Latest news with #GautamSrinivasan
Business Standard
3 days ago
- Health
- Business Standard
Crafting Bharat - Season 2, powered by AWS Startups and an initiative by NewsReach launches fourth episode with Elwinder Singh of Connect & Heal
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: Edited Excerpts: Segment 1: Ignite 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. 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. Facebook: LinkedIn: X:
Hindustan Times
30-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Innovative Healthcare: The Synergy of Technology and Business Operations
The global healthcare sector stands at a crossroads. Rising costs, inequitable access, and inconsistent outcomes persist even as technological advancements promise solutions. Yet innovation in healthcare isn't merely about adopting cutting-edge tools—it demands reimagining systems through a lens of human-centered design, strategic collaboration, and measurable impact. Optum India, a global capability center of UnitedHealth Group, a Fortune 4 company, exemplifies how organizations can fuse technology, operations, and empathy to create connected, outcome-focused ecosystems. An interesting conversation was led by Gautam Srinivasan where the leaders from Optum India, discussed how they are fostering innovation to enable a more responsive, insightful, and inclusive health care ecosystem. The panel featured: Together, they delved into the pressing challenges that healthcare is currently facing, the crucial role that technology plays, and how the innovative culture at Optum is driving better care at a lower cost and on a larger scale. Healthcare's "triple aim" framework—reducing costs, expanding access, and improving outcomes—remains a universal challenge. Healthcare expenditure is further compounded by fast-growing aging population and increasing administrative complexities. Meanwhile, rural and underserved communities globally face persistent access gaps. Telehealth emerged as a lifeline during the pandemic, yet questions linger about equity and quality. Surinder Singh underscores that outcomes hinge on timely interventions, data-driven protocols, and continuous monitoring. 'Technology enables real-time management of adherence and outcomes, but its potential remains untapped without systemic alignment,' he notes. The lesson? Siloed solutions fail; integrated strategies that address all three pillars simultaneously are non-negotiable. At its core, healthcare thrives on the clinician-patient relationship. Yet physicians are often burdened with administrative tasks, diverting time from patient care. Abhishek Kumar highlights the shift to value-based models as pivotal to solve these challenges: 'Systems, billing, and tech must empower clinicians, not burden them.' Kumar further added, 'This requires redefining workflows. Automation tools that streamline documentation, coupled with interoperable platforms, can free clinicians to focus on empathy-driven care. The result? Enhanced patient trust and better health outcomes.' Madhuri Raya emphasizes that technology's role is to 'simplify complexity, not add noise.' Remote monitoring, AI-driven diagnostics, and wearable devices expand access and enable preventive care. However, their efficacy depends on interoperability—a seamless exchange of data across platforms. Raya said, 'For us, technology is not about building another app! It's about connecting people to their care teams, payers to providers, and ultimately connecting a disconnected health system so that it works better for the people it was created to serve.' Optum's approach prioritizes actionable insights over data overload. For instance, predictive analytics identify high-risk patients, enabling early interventions. This aligns with Rohit Agarwal's vision of 'consumer empowerment through hyper-personalized care journeys.' Innovation cannot thrive in isolation. Rohit Agarwal outlines four strategic trends shaping Optum's roadmap: 1. Consumer Empowerment: Tailored care journeys using behavioral. 2. Wellness-Driven Models: IoT and real-time data for proactive health management. 3. Interoperable Platforms: Bridging claims, clinical care, and pharmacy systems. 4. Value-Based Incentives: Rewarding quality over volume. TheiNNOV8program at Optum embeds innovation into organizational DNA. Initiatives like Bright Ideas (crowdsourcing frontline solutions) and iFactor (a Shark Tank-style accelerator) foster agility. 'Execution at scale turns ideas into value,' Agarwal asserts. Breaking down silos between technology and operations is critical. Kumar advocates co-locating teams to foster empathy and rapid iteration. For example, the 'Sit with Ops' initiative at Optum allows tech teams to witness frontline challenges firsthand. This collaboration extends to capability mapping—streamlining processes from claims to clinical care. 'The closer the partnership, the better the outcomes in experience, efficiency, and cost,' Kumar explains. Innovation must deliver tangible results. Singh stresses metrics like adoption rates, Net Promoter Score, and ROI. 'If it doesn't improve experiences or outcomes, it's not innovation,' he states. Optum pilots solutions rigorously, scaling only those that enhance care delivery and operational efficiency. To future-proof healthcare, leaders must: As Raya notes, 'Reskilling builds for tomorrow, not just today.'
