Abhinav Shashank

Healthtech Startups Are Raising Millions — and Still Failing. In the last 18 months, Indian healthtech startups raised over ₹9,000 crore (~$1.1B) in funding. And yet — 🔻 Over 70% of them are pre-revenue 🔻 Nearly 1 in 3 have pivoted more than twice 🔻 At least 22 funded startups shut down between 2023–2024 (despite raising seed to Series A rounds) Because raising money has become a milestone. But survival isn’t success. ⸻ What’s going wrong? 🚨 Founders raise to survive, not to scale 🚨 MVPs are built for demo days — not doctors 🚨 AI is slapped on dashboards — with zero clinical validation 🚨 ₹30–₹50 crore burn before first revenue 🚨 CACs rising 4x faster than LTV in Tier 1 cities 🚨 No real adoption, no last-mile trust, no recurring usage And when investor pressure hits? They start slashing teams, cutting features, and hunting for acquirers. ⸻ Meanwhile, a quiet exception is rewriting the playbook. 📍 No venture capital 📍 No vanity metrics 📍 Just 100 crore+ in real revenue, and climbing That company is Clinics on Cloud. A bootstrapped healthtech model solving for the real India — ✅ Remote villages ✅ Industrial workers ✅ Government health missions ✅ School children and women in underserved areas Through a network of Health ATMs, digital diagnostics, and clinical intelligence, Clinics on Cloud is delivering over 30,000 checkups per week — with outcomes, not just app downloads. ⸻ This is what a purpose-led, product-first company looks like: 🎉Built by real-world healthcare experience 🎉Profitable since year one 🎉Operational across 18+ states 🎉Trusted by public health bodies and private sector employers 🎊 All without raising a single rupee from VCs ⸻ 📊 While others burn ₹50 crore to find PMF, Clinics on Cloud built a ₹100 crore business by solving actual health gaps — not investor expectations. ⸻ 💡 Here’s the truth: India doesn’t need 100 more healthtech apps. It needs 10 companies that actually deliver healthcare. Raising funding is easy. Building a purpose-driven, profitable, scalable healthcare company is not. And that’s exactly why Clinics on Cloud is the company to watch. #healthtech #startups #digitalhealth #vcfunding #bootstrapped #clinicsoncloud #impactdriven #AIinhealthcare #ruralhealthcare #clinicaloutcomes #founders Clinics On Cloud Abhay Agarwal

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Over the past few years, we’ve been steadily building a network of Occupational Health Centres (OHCs) across the country — from metros like Gurgaon to remote plants in Mundra. These aren’t just medical rooms. They are fully staffed, protocol-driven care units that provide immediate response, primary care, and preventive health support — right where people work. Today, we run 67 OHCs, serving 20+ corporate clients and seeing over 10,000 patient visits a month. Every OHC is run by a medical team trained continuously in emergency care, compliance, and patient communication. Ambulances are checked twice daily. Medicines and equipment are audited on schedule. We go beyond reaction — with floor talks, awareness drives, and health webinars to make workplace care more proactive. Everything is logged, tracked, and shared transparently with clients. Whether you visit an OHC in a city or a remote site, the experience is consistent: reliable, thoughtful, and quietly human. For employees, it means convenient care at work. For employers, it’s a real investment in safety, well-being, and productivity. For us — it’s a reaffirmation of what it means to deliver care, every single day. And we are just getting started. #OccupationalHealth #Tata1mg #WorkplaceCare #BringingCareToHealth

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Apollo’s Strategic Restructuring: A Signal for the Future of Indian Healthcare? Apollo Hospitals’ bold move to demerge its digital health and pharmacy assets (Apollo 24|7 & Keimed) into a standalone listed entity marks a significant milestone—not just for the group, but for the broader healthcare ecosystem in India. What does this mean for the industry? This restructuring unlocks hidden value within Apollo’s integrated model, creating specialized, agile units that can independently scale and attract capital.   For peers like Max Healthcare, Narayana Health, Fortis Healthcare, and Medanta, this raises important questions: 1. Should they pursue digital-health-first spin-offs to keep up? 2. Will focused verticals (like diagnostics, retail pharma, digital clinics) outperform integrated giants? 3. Is the Indian healthcare market now mature enough for multi-entity structures like in global markets? Apollo seems to be betting on a decentralized future where capital, growth strategies, and valuation metrics are tuned to the unique dynamics of each vertical—from hospitals to digital care to supply chains. As Camomile Healthcare, we see this as a trendsetting move—one that could redefine how healthcare conglomerates structure themselves in India. #ApolloHospitals #HealthcareTransformation #ValueUnlocking #HealthcareStrategy #IndianHealthcare #HealthTech #CamomileHealthcare #FutureOfHealthcare

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I was honoured to speak at the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025 (New Delhi) on “Scaling Access to AI-Powered Diagnostics for Improved Health Equity with a focus on practical implementation, challenges, and real-world impact.” What I shared on stage : -The MedMitra origin story We started with one nagging observation: brilliant doctors were losing hours each day to clerical work. MedMitra’s AI now does the heavy lifting—instantly summarising patient histories, transcribing consultations, and suggesting evidence-backed differentials and treatment plans. Doctors reclaim their focus; patients get faster, clearer answers. -When no doctor is around. In primary-health centres without specialists, our triage agent and WhatsApp-based lab-report interpreter flag red-alerts and route them to remote experts. AI becomes the first line of defence, not a luxury add-on. Pilot vs. real world. Pilot sites showed a 40 % cut in OPD/IPD time and 97 % accuracy in AI insights. Fast-forward to full roll-outs across hospitals, and we’re holding steady at 38–42 % time savings and 95–98 % accuracy—even with power outages, patchy data, and the glorious unpredictability of real life. Roadblocks & fixes. Interoperability headaches? We wrote feather-weight FHIR adapters so legacy HIMS systems could talk to us without ripping anything out. Clinician scepticism? Every AI suggestion comes with a “why,” not just a score, so trust climbs rapidly. Rural bandwidth? We built an edge-deployable pack that syncs data when signal returns—AI shouldn’t vanish when 4G does. A huge shout out to my fellow panelists Dr Sanjay Agarwal, Dr. Mona Duggal, Anusha Purushotham, Vikalp Sahni, Dr Amit Kharat, our distinguished chair Soumya Swaminathan and Anjali Agrawal for being a great moderator. More to come about how MedMitra AI made an impact at the summit! #AI #Healthcare #Healthtech #WHS

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India at 78: Progress, Purpose, and the Promise of Better Health to every Indian. As an entrepreneur building an AI-powered health tech app here in India & in the U.S., I spend a lot of time thinking about how technology can transform access, affordability, and quality of care. But every August 15th, my thoughts return home to India and the incredible healthcare journey it’s made since independence. From a nation battling basic health challenges in 1947, India has emerged as a global health contributor: 1. Life expectancy has more than doubled — from 32 to over 70 years. 2. Ayushman Bharat now stands as the world’s largest government-funded health insurance program. 3. India produces over 60% of the world’s vaccines, playing a vital role in global public health. It has led generational shifts in areas like generic medicine, infectious disease control, and primary care access. Yet the mission is far from over. We still face deep rural-urban divides, a shortage of healthcare professionals, and an urgent need to integrate mental health into mainstream care. Living in the U.S. but rooted in India, I’m constantly inspired by what’s possible. The platform I’m building aims to shift how health moves here — with AI at the core, and human impact at the heart. This Independence Day, I’m proud of how far India has come, and hopeful about the role innovation on both sides of the globe will play in shaping what comes next. Jai Hind. We’ll be unveiling something very soon. Stay tuned! #IndiaAt78 #IndependenceDayIndia #HealthcareInnovation

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🚨 The $372B Opportunity in Healthcare 🚨 Our healthcare system is at a pivotal moment. India alone is projected to become a $372B healthcare market by 2030, and AI could unlock $100B+ in value through faster diagnoses, personalized treatments, and operational efficiency. In our latest episode of the Next Big Opportunity, I sat down with some of the sharpest minds in healthcare: 💡 Shashank ND (Co-founder, Practo) on how AI can make affordable healthcare a reality 💡 Nachiket Mor (Public Health Expert) on bridging healthcare gaps at scale 💡 Viren Shetty (Vice Chairman, Narayana Health) on revolutionizing hospital operations with AI We tackled key questions: Can AI-powered solutions solve India’s doctor-patient ratio challenge? How do we go from pilots to AI-led healthcare unicorns? What role will Gen AI play in personalized medicine and preventive care? The potential is immense—this is more than a technological trend; it's a revolution in care. Imagine if India becomes a global leader in healthcare innovation with AI at its core. 🎧 Don’t miss this opportunity to reimagine healthcare: https://lnkd.in/g3k7678P This episode will inspire founders, investors, and healthcare professionals alike. Let’s build solutions that save lives and scale globally! #AIinHealthcare #NextBigOpportunity #India2047 #AIOpportunity #Innovation #HealthcareAI Together

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𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮'𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 are embarking on a significant ₹𝟰𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗲 expansion plan over the next 3-5 years, aiming to address the increasing demand-supply gap in healthcare infrastructure by adding 𝟯𝟰,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝗲𝗱𝘀. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 & 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: - Total Capex: ₹40,000 Cr - Bed Expansion: 34,000 beds (₹1.18 Cr/bed avg) - Funding Mix: Debt + Equity + Institutional support (e.g., IFC’s ₹330 Cr to Artemis) 𝗛𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹-𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻: - 𝗔𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼: 3,512 beds, Investment: ₹6,100 Cr, Cost/Bed: ₹1.74 Cr - 𝗠𝗮𝘅: 3,700 beds, Investment: ₹5,000 Cr, Cost/Bed: ₹1.35 Cr - 𝗝𝘂𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿: 1,300 beds, Investment: ₹1,350 Cr, Cost/Bed: ₹1.04 Cr - 𝗔𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀: 1,000 beds, Investment: ₹330 Cr (IFC), Cost/Bed: <₹0.5 Cr (IFC only) 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆: - Tier II/III cities present lucrative markets. A significant portion of the new capacity, around 40% (about 14,000 beds), is planned for Tier-II and Tier-III cities. 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: - 76% of new capacity in Tier I / Metros + expansion into underserved regions. - Geographically, the expansion is heavily concentrated in North & South India regions accounting for roughly 46% and 30% of new capacity respectively followed by 13% in West India and remaining 11% in East & Central India. 𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: - The expansion is driven by the demand-supply gap and the need to increase the availability of healthcare services. #Hospitals #Hospital #HospitalsExpansion #HospitalsGrowth #HospitalBeds #India Apollo Hospitals Artemis Hospitals Max Healthcare Jupiter Hospital

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Amazon steps boldly into India’s $15B Diagnostics Market Amazon India has launched Amazon Diagnostics, an at-home testing service now live in 6 cities—Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, covering over 450 PIN codes with 800+ diagnostic tests available. Partnering with Orange Health Labs, Amazon is offering 60-minute doorstep sample collection and digital reports within 6 hours, a game-changer in routine and preventive care. This isn’t just a new service, it’s Amazon’s serious entry into India’s health-tech ecosystem. With this move, Amazon Medical now offers a complete healthcare journey: ↳Teleconsultation ↳Medicine delivery ↳Diagnostics—integrated, seamless, and app-based. What’s different? Instead of chasing volume with price cuts (like Healthians, Dr Lal PathLabs, Thyrocare, or Metropolis once did), Amazon is betting on experience + reliability. India's diagnostics sector is growing fast—expected to hit 14% CAGR, with preventive diagnostics (currently just 12% of the market) seeing major upside due to rising NCDs (like cardiac and diabetic conditions). There's a huge opportunity in rural under-penetration, misdiagnoses, and the lack of accredited labs. Orange Health brings in robust logistics and automation, claiming to have the world’s fastest blood sample logistics system and two-tier doctor review for accuracy. While Amazon has shut down verticals like food delivery and edtech in India, healthcare is a long game, and this time, it seems they’re in it to scale with purpose. With growing demand for proactive, tech-driven healthcare, Amazon's move could reshape how Indians experience diagnostics, from reactive illness testing to seamless preventive care. As diagnostics move from labs to living rooms, do you think tech giants like Amazon can truly deliver accuracy, empathy, and trust in healthcare? #AmazonDiagnostics #OrangeHealthLabs #HealthTechIndia #DrLalPathLabs #Thyrocare #MetropolisHealthcare #AmazonMedical #DigitalHealthcare #DiagnosticsIndia

