Startup Circle: How BlueSemi is committed to building products in preventive and connected health tech

BlueSemi founded in 2017, is a Hyderabad-based consumer health-tech firm committed to building products in preventive and connected health tech. With its expertise in product development, the company has leveraged cutting-edge technology to lead responsible disruption in health tech AIoT. Initial support for the start-up had emerged from T-Hub, CIE at IIIT-Hyderabad and NASSCOM 10K Startups. The company is also funded by government ministries, such as DST (Department of Science and Technology) and MEITY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology).

Sunil Maddikatla, CEO & Founder, BlueSemi, is a research postgraduate from IIT Hyderabad and an advisor and mentor at some idea-stage startups. He Founded BlueSemi in 201, a health technology company headquartered in Hyderabad, India. Sunil carries a vision to impact billions of people positively and help them enhance their quality of life with EYVA, the world's first HealthTech Gadget. With a background of nine years across entrepreneurship, technology, strategic planning, and business expansions in multimillion-dollar markets. He is a research enthusiast and a passionate entrepreneur willing to bring the most advanced IC designs into the commercial market within the shortest span and minimalistic cost.

Recently, we engaged in an interview with Sunil Maddikatla, CEO & Founder, BlueSemi, He spoke about how BlueSemi is committed to the ‘Made in India’ vision and being for the world and plans for future expansion and much more.

Tell us about BlueSemi and your offerings. Tell us about the team.

BlueSemi is one of India’s leading health-tech disruptors that has completely revolutionized how people assess their health daily. The Hyderabad-based company prides itself on its flagship offering, EYVA, the first-of-its-kind lifestyle gadget. As a ‘Made In India’ non-invasive product, it is the next frontier in healthcare and lifestyle management for people.

The gadget stands out for its non-invasive methods of measurement and pain-free technology, followed by its sleek and compact design. It measures and monitors our six essential body vitals that are critical indicators of overall health and well-being. These include blood glucose, blood pressure, heart rate, ECG, oxygen level, and average glucose levels (HbA1c) within 60 seconds with a single touch. EYVA has eliminated the need to use six devices to measure our six essential body vitals. With this easy-to-use gadget, checking vitals has become hassle-free and easy as checking our social media like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook.

For example, EYVA can be used for diabetes management as this unique wellness gadget helps one check blood glucose levels without piercing the skin or drawing blood. It offers a significant benefit for those needing to monitor their blood sugar levels regularly. EYVA’s app tracks users’ daily, weekly, and monthly trends as well as provide research-backed actionable insights and lifestyle management suggestions, allowing them to understand their bodies better and easily take simple 10-15 minutes actions to keep their vitals in the normal range through proper food, nutrition, fitness, and stress management.

Our team is full of passionate individuals who strive to make a product that makes measuring your vitals an easy task. They also offer constant support to users such that continuous vital monitoring becomes a part of their lifestyle.  

What are the drivers/market trends that are shaping the tech industry in 2023?

The tech industry is changing relentlessly, and many factors, like technological advancements, shifting consumer tastes, and regulatory frameworks, are responsible for it. One significant trend in recent times is the increasing integration and growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) across industries. By automating processes, AI and ML have transformed businesses like BlueSemi into more efficient and innovative ones. Consequently, we can extract useful insights from data, provide valuable insights to our users, and enhance our decision-making capabilities. As these technologies continue to develop, they are expected to find more extensive applications, leading to even more advanced and practical solutions.

More specifically, the advancements in AI and IoTM wearable technology have made significant strides in providing us with a wide range of applications and insights to help us improve our lifestyles and manage our wellness and fitness. These groundbreaking technologies have paved the way for healthcare transformation as we know it.

On the other hand, data analytics plays a vital role in analyzing health and fitness data to help us make informed decisions. It can also be used to identify patterns in health and fitness data that can help people understand if their current lifestyle and fitness plan are working for them. For example, data analytics helps people by identifying the activities useful for them to burn calories, what types of food are healthiest, and how to maintain their vital and internal health within a normal range. Another technology that is revolutionizing the tech industry is allowing non-invasive and pain-free measurement of essential vitals (like blood sugar levels) and better lifestyle management which is the core motive for EYVA’s creation.

Come 2023, cloud computing is projected to be a significant growth driver for the tech industry. The cloud offers scalable and cost-effective storage and computing services that are crucial for businesses of all sizes. As more companies embrace cloud-based solutions, the demand for cloud computing would expectedly increase, fueling the market's growth.

At the same time, the deployment of 5G networks is also expected to accelerate, resulting in faster speeds, reduced latency, and expanded network capacity. This development will pave the way for new applications and services that were previously impossible, such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and other emerging technologies.

Furthermore, Cybersecurity is gaining paramount importance for businesses and governments worldwide. The proliferation of cyber threats and data breaches has made it imperative to have robust cybersecurity solutions and services. As a result, the demand for such solutions shall rise steadily.

How is EYVA tapping these market trends for growth?

The market for lifestyle, wellness, and healthcare is experiencing a significant surge, with more people showing an interest in understanding their bodies and incorporating holistic wellness practices into their daily lives. However, the lack of user-friendly tools for self-monitoring has been a significant barrier in this regard, which we are addressing with our flagship offering, EYVA.

This lifestyle gadget supports checking one's health as simply as using Facebook or Instagram. EYVA's pain-free technology allows users to gain custom insights based on analytics and take data-driven actions to improve their overall lifestyle and well-being.

However, one must note, a t team EYVA, user data, and security are paramount, so we encrypt every user data at multiple levels with 128-bit encryption. We also leverage emerging technologies like data analytics, cloud computing, IoT, artificial intelligence, and non-invasive technology to provide the best experience and features to our users.

