This HealthTech startup is breaking taboo around women’s health

It’s a big challenge for women in India to find the right medical help at the time of need due to the taboo and prejudices attached to it, especially around their sexual and reproductive health. Uvi Health, a HealthTech startup was founded by Mehak Malik amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. She quit her job at a US-based impact Venture Capital firm to start Uvi in February 2021. Uvi is an end-to-end virtual healthcare platform for women’s health. They bring diagnosis, consultation with doctors and holistic lifestyle management together to address women health concerns like PCOS. 

“Uvi is building a digital community, powered with personalized tracking that can enable women. We have started with PCOS because it’s the most prevalent disorder among women today. The symptoms include irregular periods, acne problems and facial hair. PCOS can lead a woman to infertility and increased risk of diabetes. Within 3 months of launch, our App is ranking number one for PCOS & PCOD in India now,” says Mehak Malik, Founder and CEO of Uvi Health. 

Mehak returned to India after working for four years in the United States and she started working towards finding a solution to women health issues like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). 

“As I have been suffering from PCOS for a decade and I know first-hand, what the challenges are women who are facing this concern. After coming back to India in 2019, I ran a survey to understand the problems among the women. There is a taboo that no one talks about sexual health. So, we decided to build a non-judgmental space for women to seek help,” says Mehak.

However, there were many challenges for this HealthTech startup initially as Mehak was a solo founder. She spent a few months finding the right Co-Founder who could help her build the technology stack.  

“I am not from a product background. I spent a lot of time identifying the right Co-Founder who can align with the vision I had for Uvi. I spent 4-5 months taking to over 20+ Co-Founder candidates, before I met Jyotiska Khasnabish, who joined me as Co-Founder & CTO in August, 2021.” says Mehak. 

“At the initial stage, I bootstrapped with personal savings to validate the idea. We raised 2.5 crores from the Titan capital and the 9Unicorns along with some angel investors like Founders of MamaEarth and OZiva,” adds Mehak. 

Within a short span of time Uvi Health App is gaining popularity and it targets to reach 1 million users in next 2 years. 

“We have reached 15,000+ women on our platform. We have a team of 15 people. Our paid plans start at Rs. 999 per year but there are so many complementary benefits all women can with PCOS can benefit from the platform.” 

Mentors of Global Bharat programme is a unique initiative by TV9 Bharatvarsh and SAP to offer mentorship to 20 entrepreneurs across the country. Uvi Health is one of the startups to be groomed under the guidance of the experts from different sectors. 

“We want mentors who have already worked with a seasoned industry background and I think they can help us with their experience. We are also seeking medical mentorship to guide us with a clinical background and push us in the business thinking ahead,” says Mehak about her expectations from the mentorship programme.