How these founders did the unthinkable by starting a startup in a pandemic
Bawatana Live on Clubhouse is BACK - save the date this Thursday, 28 October 2021 @ 8pm 🗓️
There’s no question that the Covid-19 pandemic has forced us to adapt to new thinking and ways of doing things. The startup ecosystem has definitely benefitted from this. We’ve since seen a surge of young founders starting a startup to take on new ideas and provide innovative solutions.
With the Southeast Asian region being home to some of the fastest-growing internet markets, venture backers made a record 393 deals in the first half of 2021, raising US$4.4 billion by investing in startups across Southeast Asia, according to Cento Ventures. This tells us that we’re only just at the cusp of welcoming even more startups waiting to emerge across all sectors as a result (much to our delight).
We spoke to founders of two startups that started during the pandemic. Here’s what they had to say.
Meera Maniar and Rinisha Devi Vijayen, Co-Founders of Citayana Being
What drove you to take the plunge into starting your startup?
Rinisha: Our frustrations with female healthcare stems from personal experiences and from witnessing close friends go through it. Meera has dealt with hormonal imbalances and situations such as having her period inconsistently for close to a year or missing it entirely for months on end whereas I’ve witnessed close friends deal with PCOS. When we researched PCOS, we were shocked to find the limited information that was available.
When we reconnected in 2020 after having met in Monash University, this topic came up during one of our morning brunch catch-ups. We started sharing our own frustrations dealing with healthcare and hormones as a woman and some of our friends' frustrations dealing with PCOS. The more we spoke, the more we realised how many people within our own community alone were struggling to live their daily lives due to this invisible and chronic illness. It came to a point where we wished we were in the healthcare field! And then we had an AHA moment - we may not be certified as health practitioners but we do have skills and experiences that could potentially make a difference for women out there.
From there, it was an organic process. At the end of the day, we simply want to support women with basic needs that we are all entitled to; physical, mental, emotional and social health and well-being.
What made starting your startup in the time of a pandemic the right time?
Meera: The focus on health during the pandemic was one of the reasons that made us realise that it was the right time. People were taking more precautions to take care of themselves and their overall well-being. But for women’s health specifically beyond menstruation and fertility in Malaysia, there was a huge gap. Many health conditions specific to women are viewed as being part of life. You hear women tell you about their pain and symptoms, and the usual response they get is “You’ll be fine”, “It’s normal”, “It’s all just in your head”. Symptoms and issues are taken lightly and are seen as part of life. Besides that, many women-focused issues were topics that were and still are stigmatised. We are now seeing more people and platforms openly talking about the subject which is encouraging.
PCOS is a chronic condition and the most common hormonal disorder among women (1 in 10 women suffer from it). However, it’s difficult to diagnose and there are scarce resources and means on how to manage the condition. It’s also a condition that may further develop into certain serious health problems such as infertility, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, endometrial cancer, and problems with heart and blood vessels if proper care management is not taken.
The difficulty in diagnosis is mainly due to the different symptoms it presents in each individual making it a multifaceted condition which may cross various disciplines in health and medicine. Most women waste years and hundreds if not thousands of Ringgit visiting more than 3 practitioners on average in pursuit of getting a diagnosis, effective care management or supplements. The fact that PCOS diagnosis, care and treatment is not covered by insurance unless you need to have an operation to remove cysts in your ovaries puts women at an even bigger disadvantage. Not all women with PCOS have cysts in their ovaries and not all women with PCOS who have cysts need to have it removed. But this does not negate the pain and struggles they face when dealing with this chronic condition.
Who did you speak to to get the ball rolling?
Rinisha: We went back to basics and wrote down the problems women with PCOS face which we gathered from our friends. Understanding the “key problem” here took a bit of time because there were so many problems! Then it was really about understanding if this was a problem faced by other women as well and what were the pain points with getting a diagnosis and managing their symptoms currently. It’s pretty amazing looking back. We were able to create Citayana Being because women were so brave, open, and vulnerable to share. The last most exciting (albeit scary) bit was asking if they would pay for our solution, which we got an overwhelming response for.