Can you walk us through BlueSemi's product development process of EYVA, from ideation to commercialization?

Prior to EYVA’s launch, people aged 25-54 rarely prioritized addressing health monitoring and wellness, while those aged 60 and above usually put a strong emphasis on it. On top of this,  the market lacked an all-in-all lifestyle gadget that was non-invasive and pain-free to measure body vitals. This meant six different devices were required to monitor six body vitals, which wasn’t feasible to do quickly.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need to properly manage heart health, diabetes, blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and so on. It is when the need for a lifestyle gadget that would measure body vitals quickly and efficiently was realized. Thus, EYVA was created to bridge this gap - a sleek, compact, and stylish device that is as easy to use as checking WhatsApp or Instagram. We designed it to measure and monitor six vital body metrics, including blood pressure, heart rate, ECG, oxygen level, and average glucose levels (HbA1c) within a minute. It is also a helpful gadget that enables users to take preventive measures against developing chronic problems later in life.

Available in India for INR 16,650, this lifestyle gadget also comes with a free app that provides daily, weekly, and monthly trends and daily insights to help users make informed health and lifestyle decisions related to fitness and nutrition, stress management, and more. And this one gadget can be used by a family of four, to track their vitals. Due to these prospects, the initial booking phases of EYVA saw an average of five bookings per minute, and the demand for the product has only been increasing. So, we plan to scale up drastically to cater to the increasing customer demand.

This advanced and holistic health-tech gadget can measure six vital body metrics, including Blood glucose (without pricking or drawing blood), HbA1c*, ECG, Blood pressure, SPo2, and Heart rate, with just a simple touch, providing real-time health and wellness insights. By eliminating the need for pricks and blood draws, users can quickly and easily connect with their inner selves and receive an accurate assessment of their health status in just 60 seconds.

Available in India for INR 16,650, this gadget also comes with a free app that provides daily, weekly, and monthly trends, as well as daily insights to help users make informed health and lifestyle decisions related to fitness, nutrition, stress management, and more. With a sleek design, EYVA is built to be used anytime and anywhere, and its aesthetics enhance the appearance of any space where it is placed.

How does BlueSemi ensure the quality and reliability of its product, and what measures are in place for testing and validation?

As India’s leading health tech pioneer, BlueSemi is uncompromising in its adherence to the highest benchmarks pertaining to product quality and product reliability. When it comes to ensuring the top level of quality in all our products, the company leaves no stone unturned. Our rigorous testing process is designed to detect even the slightest deviation from the exact specifications outlined in the blueprint. We hold ourselves to the most pristine standards, and every aspect of the gadget's design, color, functionality, and construction is scrutinized with utmost care. Even the slightest imperfection in the finishing will result in rejection, as we firmly believe that every detail matters in achieving all-round excellence. In short, our commitment to unwavering quality is non-negotiable, and we take great pride in upholding these exacting standards.

How does BlueSemi approach innovation and stay ahead of the competition in the health tech industry?

Currently, we don’t have any competitors. BlueSemi continues to approach innovation in the health tech industry with an evolutionary mindset and a relentless drive to stay ahead of the competition. We believe that innovation is the key to staying competitive and creating a meaningful impact in the lives of countless users across India and the world. Thus, we are the only company to introduce the world’s first non-invasive lifestyle gadget EYVA equipped with pain-free technology, a complete Made-in-India product. As the torchbearers of this path-breaking technology, we pride ourselves on our ability to think ahead and constantly engineer and innovate. Hence, we continuously incorporate new and exciting features in EYVA. In a nutshell, we are on a constant quest to inspire and enable people through technology, help them adopt a healthier lifestyle, and unlock their best versions.

In addition, we maintain a culture of creativity and experimentation within our organization, encouraging our employees to think outside the box and explore new ideas. We also closely monitor emerging trends and technologies, actively seeking opportunities to incorporate them into our products and services.

What has 2022 changed for you? How are things now?

At team EYVA, we grew pretty excited as we executed our four-year plan of launching the first batch of our flagship offering in the initial booking phase in 2022. We aimed at scaling up by increasing our supply and manufacturing side to make our logistics 6X faster. Throughout the year, EYVA targeted a notable 97% acceptance rate and spread awareness around the importance of leading a holistic lifestyle and staying fit anywhere and everywhere by conducting several activities and events (VivaTech Paris, G20 Meetup, Skipping Challenge, T-Hub 2.0, etc.). All these initiatives helped us increase user experience by 6X, customer awareness by three times, and scalability up to 6X, and even received accolades from the Government of India. Currently, we wish to make our manufacturing more streamlined and ensure enhanced user awareness by providing the best support.

What are your growth priorities for 2023?

Our core focus is on our flagship product EYVA. Thus, we wish to continuously bring innovation and add valuable features to our non-invasive product that provide users with meaningful insights and recommendations on improving their food choices, exercise routines, sleep cycles, and daily habits.  In this context, we plan to make EYVA’s app more interactive and fun to use by expanding the Anthea Realm, introducing more detailed trends, and adding more valuable features to the app to help people manage their lifestyles better.

Besides, we are committed to encouraging people to transform their sedentary lifestyles into healthy ones. With EYVA, people can make healthy lifestyle habits a regular part of their lives.

So, we look forward to introducing easy continuous glucose monitoring,  expanding our customer base, and increasing revenue by increasing our supply and manufacturing side. As a consumer health tech startup, we understand the importance of providing an exceptional customer experience. Hence, team EYVA will continue to work on its stellar customer support, and introduce various other initiatives to enhance the overall customer experience.