Pune Inc: This startup reverses lifestyle and chronic diseases through root-cause analysis

“When I was a kid, we didn’t know the names of the diseases that are so common today. My grandparents died because they were old. Then, as I started growing up, I began listening to uncles and other adults talk about high blood pressure and sugar. In the last five to six years, I have witnessed an explosion of disease with names that are new,” says Pradhan.

Pradhan adds, “Our job is to be at the cutting edge of knowledge. Now that we know about 174 diseases, as well as what is going on in the background, such as Covid, we decide what tools we can use for assistance.”

Pradhan says she is not scared of new names of diseases anymore. “I ask one question — why is this happening? Mostly, it is about food, supplements or deficiencies. Vitamin D deficiency, for instance, can create a lot of bone-related disorders,” she says.

With nature at the core of their philosophy, iThrive, which functions from Pune’s Baner, works towards reversing chronic health conditions and lifestyle disorders through functional nutrition based on root-cause analysis. (Express photo)

Earlier this month, a new study by the Indian Council of Medical Research–India Diabetes has confirmed India’s position as the diabetes capital of the world, with 101 million people suffering from the disease. The country is also one of the epicentres of lifestyle diseases in the world, with 35.5 per cent of the country suffering from hypertension.

Pradhan says iThrive has worked with 3,000 people, including children with obesity, since it was incorporated in 2019. It addresses diabetes, PCOD, arthritis and high cholesterol, among others. iThrive has a team that has grown to 50 nutritionists.

“Some people still don’t believe that although they have diseases, it’s possible to reverse them. There’s a lot of dependence on the allopathic model. Getting into that mindset and letting people know that there is an actual, natural way of living which is without medicines, is a challenge. Most people get sick because they go away from what is true and natural to us,” says Pradhan.

iThrive has received an ethical approval for clinical trials from Symbiosis University and are in the last phase of their four-month trial on their entire diabetes intervention.

In the last financial year, iThrive earned a revenue of Rs 3.60 crore and is aiming for Rs 10 crore this year. The company works through three verticals — a three-month B2C programme aimed at reversing diseases with a staff of nutritionists, an academy that runs a four-month online course on functional nutrition, which includes reading blood tests and understanding supplement protocols, and a line of magnesium, vitamin D and other supplements.

Pradhan had started as a solopreneur after she was funded $ 100,000 by one of her clients. In November 2021 came another round of funding from an institution and HNIs. They are looking for a Series A round of $2 million “because there’s so much to do and so much to grow into”. The money will be spent on developing technology — they have Google spreadsheets and WhatsApp at present, marketing and R&D.

iThrive occupies a premium range in terms of pricing. Their three-month programme is for Rs 65,000. According to the founder, this is a filtration process that discourages those people who want only a diet chart and targets those who will be committed to the programme. “Our vision is to create healthier, happier and lifestyle disease free communities across the planet. That’s how we want to heal the planet,” says Pradhan.