Gunjan Sharma talks to Ayush Jain, CEO of Mindbowser, on how he is empowering health startups by driving innovation, building scalable tech solutions, and enabling digital transformation in the healthcare ecosystem.

Q1: Mindbowser has supported several healthcare startups from ideation to launch. What unique challenges do health tech founders face, and how does your team help them overcome these challenges?

We’ve been working with startups for over 12 years now, and what I enjoy most about this journey is the thrill of navigating the unknowns, rapid implementation, and the chance to innovate. Startups often come to us for execution support—turning ideas into scalable digital health solutions.

We’re currently working with several digital health companies, tackling a wide spectrum of problems—from patient engagement to workflow automation. Healthcare systems are complex—be it in India or the US. Even in the US, despite the trillions spent annually, a lot of processes remain outdated and manual. Many of our partners are solving one problem at a time, like a startup that’s building a companion app for cancer patients. The idea is simple but powerful: patients have questions beyond what their prescriptions say, and doctors often lack the time to address all of them. The app fills that gap.

We support these founders from the ground up—starting with market research, identifying opportunities, and ensuring a solid technology foundation. We work with them on distribution strategies and help onboard the right sponsors and collaborators. From prototyping to market testing, and through each step of design, development, coding, testing, and integration—we’re hands-on.

Compliance is another big area. Healthcare startups must meet stringent regulations. Compared to e-commerce or retail startups, where a basic MVP can be launched with WordPress and tested quickly, healthcare has far more constants. Regulatory complexities and the need to integrate with legacy systems or EHR platforms like Epic or Athena make it a longer, more challenging journey.

For instance, a cancer care app can’t simply launch as a standalone product. Health applications often require distribution through hospitals or medical institutions. These institutions already have systems for pharmacy, insurance, scheduling, and so on. Integrating with them—while coordinating with hospital IT teams—is crucial but tough. Without that integration, your app won’t reach real users.

Trust is another major factor. People only work with proven partners because of the high liability involved—lives are at stake, along with risks of penalties from regulators. So, we help startups build that trust.

Q2: From AI in diagnostics to patient engagement apps, digital health is evolving fast. What trends do you see shaping the future of healthcare technology?

Artificial Intelligence is the strongest wave we’ve seen in healthcare in recent times. Unlike earlier trends—cloud, blockchain, or mobile—AI is dominating boardroom conversations and reshaping workflows at an unprecedented pace.

However, in healthcare, AI is disrupting the administrative and financial layers faster than the clinical ones. That’s because clinical decisions need near-perfect accuracy. So, in the short term, AI’s greatest impact lies in automating administrative tasks—claims processing, prior authorization, denial management, and so on. For example, in the US, where the financial journey of care is deeply tied to insurance, companies are using AI to make claims bulletproof—reducing the chances of denial and speeding up the process.

A startup we partnered with is transforming the OBGYN space. Founded by a New York-based OBGYN, it aims to solve the unpredictable nature of labor and delivery scheduling—some days see two births, others twenty. The team developed an algorithm that more accurately predicts birth dates and optimizes staffing across doctors, nurses, and support teams. We've worked with them for over three years, and the solution now saves thousands of hours annually. It improves patient experience, boosts hospital feedback ratings, and streamlines overall operations.

In another case, we partnered with a US-based dental chain to automate their patient intake and appointment scheduling system. Previously, the admin team had to coordinate manually across systems—checking doctor availability, verifying insurance, getting prior authorizations—all before confirming an appointment. It took 2-3 days per patient. We built an end-to-end AI-based solution that automates this workflow, saving hours of manual effort and dramatically improving patient and physician satisfaction.

Q3: You’ve worked with both early-stage health startups and large healthcare institutions. What are some success stories that highlight Mindbowser’s role in transforming care delivery?

For startups, the OBGYN scheduling platform is one of my favorites. It’s a great example of precision technology in action. On the institutional side, the dental chain automation project really stands out. Post-implementation, the clinical team even sent us a thank-you video sharing how it transformed their daily lives.

Another major trend we are betting on is precision medicine and personalized care. Growing up in India, I saw how treatments often follow a one-size-fits-all approach. But precision medicine promises tailored treatment—customized dosages and plans based on the individual’s data. With AI, what once seemed decades away could become reality in the next few years.

However, there are roadblocks—mainly around fragmented systems and data silos. Hospitals often want to keep data in-house, which limits the ability of startups to train models and build solutions. Government initiatives like the ABHA ID are encouraging, and once a common layer for data exchange becomes standard, we’ll start seeing remarkable innovations.

Remote patient monitoring is another area gaining ground. India’s ecosystem is still people-heavy—nursing staff and family support are common. But with more people owning smartwatches and health gadgets, the shift toward tech-driven monitoring is inevitable. The challenge is integrating this data into clinical workflows so that when a doctor reviews your case, they have a full picture—your vitals, historical records, and real-time metrics, all in one place.

Q4: With the rise of personalized medicine and remote care, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to build the next big health tech solution?

Technology is already capable. What we now need is better distribution. Just like UPI revolutionized digital payments and Aadhaar simplified identity, a unified digital health infrastructure can do wonders. India has proven that massive change is possible if the ecosystem—government, hospitals, startups—works together.

For founders, my advice is to focus on partnerships and integration from day one. Health apps don’t thrive as standalone tools. Think beyond app stores—think about how to integrate with hospitals, EHRs, insurers. Focus on trust, compliance, and interoperability.

It’s also important to understand that while data is the fuel for AI, it must be organized correctly. That’s where a lot of new companies struggle—fragmented or unusable data. Build systems that are robust, collaborative, and compliant, and you’ll find success.