Business Standard
27-05-2025
- Automotive
- Business Standard
Crafting Bharat - Season 2, powered by AWS Startups and an initiative by NewsReach launches their third episode with Naveen Dachuri of Yulu
VMPL New Delhi [India], May 27: Development goes beyond jo creation - it's about harnessing India's entrepreneurial spirit. From rural artisans to urban tech innovators, startups have been an integral part of the India's identity. MSME's are the backbone and primed to lead the nations growth. With strong policy support, accessible finance and digital empowerment the nation can grow sustainably. 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 building 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 Naveen Dachuri, Co-Founder and CTO of Yulu, who are using their micro-mobility solutions driving India to a sustainable future. He shares insights about how their micro-mobility solution is solving the last mile connectivity issues for commuters, receptiveness towards using shared mobility and how AWS is helping them build sustainable future. 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. Video Links - Edited Excerpts: Segment 1: Ignite We began our journey in 2017 with bicycles, aiming to offer an affordable, clean, and green mobility solution. The goal was to build India's first micro-mobility ecosystem, which didn't exist back then. Starting with bicycles helped us understand key aspects--like setting up parking zones, collaborating with government agencies, and educating users on access of micro-mobility solutions. This learning curve was essential. Once we gained confidence in the operational model and ecosystem, we introduced electric vehicles in 2019 to scale and enhance our offering. You were building Yulu Bikes from scratch. What was the biggest challenge you had to face? Our biggest challenge was securing parking spots, as paying for them would have made our model unsustainable. We partnered with government agencies like MMRDA in Mumbai and DULT in Bengaluru, who provided ample parking close to public commute/ transit hotspots like metros & bus stops. Their initiatives, especially near metro stations, aligned perfectly with our Yulu zone concept, easing commuters' parking needs. Segment 2: Launch Yulu avoided cash burn through cost-conscious innovation and key to this has been your homegrown mobility tech stack which enables intelligent network growth and expansion. Over time, we optimized our tech stack costs by avoiding replication of environments. Since our unit economics are driven by vehicles rather than customers, maintaining sustainable tech expenses is critical. Our approach of frugal experimentation allowed us to manage cost surges and establish a pricing model that ensures a viable, sustainable business. Is pre-investing in team size, especially engineering, a good idea considering we are in a very PAT+ focused environment? The key is to design your system for future scalability. Being overly frugal early on may save costs initially but can lead to critical failures when you scale rapidly. It's better to invest upfront--even if it means a few dissatisfied customers initially--so that any issues are resolved early, ensuring a stable, robust system that delights customers as you grow and scale. Sub-segment: Boost Yulu has been with AWS since the start. Take us through the highlights of this association and how it's helped you build and scale up to a significant lead in the shared mobility space? We chose AWS for two main reasons. First, our mobility service collects sensitive location data for vehicles and users, so using AWS's India-hosted cloud ensures compliance with data residency requirements. Second, as a startup, we needed a fast, cost-effective solution. AWS offers a suite of integrated services that enables us to process nearly 200 data points per vehicle every few seconds, while their proactive support and educational programs help us optimize our infrastructure. Their customer-first approach perfectly aligns with our focus on ensuring customer satisfaction. Segment 3: Orbit Around three quarters ago, Yulu also launched a franchise business model in various markets. What are Yulu's expectations with the model? Our goal is to bring Yulu to every corner of India. Our research identified over 400 cities with shared mobility needs, but given each city's unique behavior, expanding directly isn't practical. Instead, we chose the franchisee model for presence beyond the top 10-15 cities where Yulu will be directly present. We launched the YBP model to expand Yulu's reach and build a viable partner-led business, and the response has been outstanding--some cities have grown from 50-100 vehicles to nearly 500. This approach gives an opportunity to the local entrepreneurs to build their businesses in their own cities, reversing the migration trend along with making their city cleaner and greener. Yulu & YBPs run a fleet of over 45000 EVs today, and we aim to double that to 100,000 by the next financial year. India has evolved beyond an emerging power to become a defining force of the 21st century. Its expanding economy wields global influence, positioning India as a beacon of inclusive policies and cutting-edge digital infrastructure. The nation's entrepreneurs, innovators, and leaders are crafting a future where every talent is nurtured, and no citizen is left behind. Facebook: LinkedIn: X:
Business Standard
20-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Crafting Bharat - S2 launches their second episode with Abhishek Kumar of Mygate
VMPL New Delhi [India], May 20: India's growth story is reflected in the global expansion of its businesses, the transformative power of AI-led innovation, and the rising influence of its youth - 65% of whom are under 35. From driving entrepreneurship and leadership to shaping sustainability, technology, and policy, their contribution is turning bold aspirations into real and measurable impact. 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 building 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 Abhishek Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of Mygate, who are enhancing the living experience through their technology. He discusses about how their solution is making gated communities more secure, making the world's most comprehensive community management platform and how AWS was instrumental in making them reliable and resilient for the communities. 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 the episode here: Edited Excerpts: Segment 1: Ignite You identified the security guard as the weakest point and the strongest point in operating the product and shadowed them. What confirmed the thesis that you could be creating a killer app? People often live with small, persistent problems--what we call manageable pain--until a better solution appears. When we shared our idea, early conviction came from investors eager to support us. Later, Resident Welfare Associations resonated deeply with our product, especially around security. While shadowing guards, we discovered even greater opportunities, like easing daily frustrations with house help check-ins--problems residents accepted until they saw a better way. Take us through your roadmap for product growth and how it evolved from solving the problem statements of gate and security to becoming the one stop operating system? From day one, our mindset as founders was clear--we focused on solving core security issues while partnering on non-core problems. With an open API architecture, we integrated key services like prepaid meters, water systems, and e-commerce, evolving into a one-stop solution that simplifies life for residents through a unified platform. That is how we became a One-Stop solutions app which provides core solutions that we are good at along with other solutions which are a part of our ecosystem approach. Segment 2: Launch As the Indian customer grows more privacy and data security conscious, how is Mygate retooling itself to be more compliant to the DPDP act considering you were already GDPR compliant? Protecting resident data has been a core value since day one, driven by our founders' strong ethos. In 2019, we proactively became GDPR-ready, incorporating key principles like the right to be forgotten, transparency on data access, and consent-based processes. Though GDPR doesn't apply to India, this approach naturally aligned us with the DPDP Act, requiring minimal adjustments when it was implemented in 2023, reinforcing our commitment to data security. Sub-segment: Boost Mygate has been an AWS customer since its inception and the entire app is hosted on AWS. Give us a glimpse of how AWS has helped to improve your business resilience and value proposition? A strong foundation is key to any successful venture, and for our technology, AWS has been that pillar. Over our nine-year journey, AWS has played a crucial role in Mygate's growth, from launching as a gate security app to validating 4 million daily visits and building our advertising framework. Our smart devices and locks also run on AWS. With 24/7 reliability essential to our business, AWS solutions like ECS, DynamoDB, and ElastiCache ensure seamless scalability and stability. Our partnership remains strong and enduring. Segment 3: Orbit What's the next milestone in terms of 'people impact' that you are looking forward to as you expand to more cities? We recognized early that gated communities are thriving hubs of commerce. Over time, they have expanded from 200 homes to townships of 20,000 homes, forming mini economies. This growth presents vast opportunities, especially for the blue-collar workforce, who are now part of the Mygate ecosystem. Our recently launched Saarthi App connects house help, drivers, and caretakers with local job openings. Additionally, we see potential in integrating in-community businesses--salons, grocery stores, and home entrepreneurs--enabling residents to discover and engage with local services seamlessly. What's your best-case scenario for growth while India grows as you hedge your bets between community-based solutions and individual centered solutions? We never launched products with a hedging mindset and remain committed to gated communities. As they continue to thrive, we are evolving from a community operating system to a living experience tech company, solving everyday urban challenges. Expanding beyond gated communities, we now aim to enhance independent homeowners' living experiences. We are approaching this journey cautiously, starting with Smart Locks, which received a positive response. Based on this success, we will carefully evaluate our future product launches. As Bharat progresses toward 2047, the vision of Viksit Bharat will be driven by the collective ambition of a nation that is evolving, innovating, and redefining its role on the global stage. Stay tuned to Crafting Bharat - Season 2 as we bring you these inspiring entrepreneurs for insightful and candid discussion with Gautam Srinivasan. Facebook: Instagram: LinkedIn: X:
