VMPL
New Delhi [India], June 3: India's impressive GDP growth rate has solidified its position as the world's fastest-growing large economy. The journey toward developed nation status is propelled by rapid technological advancements, enhanced infrastructure, and a robust startup ecosystem, setting the stage for transformative economic progress.
The "Crafting Bharat - Season 2", powered by AWS Startups, an initiative by NewsReach, in association with VCCircle, and production partner - HT Smartcast, explores how startups are harnessing the power of the cloud to accelerate growth, optimise operations, and build solutions that will define the India of Tomorrow. This series is hosted by Gautam Srinivasan, famed for hosting a diverse range of TV and digital programs, currently consulting editor at CNBC (India), CNN-News18, Forbes India, and The Economic Times.
In this episode, we spotlight Elwinder Singh, Co-Founder of Connect & Heal, who is bringing back the concept of family doctors and revolutionizing the healthcare system. He talks about how their HealthTech platform is transforming the healthcare system, solving the issue of elder healthcare, and how AWS is helping them create new solutions leveraging technology.
In this series, explore inspiring startup stories that are shifting gears and sparking innovation across sectors, all contributing to India's transformation into a developed nation by 2047 in this captivating series.
Watch Episode: https://youtu.be/ZRVH3y0TQZI
Edited Excerpts:
Segment 1: Ignite
What was the trigger point for you to start Connect & Heal? And how did the journey pivot to connecting all the dots in healthcare?
Our decision to launch Connect & Heal was triggered by caring for my father in 2014 in Malaysia sparked the formation of Connect & Heal. Experiencing poor, uncoordinated care firsthand--and noticing Sanjay's similar struggles in India--we realized a widespread need. I moved to Mumbai, and with Sanjay and Galveen - my fellow co-founders - we launched our journey to improve coordinated healthcare outcomes.
How are you tackling the affordability issue? Take us through your monetisation strategies?
Healthcare's complexity and high customer acquisition costs led us to avoid a D2C model. Instead, we targeted paying cohorts--mainly insurance and enterprises--focusing on occupational health and on-site clinics. This approach expanded to cover employee families outside work, prompting us to build a comprehensive network of hospitals, diagnostics, and vaccination providers. Recognizing emergency response gaps, we acquired an Uber-like ambulance service, making us one of India's largest providers in that segment. Today, we are able to offer an integrated solution across our online to offline platform to cater to all family health needs, be it across primary, preventive, and emergency care needs.
Segment 2: Launch
Take us through the unique ways in which technology has helped you to manage scale for your online-to-offline model that covers both primary and preventative care for millions of customers under one roof?
Our technology strategy centers on three pillars--patients, providers, and payers. For patients, we utilize geotracking, streamlined appointment systems, and AI-powered predictive analytics on longitudinal health data to personalize care and improve outcomes. For providers, our technology simplifies onboarding and transforms unstructured reports into actionable insights. For payers, we enhance financial and clinical adjudication, preventing fraud and optimizing claims processing. This integrated approach allows us to seamlessly scale our online-to-offline model, delivering both primary and preventative care efficiently for millions.
Sub-segment: Boost
What are the product roadmap possibilities that open up when you collaborate with AWS?
By partnering with AWS, we're excited to leverage its data analytics tools to unlock insights from our extensive longitudinal health data. This collaboration enables us to hyper-personalize care, tailoring OPD and health plans based on individual risk assessments. Additionally, AWS-driven models help us analyze unstructured data to mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse, and to curate niche health products such as supplementation and vitality solutions. We're poised to innovate and introduce new solutions that address diverse healthcare needs.
Segment 3: Orbit
There is a rising demand for personalised and professional eldercare services. How is Connect & Heal specifically catering to the needs of this segment?
India is transitioning to an aging society, with 35% of the population projected to be over 50 by 2047. Connect & Heal addresses this by offering both remote and in-person care. We support migrant families by ensuring that elders back home receive quality care while providing the essential personal touch to them. Additionally, our system relays timely updates to next-of-kin, offering peace of mind and continuous monitoring of health incidents.
What are the gaps in the healthcare ecosystem that need to be addressed as India strives to become a developed country by 2047? Any suggestions that you could offer on improving the funding environment?
I would like to mention a few challenges India faces in healthcare while aiming to become a developed economy: the urban-rural divide, shortage of doctors and nurses, uneven distribution of primary care infrastructure, and lack of interoperability in health data. While the government has made a great move by becoming a payer through the Ayushman Bharat framework, the next step should be to act as a capital enabler. There are countless entrepreneurs eager to solve these problems--they just need the right support and push to get started.
As Bharat marches toward 2047, the realization of the Viksit Bharat vision will be powered by the shared ambition of a nation that is constantly evolving, boldly innovating, and confidently reshaping its place in the global landscape.
Stay tuned to Crafting Bharat - Season 2 as we bring you these inspiring entrepreneurs for insightful and candid discussions with Gautam Srinivasan.
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