciences company that sought ESG compliance, we developed India’s first non-adhesive barricading tapes, tested across climate geographies like Rajasthan, Kerala, and Delhi. We are looking into flexible packaging as a sustainable alternative for disposable food containers. For the medical industry, we are trying to build biomedical packaging for glucose bottles, injections and urinary bags using biopolymer engineered materials”.

Azhar believes that, the journey from zero to one is completely founder-led.  But to go from one to ten, you need a team that believes in the bigger vision that a founder carries. “I am lucky to have this team who believes in the vision as if they were founders of this company, which is very rare to find”.