interview – Insights

Shashank ND is the CEO of one of India’s leading integrated healthcare companies- Practo. He started Practo along with his classmate at NIT Surathkal in 2008, and now it has expanded to over 15 countries. Practo connects hundreds of patients with hundreds of doctors every day and helps people make better healthcare decisions. One thing you might not know about Shashank is that he is analumnus of NPS RNR! We got the opportunity to meet him and get insights into his inspiring entrepreneurial journey!

We were absolutely mind-blown to see that your first job after college was at your company Practo. What is your mantra for entrepreneurship that has transformed Practo into a global company?

There are quite a few things we follow at Practo. The first one is something I picked up in college; it’s an inborn need to create good products and services. I really wanted to build something that others would find useful. Seeing others benefit from my products is a very important motivating factor for me. Secondly, I believe that the ability to improve yourself is a crucial skill for entrepreneurship. It’s difficult, but it’s the fastest way toward self-growth.

Lastly, I’d like to add that I don’t enjoy success too much… but I absolutely hate losing! To avoid failure, I don’t give up and push myself to succeed.

Practo is a very user-friendly app that aims to connect a patient with a suitable doctor within 60 seconds. Our school has a lot of computer enthusiasts who want to know the technical aspect of the app. So could you just briefly highlight how the app works?

Process: When I was in college, I used to eat a lot of Dominoes. The thing about dominoes is that it would come in 30 minutes, or it’s free! What I found very odd is that you can get Dominoes in 30 minutes, but to find a doctor, it would take you hours. Something as crucial as healthcare was not available instantaneously, and most of the time it’s hard to find the right doctor at the hospital. Through Practo, most of the time, we were able to connect the patient with a doctor in ten seconds! One could say that thirty minutes pizza delivery has led to ten-minute healthcare services!

Programming: We have a patient facing our app on iOS or Android, and we have the doctor facing a separate app. We ask the doctors to switch on an availability program to stay live on the app. When the patient selects a particular ailment, we check across India for licensed doctors, who are live, and ping them. The first one to accept gets the consultation. We send notifications in case a suitable doctor is unavailable. We will get you a doctor, 365 days 24/7.
Once a doctor accepts, the patient is connected via video call. This is a tough one as video technology usually takes years to develop. We worked a lot on the technology stacks to ensure that video and audio quality is apt. To make supply and demand meet, we have a pricing algorithm that adjusts cost based on the number of users. To get a prescription from the doctor, and for follow-ups, we also have an asynchronous chat interface.

Product building is very exciting…you start with something small, and in a period of a few years or so, it expands dramatically and becomes something unbelievable! We were one of the first companies to start teleconsultation in 2016, and Practo has greatly helped during the pandemic. Good things take time and it’s important to keep at it!

How is Practo contributing towards providing healthcare in inaccessible areas?

We basically need only an internet connection to use Practo. Thankfully India has a deep penetration of the internet, which enables us to reach more people. We also offer services in 10-15 languages, so we have doctors who converse in Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, etc. We are in tier 2, and tier 3 towns and have teleconsultations from thousands of cities. We recently started a nonprofit trust, where we set up camps in low internet places and identify people with issues, and sponsor the entire treatment for them. If needed, we bring them down to Bangalore for surgeries. Our tie-ups with hospitals across Bangalore have made medical bills cheaper for people in need. We have even made telemedicine free for many NGOs, so that they can utilize this facility.

How do you think the youth can take center stage in healthcare technologies and entrepreneurship?

Science advances one funeral at a time.
Max Planck

Every generation builds for the next. In our grandparents’ times, there were no private hospitals and adequate technology, but in the 90s, private hospitals started emerging. Now, Practo and a few other companies are popularising digital healthcare. When you graduate from school, you will take this up and build upon this; that’s how technological progress works!
As of now, I would suggest students do two things.

One, keep looking for problems. For a long time, I thought the only option was a job. I learned about the word entrepreneurship for the first time in college, and that’s when I found my calling. Now, I’m glad to see that awareness about entrepreneurship has increased among students. Entrepreneurship runs on problem-solving, so keep looking for problems and develop innovative ways to solve them.

Second, internships. I know the summer holidays are very precious– I used to use them judiciously– but if you get a week or a couple of days, try to do a small internship or go to an office to better your understanding. I wish I had done a bit more in those aspects.

More than grades, I would say that peer group is more important, as you can learn a lot from each other. Forming a positive attitude towards all aspects of life is essential, and this helps a lot in the future.

In my school days, there was a mindset that success was only about getting to work in the USA or going to a particular university. This is not necessarily bad, but to consider only these scenarios as success is narrow thinking. Avoid being dogmatic and conforming to only one way of doing things…peer pressure takes away many precious years of your life! The world is a fantastic place with opportunities everywhere, so keep an open mind!

Do you have any fond memories from your time in NPS that you still cherish today?

