The pandemic has made us all realise the worth of our own health. This shift in mindset gave preventive healthcare a significant boost. In 2020, the preventive healthcare for the Asia Pacific region was $11.08 billion. In India, the preventive market was insignificant prior to Covid at less than 11% of our overall health budget. But the market is expected to rise by CAGR of 27.30% between 2020-25.

One healthcare startup in this sector is wellOwise. Started by Manish Kumar and geneticist Dr Saher Mehdi, the venture provides preventive measures against chronic diseases, personalised for the individual. Founded in 2018, this venture analysis all factors that indicate the advent of a chronic illness. For instance, if one is prone to diabetes, they can study the factors and recommend appropriate therapy to lessen the chance of catching that disease. 

After filling an assessment form on the platform, wellOwise team collects the user’s blood and saliva samples. Their AI algorithm then studies genetics, family history and lifestyle pattern to recommend a tailored nutrition and fitness plan. Apart from a personalised diet, the app helps the user track their sleep, eating habits and other factors to decide their overall progress. They also assign a health coach to check your progress and provide any help that is needed. The team would regularly get in touch with the users to understand the user’s progress and if they want any changes. 

The venture is providing their solutions to many specialised doctors from AIIMS Delhi, Apollo, Action Balaji, Lady Harding Medical College and more. Their target audience consists of people in their mid 20 to mid 40. They have two offerings - Rewise Basic Program and Rewise Advanced Program. The first one is charged at Rs 12,500 and the latter at Rs 24,000. 

In July 2020, IIITD Innovation & Incubation Center provided an undisclosed seed amount. The startup has currently 600 users on its platform. They wish to add 8 to 10 thousand more in the next 12 to 16 months. They also want to venture out into international markets, particularly the UK and Turkey. Will wellOwise help Indians change their healthcare approach from being reactive to being preventive?