Introduction
In 2017, Bhupendra Bhate realized that most medical devices used in India’s healthcare system were imported. This realization led to the birth of Saintiant Technologies.
After spending over 38 years working on product development and providing services to some of the biggest global names across industries, Bhupendra Bhate decided to start Saintiant Technologies with a clear goal to build innovative, cost-effective, and Made in India medical devices.
State of Startups in India
Global markets today are dominated by products from countries such as the USA, Germany, Israel, UK, and China. Bhupendra Bhate believes that despite India’s huge engineering base and growing startup ecosystem, the fundamental lack of R&D culture is holding back Indian startups from reaching the global market.
He emphasizes that compatibility between a founder’s vision and an investor’s goals is crucial for a startup’s success. Saintiant Technologies, therefore, chose to work only with investors who share the same vision as them.
Healthcare Professionals Are Human Too
Saintiant Technologies’ pilot device, Spanda, is a first-of-its-kind Al-assisted digital stethoscope that has now reached global markets. Spanda’s standout feature is its commitment to precision. Instead of having speakers in the console, Spanda provides two speakers, one each for the left and right ear, enabling clarity of hearing.
Often overlooked is the fact that healthcare professionals, like everyone else, experience age-related hearing loss. Spanda is the only stethoscope in the world that has a Hearing Acuity Test wherein doctors can check their ear for any hearing loss. Spanda has the technology to adjust its filter to suit a doctor’s hearing ability.
Saintiant Technologies has also developed a Digital Auscultation Trainer which is a first of its kind, upgradable Auscultation Simulator that covers auscultation training for medical students.
VITUS: Healthcare at Your Fingertips
While smartphones and smartwatches can measure basic health parameters, Bhupendra Bhate points out that most of these devices are not medical-grade. VITUS, a portable health monitoring device by Saintiant Technologies, addresses this gap.
VITUS is a medical-grade device capable of measuring ECG, Blood Pressure, SpO2, PPG, Body Composition, Spirometry and Diabetes Indication, all from the convenience of your home. Vitus is complemented by Hygeia, a cloud hosted and AI enabled software that carries out in-depth analysis based on past and current reports and helps provide early insight into any potential medical risk. The device has an inbuilt Federated Learning AI technology that shares only learnings from user data instead of patient data itself. This way, data privacy is ensured. VITUS is also suited for routine health check-ups in rural areas where access to healthcare remains limited.
Don’t Forget Your Roots
We often recognize founders of global giants like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Apple as billionaires and public figures, but at their core, they are technologists. To have R&D culture and innovation, a strong technical background is essential.
He urges founders to stay connected to their core subject area and to add true value to their company. Afterall, sustained success lies in remembering and returning to one’s roots.
Interview By: Khevna Reddy
