Pandemic has redefined the value of healthcare in the lives of many. A shift in perspective is seen in the masses who now prefer preventive healthcare over reactive healthcare. Active lifestyle and a healthy diet are the cornerstones of preventive healthcare. But many of us cannot follow this as we fall prey to laziness and busyness. Many of us often feel too lazy to exercise or are too busy with work to find time for exercise. 

Vishal Gondal had a solution to combat these two evil human nature. He previously created Indiagames which was subsequently purchased by Disney for $100 million. He decided to gamify the healthcare and fitness industry with his venture. In 2014, he started GOQii along with Abhishek Sharma, Sachin Janghel and Champ Alreja. 

They came out with a wearable fitness band that collects the vitals of the user and lends them expert advice to help them achieve their health and fitness goals. They added several gaming features to make the entire process of fitness fun and enjoyable. By being on track the user will receive ‘Hi-5’ feature from the coach. Fulfilling their goals helps them achieve Karma points which can then be converted into real money and be sent to a charity of the user’s choice. 

They have in total raised $52.6 million from notable names like Ratan Tata, Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Founder of Paytm) and Akshay Kumar. Other investors are Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd, Mitsui & Co, Trifecta Capital Advisors, DSG Consumer Partners Denlow Investment Trust and New Enterprise Associates (NEA). In 2016, GOQii partnered with Thyrocare and Max Healthcare to offer medical consultations to its users. 

The company is so successful that it features as a case study for the Harvard Business Publishing Platform. The only other Indian startups on the list are Paytm and Flipkart. This speaks volumes to the fact that despite not being a unicorn, GOQii and its simple idea of tackling healthcare made it a more suitable case study for Harvard. Is a simple yet genius twist to your venture the answer to being a successful startup?