Latest news with #AWSStartups
Business Standard
5 days ago
- Health
- Business Standard
Crafting Bharat - S2, powered by AWS Startups and an initiative by NewsReach, launches eighth episode with Chaitanya Raju, ED and CPO of HealthPlix
VMPL New Delhi [India], July 1: As India sets its sights on becoming a developed nation by 2047, its vision for a healthy, productive population remains paramount. Viksit Bharat champions a digitally advanced healthcare system that leverages innovative health tech solutions such as telemedicine, digital health records, and online consultations to boost accessibility, affordability, and efficiency, particularly for remote and underserved communities. 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 Chaitanya Raju, ED and CPO of HealthPlix, who are offering solving problems of today and tomorrow and on a mission to make life easier for doctors. He shares insights about the HealthTech industry of India, EMRs helping make life of doctors easier and how AWS improved their go-to-market timeline. 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 What impact do you see AI-enabled innovations like H.A.L.O have on improving outcomes for the doctor (burnout) and the patient (access)? H.A.L.O harnesses ambient voice-to-text conversion to streamline clinical care. As doctors and patients converse, H.A.L.O automatically transcribes the dialogue into text, generating prescriptions without manual input. It also analyzes patient history and real-time conversation to provide intelligent prompts--such as flagging high-risk diabetes patients for potential kidney failure--thereby enabling early diagnostic testing and improved can we expect next from HealthPlix in terms of advancements and future enhancements through patient app? Centralizing prescriptions is transformative for patients. Our app digitizes and organizes all prescriptions, enabling effortless sharing of health history with any doctor. It also offers timely prompts--reminding users to seek care or schedule tests when needed, such as when managing diabetes--thus improving overall patient care and empowering individuals to proactively manage their health. Segment 2: Launch HealthPlix's customer base counts over 15,000 doctors across many cities in India with support for 20 regional languages. How do you make sure that doctors are engaged and retained on HealthPlix? Our goal is to deliver software that's intuitive and fully customizable for doctors. Our platform integrates AI-driven algorithms that offer rapid, personalized prescription recommendations while managing the entire clinic--from pharmacy and appointment modules to billing systems. By digitizing every aspect of the practice, we reduce administrative burden. Additionally, our clinical decision support system flags potential drug interactions and health risks, helping doctors make safer decisions, enhancing adoption and retention on HealthPlix. Sub-segment: Boost Take us through how the scalability and infra support provided by AWS has improved your go-to-market timeline? Our latest launch, H.A.L.O., is an ambient voice-to-text solution that transforms patient conversations into prescriptions. We knew it could significantly boost doctor adoption and disrupt healthcare. Despite initial uncertainties about algorithm performance and investment levels, partnering with AWS--offering flexible, high-end GPU access--enabled us to develop and launch H.A.L.O. in just 2-3 months. AWS's support was crucial, and they will continue to be a key partner as we scale further. Segment 3: Orbit You have a significant presence of doctors on the platform from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities of India. They are leveraging HealthPlix to digitise their journey. Is this going to be the major growth driver as the next billion user opportunities unfolds in India? Our platform is loved by doctors everywhere, especially those in Tier 2 and 3 towns, because it significantly boosts their efficiency. Even in areas with few doctors, the ones who excel have large practices and readily embrace our SaaS solution, by getting them onboarded digitally, we're able to reach out to the doctors in small towns across country. Unlike many that focus GenAI on urban markets, with our software we want to widely available --H.A.L.O converts voice to text in Hindi, English, and a clear roadmap for 18 other languages --to ensure it is accessible and easily adoptable across all regions by doctors and patients. Additionally, our conversational nudges further enhance the user experience, making our solution a true gamechanger for healthcare delivery everywhere. How do you see HealthPlix's contributions to speed up digital healthcare in India playing out in the next decade since there is an impetus being provided by policy makers? The government, through Ayushman Bharat, has laid a strong foundation by establishing protocols for data storage and exchange and creating a health exchange. Our efforts--such as enabling patients to access and transfer digital prescriptions--align perfectly with this vision. However, while the framework is in place, substantial adoption relies on boosting doctors' efficiency with the software. That's where private companies like ours step in: we drive innovation to engage doctors, ensuring they seamlessly integrate these digital tools into their practice, complementing the government's initiatives. India is confidently advancing toward becoming a 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, with healthcare playing a crucial role in this transformation. The vision will drive breakthrough solutions that will redefine and enhance the nation's healthcare landscape for a brighter, healthier future. Stay tuned to Crafting Bharat - Season 2 as we bring you these inspiring entrepreneurs for insightful and candid discussion with Gautam Srinivasan. Facebook: Instagram:
Business Standard
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Crafting Bharat - S2, powered by AWS Startups and an initiative by NewsReach, launches seventh episode with Anand Agrawal of Credgenics
VMPL New Delhi [India], June 24: India's robust GDP growth has firmly established it as the world's fastest-growing large economy. With breakthrough technological advancements, rapidly expanding infrastructure, and a vibrant startup ecosystem driving innovation, India is well on its way to achieving developed nation status and paving the way for transformative economic progress on a global scale. 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 Anand Agrawal, Co-Founder and CPTO of Credgenics, who are offering a simplified digital approach to recovering dues. He shares insights about the lending industry, how they pivoted from litigation management to debt collection and how AWS helped them scale effectively and efficiently. 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. Episode link: Edited Excerpts: Segment 1: Ignite Take us through how solving specific customer pain points helped you grow the suite of services and eventually transformed you to a platform for all things debt recovery? Despite our lack of collections or lending experience, we thoroughly analyzed customer pain points and developed a technology solution by drawing analogies from other industries. Embracing an outsider's perspective, we transformed our litigation management tool into an integrated mobile application with a dialer system, streamlining workflows and data sharing. Instead of fragmented solutions, we combined multiple functionalities into one platform, enabling bank collections teams to work together seamlessly and efficiently. What gave you a first mover's advantage in solving collections problem? Our unique advantage was being the first to address collections using technology. Instead of managing portfolios as traditional agencies do, we built a scalable platform that empowers lenders to handle collections directly. Our solution accommodates lakhs of accounts and diverse lending products, offering a generic, adaptable product designed through deep insight into the industry's needs rather than one-off solutions for individual customers. What was the reason behind expanding into Indonesia so early in the game? What did your funders think about the move? We expanded into Indonesia in early 2023, capitalizing on a pandemic-induced need for tech-based debt management solutions. With minor product adjustments for currency, time zones, and language, we maintained our core functionality. Our steady three-year growth convinced investors, and after thorough internal discussions, we aligned on the strategy to test Indonesia's market with confidence. Segment 2: Launch How demanding did large customers get once they bought into your idea and how challenging was it for Credgenics to service their needs? We cater to enterprise clients, including large lenders and major banks. These institutions often demand highly customised solutions, as they are accustomed to working with leading IT service providers. Our inaugural product-- a legal notice solution--began as a 10-page document and evolved in 2-3 months into a low-code, drag-and-drop platform that triggers digital and physical notices. Our goal remains to deeply understand challenges and provide innovative, efficient, and cost-effective solutions. Sub-segment: Boost The Credgenics platform is built on AWS. Take us through the highlights of how AWS has enabled you to scale via AWS Managed Services and fuel your ambitious growth plans for 2025? We deployed our solution on AWS and rely on a KEDA-based Kubernetes architecture for event-driven autoscaling. As user-triggered events reach a 70-75% threshold, additional infrastructure is automatically provisioned. Our workflows run asynchronously--triggered by prior customer interactions rather than manual scheduling. AWS MSK and MQ efficiently manage these queues, ensuring smooth operations even during unpredictable scaling. Segment 3: Orbit What are the gaps remaining when it comes to debt recovery and collections especially for the next billion users in Tier 3 and 4 areas as trends such as BNPL or Credit EMIs reach underserved segments? The Viksit Bharat@2047 agenda is ambitious and hinges on boosting digital literacy, especially in Tier 3 and 4 markets. To serve the next billion users, it's essential to educate them on building and maintaining healthy credit scores. Financial institutions in the MSME and microfinance sectors are addressing these challenges by leveraging alternative data sources, communicating in multiple languages, and establishing local branches to gradually build credit profiles and enhance overall financial inclusion. Stay tuned to Crafting Bharat - Season 2 as we bring you these inspiring entrepreneurs for insightful and candid discussion with Gautam Srinivasan. As India stands at this pivotal moment, ready to accelerate on its growth path, it is essential to harness the unwavering dedication, belief in the nation's potential, and the energy of its youth. With strong leadership and a mission-driven approach, transforming India to shape a brighter role for itself on the global stage.