Back in school, I was very interested in maths and computer science, and I was also part of the school volleyball team. Most of the time, I would find myself in the auditorium looking for any excuse to be outside the classroom and play sports or do any other extracurricular activity. NPS may be known for its discipline and its strictness, but it’s also known for the bright minds that study there. Being around this diligent peer group has certainly helped me become a better person. I’ve made some of my best friends from NPS who have stuck with me even today! A lot of the self-discipline and studiousness I have is because of NPS, and I’m really grateful for that!

Thank you for taking time off your busy schedule and speaking to us! This has really inspired us to start our own entrepreneurial ventures!

Written by Maitreyi and Nithika
Co-Heads of Insights

Jasmine Singh, or as known by her Twitter handle, AstroJaz, is a planetary and atmospheric scientist who graduated from Purdue University this year. She is incredibly sprightly about the cosmos and shares her love for it on social media! She has 70k+ followers on Twitter and is a notable figure in Science Communication. We are so glad to have gotten insights into the inside world of being a science influencer!

There’s always this small turning point, a childhood spark, that starts one’s passion! When did you know that space was your forte?

So for me, there’s no one specific point in my childhood. When I was 10, I learned about space in my science class. I was really fascinated by the planets and every time I got the chance, I would go out and stargaze. This got the snowball rolling in me. My parents noticed that I had a big interest in this, and they weren’t going to stop me from pursuing this.
It just started with my teacher talking to us about galaxies and then I just knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life!

Did you have any role models growing up?

Yeah, I would say Carl Sagan is a big one– I still look up to him! Growing up I wish I had more female role models but now that I’m older, I know a lot of women who are really inspiring. Because of social media, I find amazing people every day! I’ve been following Dr. Sian Proctor from the Inspiration 4 mission and I’m really impressed by her work!

A lot of students in our school are into STEM, especially engineering and physics, and many of them apply to US universities. Could you tell us more about the Planetary science program at Purdue?

The Purdue planetary science program is super new. Students and faculty came together to make it happen because there was quite an interest in this field. I just graduated in May, and I have to say, with the addition of new classes and tweaks in the curriculum, Purdue Planetary Science has changed to keep up with its growth. You can comfortably accommodate all your classes in the program. This is important as Planetary Science is an interdisciplinary field where those who opt usually double major.

What are some tips for applying at Purdue?

In your application, show that you’re really interested. They’re not too competitive in Planetary Science, but having good math and science scores sure does help. The courses are a bit rigorous, but don’t give up! I’d recommend group studying and asking your professors doubts. Most astronauts in the USA have come from our university…that’s to show that Purdue is doing something right!

Working at NASA is like the epitome of a space enthusiast’s dream, and you’ve done an internship there! How was the experience?

I did the internship in the summer of 2021, so unfortunately because of COVID, I could do the internship only virtually. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have a nice experience. I interned at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies and the people over there did all they could to make the internship immersive and connect with fellow interns and mentors. We still keep in touch through Discord!

What did you work on?

I’m sure you guys are familiar with climate models. We have them for Earth mainly but also for other planets. I worked specifically on two climate models. One of them was the ModelE which was for the Earth. I worked on the Emulator– which is a simplified climate model. I had two mentors who had already written up most of the code. My fellow intern and I edited the code, to make it run smoother. The other one I worked on, which is closer to my heart, is Rocke 3D, because that one is for the atmosphere of exoplanets!

Did you meet any astronauts or revered scientists?

We did! We had video calls every week or so with different people who lectured about various science topics. We could virtually visit many NASA centers like JPL and Ames. They had astronauts and highly accomplished scientists giving talks, and we could ask questions and interact! The highlight was that they told us that they started off as interns too, which was really heartwarming and motivating to hear!

For all the astrophiles out there, we need your tips and recommendations!! What are some cool space-related magazines or websites you’d recommend?

The websites that I use would be Space.com and UniverseToday. The guy who runs UniverseToday follows me, which is amazing! Both of them are updated frequently and are scientifically accurate! The Planetary Society, founded by Carl Sagan is another big one!

You get a monthly magazine if you become a member. The NASA websites are of course indispensable for planetary research.

What message would you like to give to the space lovers out there who want to boldly go where no one has gone before?

I always say this, and even though it might sound cliche, there is a lot of truth to it. Don’t give up. If I have to recount my journey so far, I have faced multiple failures and setbacks and if I had given up– I wouldn’t be sitting here in this interview! I have gotten bad grades, felt bad, and questioned whether I belong in this field. It’s sad that many have self-doubt, especially women and women of color. I promise you, you do, all of you do belong in this field.

It’s just that you have to keep persevering (like the Mars rover!) and keep putting the work in! It’s going to be worth it one day!

Thank you for sharing your experiences in astronomy! We’re sure that it will motivate many more people to get into science!

Written by Maitreyi & Nithika
Co-Heads of Insights

Tag: interview

“30 min pizza delivery has led to 10 min healthcare services!”- Shashank ND