NirogStreet, an online platform that connects ayurveda doctors with patients, has acquired Brahm Ayurved, a 60,000 member-strong community of ayurvedic doctors, a media statement said.
Post the deal, Gupta will join NirogStreet as co-founder and chief marketing officer, the statement added. Gupta worked as a clinician and an advisor at Apollo Pharmacy in the past.
Operated by Wellbeing Healthtech Pvt. Ltd, NirogStreet was founded in 2016 by Ram N Kumar, Aradhna Rai and Shrey Jain.
“Brahm Ayurved has created an active and quality platform for discussion and knowledge exchange which will enable us to achieve our goals. Ayurveda is a rich science and has a lot of potential as a primary healthcare option for not just India but the world,†Kumar said.
The company said its objective is to make ayurveda evidence-based so that it is the first line of treatment for people. NirogStreet also collaborates with experts, practitioners, and organisations to conduct continuing medical education and discussion sessions.
The company has developed a ‘NirogStreet for Ayurveda Doctors’ app, where users can make appointments with doctors. The app also aims to build an interactive and information-sharing platform for practitioners, academicians, and students.
It claims to have over 15,000 doctors on the platform and is looking to raise pre-Series A funds this year.
Last month, NirogStreet raised $300,000 (Rs 2 crore) in a seed round led by Japanese venture capital firm Spiral Ventures. Others who took part in the round were Subho Ray, president of the Internet and Mobile Association of India; and Samir Kumar, derivatives director at Deutsche Bank in Singapore.
Founded by Abhishek Gupta in 2010, Brahm Ayurved brings together ayurveda experts and students on a single platform to promote learning, knowledge sharing, employment opportunities, and industry updates on its portal. It also publishes a digital bi-monthly Ayurveda magazine in Hindi.
Other deals in the space
A number of startups in the ayurvedic segment have raised funds in the past.
In January this year, KivaShots, an ayurvedic healthcare beverages startup, secured angel funding from several wealthy individuals.
VCCircle had reported in November last year that wellness firm VLCC Health Care Ltd, an established player in the slimming and beauty services space, is planning to aggressively ramp up its ayurvedic products portfolio. VLCC already has a few ayurvedic products, including do-it-yourself facial kits and facewash, and is gradually looking to diversify its portfolio into other product categories.
Atreya Resorts for Traditional Healing Pvt. Ltd, which provides health and wellness services under its Arth Ayurveda brand, had raised an undisclosed amount from ad-for-equity investment arm of media firm Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd (BCCL) in October 2016. The Bangalore-based company provides a range of ayurvedic solutions for weight, hair, stress, diabetes, neurological and spine and joint problems.
In June 2016, CureJoy, an online community that connects users with alternative medicine experts, had raised $4.4 million in Series A, led by its existing investor Accel Partners India. The platform has experts from various streams of natural health science, including yoga, ayureveda, naturopathy and traditional Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and acupressure.