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𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 – 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗼-𝗨𝗦 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 A cross-continental conversation on innovation, policy, and collaboration shaping the future of healthcare in India and the US. Vishnu Saxena, Founder & CEO - Digital Health News & ScaleHealthTech, Atlanta, GA : The idea of DHN is to cross pollinate. What do you think the US can learn from India? Alka Goel: India is very fragmented. India can learn clinical innovations and use of data. Since covid there is a little bit of change, specially when it comes to medtech. Cdr. Navneet Bali: when you go 2-3 hours away from cities like Delhi and Mumbai the landscape of healthcare changes. Ayushman Bharat is one such system that in the next 5-10 years will be very crucial. Preventive healthcare is massively skewed. Dr Jitendra Barmecha, MD, MPH, MACP, SFHM: One thing I can say, the US can learn UPI of interoperable health standards. Digital twink is a powerful tool. The data of how we eat and other sectors can help in providing holistic care. Dr. Feby Abraham, EVP, Chief Strategy & Innovations Officer - Memorial Hermann Health System, Houston, TX: Healthtech act to accelerate data industry and focus on innovation. Lack of transparency between the patient and the provider can be avoided in India. For further updates, visit: https://lnkd.in/gAruGjh4 #IndoUSHealthcare #GlobalHealthInnovation #DigitalHealth #HealthTechCollaboration #DHNForum2025 #FutureOfHealthcare #HealthcareTransformation #DHNFD2025

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One Nation, One Healthtech Stack: The Future of Digital Healthcare in India India is at the cusp of a groundbreaking shift in healthcare delivery. Thanks to the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, we now have over 73 crore ABHA IDs issued—enabling citizens to securely store and transmit their health data. Additionally, more than 5 lakh healthcare professionals are onboard, reinforcing trust and credibility in digital health platforms. But it’s not enough to just digitise records; we must create an interoperable healthtech stack that connects every node of the healthcare ecosystem—clinics, labs, hospitals, and telehealth platforms. Imagine seamless access to a patient’s medical history, diagnostics, and prescriptions, no matter where they receive care. Initiatives like the Unified Health Interface (UHI), which draws from the principles of UPI, are designed to bridge this digital divide, enabling frictionless integration of services across providers. This unified infrastructure promises better diagnosis, improved transparency, and stronger continuity of care. India has already set global benchmarks with digital infrastructure—from Aadhaar to UPI and CoWIN. A healthtech stack built on similar principles can revolutionise public health: enabling informed decision-making, expanding preventive care, and ensuring that technology truly serves every Indian, everywhere. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gdtfFRBN #DigitalHealth #HealthTech #ABDM #UnifiedHealthInterface #HealthcareTransformation #ApolloTeleHealth

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From digitisation to AI, healthcare has come a long way. But we’re now stepping into a new chapter — one that doesn’t just treat patients, but understands them. In my latest article for BW Healthcare World, I explore Healthtech 3.0 — an era driven by hyper-personalisation, where care is no longer reactive but proactive, predictive, and deeply integrated into our daily lives. Here’s what defines Healthtech 3.0: Multi-omics integration for precision diagnostics Next-gen wearables that really understand your body Digital twins that simulate treatment outcomes Patient-owned, decentralised health data Regenerative medicine and personalised gene therapies Emotional AI for mental health integration We’re heading towards a healthcare model where the patient is not just at the centre — they own the circle. Check out the article to get into the details of Healthtech 3.0. #heahlthtech #futureofhealthcare #surjeetthakur #personalisedcare #emotionalai #digitaltwins #smarthealth #healthcareforyou

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India is showing the world how healthcare innovation should be done. While the U.S. poured more than $2 billion into its Cancer Moonshot—announcing grand ambitions but delivering little—India’s Karkinos Healthcare built a nationwide cancer care network with just $100 million. As I explain in Fortune, in four years (less than the Moonshot’s original target), They screened over 3 million people, diagnosed 60,000 cancer patients, and brought life-saving care to 35,000 people in villages and small towns who previously had no access at all. This isn’t theory or another pile of academic papers, it is real-world impact. Karkinos lives saved, suffering reduced, and a model that is now scaling across India with Reliance Industries at the helm. Having had a front-row seat as an advisor and mentor to Karkinos, I saw the challenges: logistical nightmares, funding gaps, and moments when the company’s survival was in question. But determination, speed, and flawless execution turned the tide—proving what’s possible when bold vision meets relentless action, both Venkat R. and Moni Abraham Kuriakose did wonders. Governments everywhere should take note: the future of healthcare depends on partnerships that execute, not just research grants and bureaucracy. The lesson is clear—whether in India, the U.S., or anywhere else—the winners will be those who combine vision with focused, scalable action. https://lnkd.in/g7N7gczr #HealthcareInnovation #India #CancerCare #PublicPrivatePartnerships #Execution #Karkinos #GlobalHealth

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