Business Standard
17-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Crafting Bharat - S2 launches their sixth episode with Swapnil Shah of Freight Tiger
VMPL New Delhi [India], June 17: India stands at a pivotal crossroads in its history, confidently embracing its role as a global powerhouse in the 21st century. Currently the world's fifth-largest economy, projections indicate that by 2027, India will become the third largest, and by 2047, it is poised to evolve into a US$30 trillion economy with all the hallmarks of a developed nation. 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 Swapnil Shah, Founder and CEO of Freight Tiger, who are developing the nation by providing an end-to-end freight management platform for frictionless logistics. He shares insights about the logistics ecosystem, digitizing the freight industry, and how AWS helps them innovate their product. Freight Tiger currently manages close to 5% of the country's road freight--an impressive share that it aims to quadruple to 20% over the next four years. 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 It's not easy to experiment in the logistics space right because any small change can have exponential side effects so in that context without any shortcuts available how did you get your product market fit? My engineering background shapes my approach--even after business school, I remain an engineer at heart. In engineering, you start with a small experiment, test, refine, and then scale up. As Brian Armstrong famously said, "action produces information." Rather than overthink without product-market fit, we rapidly iterate based on customer and team feedback. Being truly customer-centric, we work backwards from our clients' needs, which has been key to clarifying our strategy and achieving success. How did you manage the product roadmap and upsells during this growth period? We started with a very simple idea--everyone in India wanted to know where their shipment was and what the ETA would be. For the first two years, Freight Tiger focused purely on track and trace, staying under the radar as many viewed it as just a basic visibility solution. But what we were actually doing was pioneering real-time, in-transit visibility in India. We were the first to crack this, even at a time when GPS units were scarce on trucks. Whether or not a truck had telematics, we figured out how to provide accurate real-time location and ETA data. A key innovation was our introduction of the electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD) system, which significantly streamlined the confirmation process and reduced delivery disputes--bringing much-needed transparency to a historically opaque process. In our ecosystem, we don't serve just one customer--we serve three: the shipper, the logistics service provider, and the fleet owner or driver. And within that, there are also consignees and receivers. If we were going to build a true network and enable network-level visibility, we had to do it from the ground up--and digitally, since we never aimed to own physical assets. In fact, we're connecting shippers, logistics service providers, and truckers with a thread of technology that transforms logistics from a fragmented and manual industry to one that's connected and intelligent. Segment 2: Launch How is your tech stack evolving to cater to shorter timelines of delivery in services every year? We quickly realized that a software-led approach was the only way to tackle the complexity of logistics at scale. Managing complexity while keeping things scalable and fast: that's been one of our biggest challenges. It's not just about our internal delivery timelines, but also about helping our customers meet increasingly tight delivery expectations--especially in today's world of quick commerce. Logistics is a physical, multi-party domain--there are trucks, vessels, ports, consignees, and so many moving pieces. Building a system that can abstract that physical chaos into a clean, usable digital layer is extremely difficult, but also what makes this such an interesting problem to solve. Sub-segment: Boost How does partnering with AWS helps you to innovate on product and tech while the engines keep running smoothly? From day one, Freight Tiger has been built on AWS. For any startup looking to launch quickly, the flexibility and scalability AWS offers is a game-changer--it's something we might take for granted today, but it truly lowers the barrier to entry, both in terms of speed and cost. They worked closely with us to understand our goals--like optimizing infrastructure cost per trip to better serve our customers--and we've continued to fine-tune that with them. This partnership has been genuinely fantastic and has played a key role in helping us scale efficiently while serving customers of all sizes. Freight Tiger's growth journey has also been backed by high-quality global investors--including Tata Motors--who bring not just capital but deep industry insight, giving the company a solid foundation for long-term impact. Segment 3: Orbit What is Freight Tiger's goal in terms of making its sustainability factor go up to be in sync with the nation's net zero targets? One major challenge in the industry is that 30-40% of vehicle capacity runs as empty miles, which is highly inefficient. At the same time, there's growing momentum toward adopting alternate fuels, including electric and hybrid vehicles. But when shippers are under pressure to deliver quickly, sustainability often takes a back seat. Our goal is to change that by becoming a strategic partner to our customers--helping them identify logistics service providers and truck owners who operate cleaner, more sustainable fleets. With the robust freight ecosystem we've built, Freight Tiger is uniquely positioned to drive this shift at scale. As India strides toward becoming a developed nation, the logistics sector will play a pivotal role in shaping that future. A seamless, efficient, and sustainable logistics ecosystem will not only accelerate economic growth but also elevate the country to new heights 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: LinkedIn:
Business Standard
10-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Crafting Bharat S2, powered by AWS Startups & a NewsReach initiative, launches fifth episode with Prithvi Chandrasekhar of InCred
VMPL New Delhi [India], June 10: India is on track to emerge as a developed nation by its centenary in 2047. This forward-looking vision emphasizes inclusive growth, sustainable development, and effective governance, with the nation's youth playing a pivotal role as both architects and beneficiaries of transformative change. 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 Prithvi Chandrasekhar, President & CEO - Consumer Finance of InCred, who is digitally transforming the credit ecosystem of India. He reflects upon the importance of building a strong tech foundation from day 1, integrating AI into the business for better customer experience and how AWS helped them scale and innovate for transforming the credit ecosystem. 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 In a space where regulatory shifts and competitive pressures can get overwhelming, what are the strategies that worked to ensure slow and steady wins the race? Having supportive investors and visionary leadership enabled us to pursue a deliberate, patient approach from the start, focusing on long-term success rather than quick trends. My colleagues and I were united in our mission to build a lasting institution, laying a strong foundation through measured decision-making during our early years. Would the need to become a financial superstore like a Bajaj Finance perhaps, result in considerable shortening of entry time into new verticals? To accelerate growth, we acquired a business instead of building it organically, which would have taken longer. Initially, we developed our venture from scratch, gradually maturing processes, risk assessments, and economics. While acquisitions can speed growth, the question is 'when do we go for growth?' is crucial. One pursues them only when they have confidence in their product economics, primarily via solid risk management. The leadership team at InCred, having studied in India and around the world, understands that the easiest way to lose the game is to get the risk wrong. Segment 2: Launch What's the guiding mantra of scale and expansion hereon at InCred Finance? Our tech strategy remains unchanged, thanks to the robust foundations laid from inception. By designing our systems as modular microservices from day one, we ensured red scalable architecture without costly overhauls. Although building this way was expensive between 2016-2018, we now enjoy the long-term benefits of a flexible, scalable design. What are the possibilities opening up in the "slope of enlightenment" phase of AI and GenAI as the data ecosystem gains more traction especially with the next billion users in India? AI can be categorized into Predictive AI and Generative AI. Predictive AI isn't new--it dates back to the 1950s when Fair Isaac developed statistical scorecards for credit risk assessment, leading to the FICO score. In the 1990s, Falcon, a fraud detection model, became one of the first commercial machine learning applications. Generative AI, however, is driving revolutionary changes, particularly in software development. Yet, major challenges remain--ownership of intellectual property (IP) and the garbage in, garbage out problem. If these issues are addressed, Generative AI could unlock immense potential in financial services, particularly in enhancing customer interactions and enabling personalized product experiences. Sub-segment: Boost InCred started its journey with AWS in 2017. Take us through the highlights of the association? AWS provided the innovation and scalability we needed. We partnered with AWS in 2016-17 to future-proof our business, leveraging its infinite scalability, modular support, and ongoing upgrades. With AI's substantial data demands, AWS consistently delivered, enabling our infrastructure to scale seamlessly as we grew. Segment 3: Orbit What lessons can benefit the broader industry and drive growth as India advances? For FinTech founders looking forwardsupportingport India's growth, I would like to emphasize that 'Nothing matters more than Risk Management'. While convenience, user experience, and advanced technology are valuable, success in credit businesses hinges on strong underwriting. If you don't do it, you will not have a successful credit business. Many have overlooked this, leading to failures--I hope future innovations prioritize risk to ensure sustainable growth. The startup ecosystem of India has been growing leaps and b, bounds powered by the young generation's innovative thinking, motivation to build solutions for pressing challenges and the drive to bring change in the nation's economy. Their innovation and vision are what will drive the nation to become a developed and sustainable nation.
Business Standard
03-06-2025
- 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:
