MatsyaVeda Herbals is a Delhi based startup founded by Dr Vijay, Ms Shobha and Mayank.
The most important thing that keeps me awake is the quality and efficacy of our products. For a startup with limited access to funds, its very important to have repeat customers that can be achieved by quality products.
We got an opportunity to talk with Mayank, the co-founders of the MatsyaVeda Herbals. Read his inspiring story to know about the mission and vision of the organisation.
Give a brief info about your startup?
MatsyaVeda Herbals have roots in Ayurveda since 1890s. We Manufacture and Market herbal supplements and medicines specially for Neuro-degenerative diseases and Cancer.
What made you start your startup and what problem does it solve?
My connection with Yoga and Ayurveda began in 2004 when I sustained a spine injury, where the L4-L5 disc in my spine slipped from its position. This led to lower back pain and triggered sciatica pain in the right leg. I couldn’t walk or sit for a long duration and was on bed rest for three months. I got an X-Ray & MRI and consulted numerous orthopedic surgeons both in India and U.S. Each one proposed spine surgery given the dislocation of the disc. They also mentioned, I would need to maintain life-long precautions, such as no heavy lifting, bending forward, etc. At the age of 21, it was disturbing to realize the future of my lifestyle would be restricted.
As a result, I looked for alternative medicine and practices such as Homeopathy and Ayurveda for treatment of slip-disc. Ms. Shobha, a yoga teacher, introduced me to Dr. Vijay Prakash, a veteran ayurveda doctor specializing in pulse reading (“nadi-shastra”) to diagnose ailments. He has been practising Ayurveda for 40 years and has 15 patents to his name. He has additionally worked with UNESCO on different projects and has widely traveled to the U.S. and Canada for the same. With Dr Vijay’s treatment, I started feeling better, and within a month, I was back to my normal lifestyle. I even avoided spine surgery, which was a big relief! That was the beginning of my curiosity and inclination towards healing powers of Yoga and Ayurveda. 10 years later, I am very glad I have lived a normal life with no restrictions.
Tell us about yourself, your previous jobs/ventures? What were you doing before this startup?
I, a computer science engineer by profession who graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta, USA), have been working in the Technology industry for past 12 years, both in United States and India. I worked with DELL, and a California based startup called ‘Perspica Inc.’ as a Cloud Computing and Big Data Analytics Engineer. Recently I relocated to India and, given my inclination towards alternative medicine as well as my family’s experience in herbal medicines since 1892, I quit my engineering job to start Matsya-Veda Herbals, an Alternative & Holistic health service.
Where is your startup based out of? Why do you think that is the best place for you?
New Delhi. The biggest reason for choose Delhi was since all my co-founders are from Delhi. And secondly Delhi is the hub of North India for procurement of herbal raw materials and associated machinery, etc.
As a startup founder, what are you paranoid about? What keeps you awake at night?
The most important thing that keeps me awake is the quality and efficacy of our products. For a startup with limited access to funds, its very important to have repeat customers that can be achieved by quality products.
Who are your competitions and how are you better than them?
There are lot of small and Big, old and new companies working in this domain. We are currently focusing on Neuro-degenerative diseases such as Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Dementia, Autism, etc. There are not many herbal remedies available in the market that provide holistic healing for brain related ailments.
How hard is it to have a work-life balance as a startup founder and how do you manage it?
Work-life balance is important as it affects are efficacy both at home and work. This is something i have learned with my experience working in US. But to get something started from ground, it needs time and energy. Thus at the moment i am 24×7 occupied with MatsyaVeda. But as we are gaining traction and started to scale, soon we will be able to grow the team and delegate responsibilities.
Have you raised funding? If yes, then we would like to know the details. If no then please tell us if you are looking to raise.
Not yet. Currently we are generating revenues organically. But in next 3 months we want to raise funding to start marketing our products in diff geographical locations.
What’s the biggest misconception people have about you? Why do they have that? What’s the reality?
Biggest misconception people have is that herbal supplements and medicines are manufactured with minimum cost, thus they should be cheap. But in fact our medicines take up-to 1 month of preparation time since we follow the ancient practices of preparing these products without loosing their efficacy. And also the cost of genuine herbs are high. These factors drives up the cost of our products since they are made with genuine ingredients and processes.
What gets you excited about this company?
I realized that seeing people getting healed gave me utmost happiness. This drives my passion towards MatsyaVeda
Tell us how a day in your life looks like? Your schedule for a day right from the time you get up till you hit the bed at night.
I usually get up in the morning around 7 am followed by a Yoga session. Post that i drive to work where i am involved in all verticals such as Procurement, HR, Manufacturing, Finances, Operations, Sales, Marketing, Customer relations, etc. These activities takes up my whole day by the time i hit bed usually by 1 am. I do take a break on Sundays as it becomes over whelming sometimes.
Tell us about your team and how did you meet each other?
Our core team comprises of Dr Vijay, Ms Shobha and I. Ms Shobha is my mother and is a Yoga & Naturopathy teacher for last 35 years. And i was introduced to Dr Vijay by Ms Shobha during my back Injury. Dr Vijay is a veteran ayurveda doctor specializing in pulse reading (“nadi-shastra”) to diagnose ailments. He has been practicing Ayurveda for 40 years and has 15 patents to his name. He has additionally worked with UNESCO on different projects and has widely traveled to the U.S. and Canada for the same.
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