Bengaluru: Having observed the fact that there is a certain stigma attached to talking about menstrual health in India, a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur, John Paul launched an app called Maya to track women’s reproductive health back in 2012.
The initial idea for Maya was to help women track their menstrual cycles in a smarter way. However, a bitter experience of his close friend who suffered from medical complications due to an unplanned pregnancy, made Paul realise that Maya app could be a lot more profound and life-changing than just a period tracker.
“In India, there’s a lot of stigma and taboo around women’s health. It is a hugely unserved market. We realised that no one was working towards making it better. Technology could play a better role in helping women live healthier and happier life. That was really the tipping point for us to start this venture,” said Mr Paul.
Unsure of whether the business would be well-received in India, Maya decided to focus on the international market by going live in Brazil, South Korea, Russia, Italy and Mexico. “We entered the Indian market a couple of months ago,” he said.
Women can track their health, improve odds of conception or avoid unwanted pregnancy, using the Maya app. The app has garnered 6 million downloads with zero marketing efforts.
The company has raised funds from Prime Ventures and Rajan Anandan of Google. While there are dime a dozen similar products available in the International market, Maya aims to be the only product focusing on the Indian market. “Many period trackers lack relevance for the Indian market,” he said.
For women, their reproductive health is one of the leading indicators of their overall health. Maya has been working towards a grand vision to be a personal health assistant for women.
“Maya has been currently focusing on growth rather than revenue. Talking about his company’s future plans, he said that there are a whole bunch of products around women’s health, nutrition and hygiene that could be discovered and transacted upon on the platform. And premium services built on the top of the platform.”