Business Standard
12-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Crafting Bharat - S2 launches its debut episode with Dheeraj Pandey, Co-Founder and CEO of DevRev
VMPL New Delhi [India], May 12: As the global population continues to age rapidly, India stands out with its dynamic and youthful workforce. Experts project that India will maintain a leading position in terms of its working-age population for the next 25 to 30 years, making its youth a key driver of progress. Recognized as both catalysts and beneficiaries of change, the youth of India hold immense potential to shape the nation's future. 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 building 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 Dheeraj Pandey, Co-Founder & CEO of DevRev, who is on a mission to transform how businesses connect with their customers. He shares his insights on scaling a global AI powerhouse, stretching every dollar to build resilient companies, and what it truly takes for India to emerge as a leader in SaaS 2.0 and AI-driven innovation. Discover the inspiring stories of startups shifting gears and driving innovation across various sectors, contributing to the mission of transforming India into a developed nation by 2047 through this series. Video Link - Edited Excerpts: Segment 1: Ignite With DevRev you initially built a Jira alternative but pivoted to focus on customer support and customer centricity which presented better and more immediate growth opportunities. So, did the script flip? We didn't originally set out to be a Jira alternative--that's a misconception. For us, work is simply work, whether it's support tasks or development efforts. Traditionally, companies have operated in silos, but the reality is that 90% of the engineering behind these systems is fundamentally the same. Whether it's Salesforce opportunities, Salesforce tickets, Zendesk tickets, Freshdesk tickets, or Jira issues, they all follow similar workflows with stages, states, and approvals. The real magic lies in recognizing that if you were to build software today--whether for opportunities, tickets, issues, or incidents--90% of the foundational requirements remain the same. In terms of making the funding runway last longer than usual basis the lessons that leading your previous startup had provided? Stretching the dollar is a term I use often. Firstly, I would say is the talent. If you make the company top-heavy, it will initially create problems among the specialists. You need to have a lot of synchronization before evolving and passing on the baton to avoid burning out the funding. Secondly, investing in young talents as they have the hunger to achieve and learn. By arbitraging this hunger with that other hunger which is demand and supply coming together is at the core of building great companies that stretched the dollar. Segment 2: Launch What's DevRev doing to democratize data at scale and break organizational silos that exist even in digitally native businesses to make AI actionable? My perspective, and our collective approach, revolve around the concept of team intelligence--understanding what AI is truly unlocking. In this vision, both the customer and the AI agent are integral members of the team. This shift redefines collaboration, ensuring that AI agents enhance rather than replace jobs, while also bridging the gap between businesses and customers, making them part of the same ecosystem rather than separate entities. Sub-segment: Boost How do you see the bond between DevRev and AWS transform the enterprise especially as AI shifts the focus from code to customer-centric solutions? I am a big fan of not just Amazon Web Services (AWS) but Amazon as well. The reason Amazon became popular is because of their 3 pillars - Convenience, Choice and Pricing. At DevRev we believe in the same three pillars. AWS has the best sales engineers and solution architects who talk to our developers in a very low latency and highly precise way. They have been humbling to us from Day 1 and it continues. I feel that level of hustle is just unparalleled. Segment 3: Orbit How can India overcome the hurdles, advance to SaaS 2.0, and emerge as a global AI powerhouse in line with Mission 2047? The initial step is moving beyond prompt engineering. AI starts with prompt-based approaches using foundation models, but that's just the beginning. As many companies offer GPT wrappers, the next critical leap is semantic search and advanced reasoning. Talented engineers and designers can harness these capabilities, effectively unleashing AI's full potential. India's startup ecosystem is thriving, powered by a new generation of visionary young talent who are developing solutions to pressing challenges. Their innovative approaches not only address key problems but also drive the nation's economy forward, paving the way for India's transformation into a fully developed and modern country. Stay tuned to Crafting Bharat - Season 2 as we bring you these inspirational entrepreneurs for insightful and candid discussions with Gautam Srinivasan. Facebook: Instagram: LinkedIn: X:
