Frontlines is an IYHP initiative covering interesting career trajectories from the world of healthcare.
In this edition, we interview Abhijeet Kaji, a management consultant and private equity investor turned entrepreneur who is now building Knya, a company with a range of apparel offerings for healthcare workers. Knya’s portfolio includes high-quality medical scrubs and lab coats that offer performance and style to doctors and nurses, distributed through both direct-to-consumer and B2B channels.
Can you walk us through your journey leading into Knya?
My journey began in Bombay and took me to the United States at the age of 17 to study engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. Upon graduating, I worked as a management consultant with Booz & Company in New York.
Subsequently, I returned to India to join a venture capital firm, but fate had other plans. I came across an extraordinary opportunity to work as the Chief of Staff for Mr. Mukesh Ambani at Reliance. The impact RIL was creating through Jio, Reliance Retail, and their oil and gas business was awe-inspiring, and I couldn’t resist the chance to be a part of it.
After two and a half years with RIL, I was offered a position leading one of their business units. However, I had also just been accepted into Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (GSB). I decided to pursue my MBA at Stanford, which proved to be a transformative experience. It shifted my perspective on life and business, and prompted me to answer the crucial question:What matters most to me and why? I also had the privilege of meeting many fascinating individuals from various walks of life during my time at Stanford.
Post-MBA, I joined a global private equity firm in an investing role. The pandemic struck while I was there, and like many others, I began to reflect on my life’s purpose. This introspection led me to realize that I truly wanted to be an entrepreneur. I teamed up with Vanshika — my wife and co-founder — and thus, Knya was born.
Were you always clear about wanting to live and work in India?
Yes, I’ve always been certain about returning to India. Despite receiving the H1B visa twice, I came back due to family, my partner (now wife), and my love for the country. With my background, I believe I can make a greater long-term impact in India than in the US.
What matters most to you and why?
Building impact in communities. That was the answer at the end of my education and formal experience.
After dedicating many hours to working as an investor, I came to the realization that, although it was an essential and valuable profession, it didn’t personally bring me the happiness or excitement I was looking for. While speaking to entrepreneurs and evaluating investment opportunities was significant, I discovered that I desired to make an impact in a more hands-on way. This led me to establish Knya, where I could actively contribute to making a difference.
How did the quest for building communities lead to Knya?
When the pandemic hit, like everyone else, I was trying to adapt. My wife’s apparel business came to a standstill, and I wanted to help. During this time, the visuals of healthcare workers decked in scrubs, lab coats, gloves, and masks, became inescapable. We began researching these items of protective clothing and finally decided to pivot Vanshika’s business to manufacture apparel for healthcare workers. We won our first purchase order from the Government of Maharashtra, and soon, we were producing over 3 lakh PPEs a month for numerous institutes across the country.
During this challenging time, I spoke with hospitals, users, and customers, building strong relationships and gaining insight into the healthcare system’s challenges. We realized there was an opportunity to create a brand that caters specifically to medical professionals and celebrates their contributions.
We were shocked to learn that 75% of medical professionals are attacked at least once in their lifetime. This statistic, along with our heartfelt conversations, inspired us to launch Kyna in 2021 — a brand creating functional apparel for medical professionals.
Since then, it’s been a phenomenal and humbling journey. We’ve reached over 2,000 cities, including tier 4 cities, with many hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes buying from Knya. Our impact goes beyond numbers; we’ve created a warm community where we listen to the problems faced by medical professionals and highlight these issues.
Our mission is to protect the protectors, focusing on serving doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals across India. We’re committed to making a positive impact, cherishing our role in supporting them, and celebrating their dedication to our well-being.
What is Knya’s target market?
Our target market is diverse, encompassing medical professionals of all age groups. While Gen Z might be more inclined to try new products, we’ve seen a strong customer base among 55 to 60-year-old professionals as well.
We believe that with a good product at a value-driven price, there is a market for everything in India. Our success stems from extensive R&D and sourcing efforts led by Vanshika, ensuring that our products meet high standards through multiple lab tests.
To understand our customers’ needs, I personally engage in conversations with medical professionals and handle customer service daily. This hands-on approach helps us continuously improve our products and cater to our diverse audience.
What sets Knya apart?
Knya’s success lies in our unwavering commitment to consistency in delivering high-quality products and services. We have stringent quality control measures in place to ensure the best possible products reach our customers.
We take pride in being environmentally conscious, sourcing sustainable materials, and promoting reusability in our products.
We’re building a brand that genuinely cares about our customers. We create a human connection by listening to their feedback and understanding their needs. This helps us improve our offerings and provide an unparalleled experience.
Knya is set apart by our dedication to quality, sustainability, and our heartfelt connection with our customers, staying true to our brand values and consistently meeting their expectations.
What are some challenges you have been facing as you build Knya?
One of the main challenges I face while building Knya is creating a culture of like-minded people who truly believe in our mission. In terms of hiring and retaining talent, my focus is on finding individuals who share our values and vision.
My top priority is to invest 60% of my time in building a strong team of passionate individuals committed to our mission. I believe that having a dedicated team aligned with our goals is crucial to our success as we continue to grow.
What do you look for in talent? Do you seek a healthcare background?
I believe in value alignment to be the most important factor in hiring. While some roles require specific skills or experience, it’s crucial that the person shares our values and is passionate about our mission. We are building a brand, not creating complex AI systems, so having a team that is aligned with our values is essential.
The three values that we focus on the most are proactivity, compassion, and accountability. We look for individuals who are proactive in their approach, who have a strong sense of empathy and compassion towards others, and who take responsibility for their actions.
What’s your long-term vision for Knya?
Our goal at Knya is to become a household name for medical scrubs and related products. I strongly believe in being focused and though I have close to 40 ideas that we can execute on in the next 4–5 years, I am currently not entertaining any distractions and am solely focused on achieving our goals.
I believe that being focused is the key to success, and there is a lot that can be accomplished if we stay true to our mission and values.
What advice do you have for our readers?
Many people are afraid to become healthcare entrepreneurs because they think that the problems are too complex, and building products for doctors and nurses may not be profitable. However, healthcare is a massive industry, and there are many opportunities to create products that solve real problems.
I have no healthcare background, but I am passionate about solving real problems and making a difference. If you have the same drive and determination, I believe that you can succeed in this industry.
In today’s age, information is widely available and a community like India Young Healthcare Professionals helps you contextualise this information through peer group discussions, industry expert chats, and by exposing you to sectoral experts. Starting with a YouTube video and then following it up with peer/expert conversations, you can learn a lot about most things in life. The resources at IYHP such as the ‘Knowledge Center’ which has premium reports and content to learn about every healthcare subsector, along with cross posts on the community group keep me engaged and up-to-date. IYHP’s newsletter Dispensary is another amazing resource to start asking questions about big issues in healthcare. If you’re passionate about solving real problems and willing to put in the time and effort, then the healthcare industry is an excellent opportunity for you.
This session was covered by Rajat Garg, with ideas and inputs from Aditya Mehta and Konapur Rahul.
India Young Healthcare Professionals (IYHP) is an India-based professional organisation established in 2020 to bring together emerging leaders from different healthcare domains on a common platform to solve and innovate for India Healthcare. IYHP facilitates this through its eight flagship initiatives which empower young professionals to lead by action and make an impact in India healthcare.
Our community of 2,000+ members, with an average age of 26, comes from 25+ states and 100+ cities, represents every sector within healthcare from medical devices and pharma to public health and healthcare policy, and is committed to driving change in the way healthcare is experienced in India. To learn more, visit www.iyhp.org.