What kind of resources did you tap into to get a head start - funding, favours, expertise, even space?
Meera: To understand the current landscape of women’s health, we tapped into expertise from various health experts from gynaecologists, dieticians and alternative health practitioners. In the beginning, we used our network of friends and social media to send out Google Forms to understand the need for this platform for women generally. We also connected to various femtech companies and associations through social media.
What were some of your key considerations (be it personal or professional) for starting a business in the middle of a pandemic?
Rinisha: Potential market size and our expertise. It was important for us to first determine if there was a large enough market size for the impact we wanted to drive and if both of us together had the expertise to navigate the various situations that may arise from starting a business. In terms of experience, we both bring different blends into the mix. Having previously worked in consulting and a startup, Meera has the knowledge and know-how on creating structure, processes, building and scaling something from the get go among other things. For me, having previously graduated from Medical Bioscience, I bring scientific and medical aspects into the mix. I’ve also got experience leading marketing within various SME industries.
What have some of your biggest triumphs and challenges been?
Meera: A big win would definitely be in the number of users who have joined the waitlist for our services. It’s surreal when we think about it.
One of the challenges - and one we foresaw even before we decided to start this - was finding gynaecologists - not due to the lack of gynaecologists but because of how difficult it was to reach them. Once we reached them, the other challenge we faced was that some practitioners preferred to stick to traditional face to face methods as they were not up to date with apps and technology.
What kind of facilities can be provided or improved in order to better support new startups?
Meera: Networking opportunities. Networking allows us to meet others in the startup industry and learn from each other but also find other startups that share the common end goal and find ways we could potentially collaborate. Would definitely love to see networking events come back that align to our new normal. Another thing would be more accelerator or incubator programmes for companies in its early stages.
What future does your startup hold for the world to come - pandemic or not?
Rinisha: With Citayana Being, we aim to reimagine healthcare for women starting with PCOS and hormonal imbalances and then expanding into other health needs of women. In the end, we want to enhance the quality of life and the basics every woman deserves which is mental, physical and emotional well-being.
What would you advise aspiring founders looking to start a business in this environment?
Meera: Look for opportunities that exist. Consumer behaviour, what constitutes a need vs want and spending habits have changed drastically since the pandemic happened. This new time presents an array of new opportunities that could potentially be tapped into.
Find ways to first start the business as a side hustle while you test the ground and find your product fit.
Lastly, find ways to create a minimum viable product (MVP) using technology which would keep costs low. Doing this while you test the ground allows for quick changes to be made.
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Citayana Being provides coordinated, holistic and personalised care management for women with PCOS. For more information, check out their website and follow them on Instagram and Facebook. To join the waitlist, sign up here.
Short intermission here to announce that Bawatana Live is BACK!
Bawatana Live #5: Pandemic Startups
The pandemic has done a number on us, including startups. Despite the almost challenging outlook, we’re seeing a new breed of startups forming.. and it looks like we’re only bound to see more. Young founders are becoming more daring and less risk averse by charting their own path to do things in the way that they envision. How are they really doing it though? What considerations did these founders have in mind before taking that big leap of faith? And interestingly, why start a startup during a time when people crave stability?
Join us for our Bawatana Live discussion with Meera Maniar and Rinisha Devi Vijayen (Co-Founders of Citayana Being), Danial Rahman and Farah Athirah (Co-Founders of Dwebly) and Syahrir Suib (Founder of Send My Love) as we learn their reasons for doing the almost unthinkable, how they built their startup and the direction they’re going towards. Thursday, 28 October 2021 @ 8.00 pm on Clubhouse.
Syahrir Suib, Founder of Send My Love
What drove you to take the plunge into starting your startup?
It’s quite a funny story actually. Essentially, I forgot to buy my wife a gift for our seventh wedding anniversary. This was unfortunately the third time I had forgotten such an occasion. Long story short, that resulted in a three-day drama that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone.
I figured that I couldn’t be the only person in the world who forgets significant celebrations. This got me thinking about the fundamental social problem which is relationships being broken. For me, it was a three-day fight but for others, it could signal the end of a relationship. I wanted to address this social problem.
Eventually, I researched gift-giving platforms including Giftr. However, I found that it lacked a personal element and despite being able to order different items, it would all arrive on different dates and times which loses its specialty. Fundamentally, my reasons were to solve social problems (take my relationship with my wife), express love to the special people in my life and provide a personal touch to my gifts for them. That’s how Send My Love came into existence in January 2021.
We manage the entire gift-giving supply chain from collecting the various items, putting the gift together including specifications and delivery. Users can place a gift order in under 10 minutes and can even automate it. We’re a people-centric marketplace, not product centric. Send My Love isn’t just a platform to buy gifts. Our promise is to never allow your loved ones to spend their special days without gifts for the rest of their lives.
How did you put it all together?
Two words - strategic partnerships. Although this isn’t my first startup, this is my first time as a lone founder. I chose to work smart by outsourcing certain functions such as technical development. To get started, I approached a partner who had an existing list of products from various mid-high tier brands who were open to exploring selling their items through Send My Love. In return, my partner marketed my service to its networks. This provided me with access to brands and an existing list of clientele. Everything else, I learnt through experience.
What kind of resources did you tap into to get a head start - funding, favours, expertise, even space?
I got connected to my partner through a startup program run by an entity based in Singapore. The program received applications from over 80 startups across Southeast Asia after which two Malaysian and four Singaporean startups were selected. I’ve since made valuable connections among the startup community and plan to enter the Singaporean market in February 2022.
What were some of your key considerations (be it personal or professional) for starting a business in the middle of a pandemic?
I recently quit my job as a project manager in a KL-based IT company to run Send My Love full time. Since launching, I’ve secured two investors from Singapore and Hong Kong to come on board and even my boss has expressed interest to come on board as an investor! This has given me the reassurance that I need to go all in.
What have some of your biggest triumphs and challenges been?
My biggest win has been validating the idea. In the first four months since launching, I made over RM100,000 in revenue. However, we had to temporarily pause operations due to supply problems caused by the MCO. This gave me time to work on other aspects of the business. I have since relaunched the business in mid October by rolling out a mobile app and branding. Down the line, my vision is to digitalise the gifting industry by providing eternal love via NFTs which are non-perishable items and can be great investments for our later generation. Making our gift recipients feel loved and being part of such special moments is gratifying too.
The biggest challenge is keeping a balance among my startups, my day job and my family. I’ve also been experiencing migraines over the last three months.
What future does your startup hold for the world to come - pandemic or not?
There’ll be a shift towards holistic gifting. Instead of gifting physical products, people will move towards gifting services or solutions such as staycations, beauty services and even NFTs.
If you’re looking to start your business during a pandemic, ensure that your idea is something that can adapt to suit the changing market demands. It isn’t always about what you’re selling but how you sell it.
What would you advise aspiring founders looking to start a business in this environment?
Running a startup isn’t easy - it requires a lot of time and money.
Most founders have millions of ideas. Don’t be afraid to share your idea - the more you share, the more you’ll see your idea refined. You’ll be surprised to find how many people are willing to help with that. To know if it’s a good idea, it needs to solve either a social or business problem. It cannot be a founder-created problem. Your solution must be attractive enough to other people to want to adopt. Find a feasible and easy-to-develop solution to test your idea.
Founders need to invest time in networking and business expansion opportunities such as acquiring users and onboarding investors. There are many communities out there, so go and find them.
The most important thing is attitude. Founders cannot expect people to help if they can’t help themselves first. You must be willing to unlearn and relearn. Don’t wait for opportunities to come, go and search for it.
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Send My Love is digitalising the gifting industry by introducing Eternal Love™️ - an imperishable gift as proof of undying love and investment for later generations. For more information, check out their website and follow them on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.