“I bear in mind when my mom and her buddies went on a pilgrimage,” recollects Surya Maguluri, co-founder and CTO of Litemed. “Whereas everybody else walked round simply, my mom might solely be part of them later within the day as a result of she was in a lot ache. It saved getting worse to the purpose the place she couldn’t climb stairs and needed to rely solely on the elevator.”
His mom’s debilitating knee ache grew to become the driving power behind the event of Curapod, a wearable light-therapy machine designed for power ache reduction.
Based by Maguluri and Sriram Velliyur, the Hyderabad-based med-tech startup has offered over 30,000 Curapod models prior to now 12 to fifteen months. Thus far, the gadgets have been utilized in greater than 200,000 recorded ache administration periods.
Maguluri says his mom’s ache initially made him create an answer, however his perspective modified utterly after he started interacting with extra individuals residing with power ache.
“For an individual who stands for six to 10 hours a day, it creates numerous stress on the knees,” he informed indianexpress.com. “Plenty of company staff even have to sit down for lengthy hours, which impacts their backs and general well-being. These tales informed me sufficient about how we might rework the ache administration business. That was step one within the thought means of bringing Curapod to the market.
Maguluri, 31, who holds a Physician of Pharmacy diploma from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological College, describes Curapod as a compact, light-based machine that provides secure, every day reduction from power ache with none antagonistic negative effects.
“With power ache, many individuals merely suppress the signs by taking a painkiller and proceed with their every day actions,” stated Maguluri. “Many individuals don’t realise what that is truly doing to their our bodies over time, and since ache treatment is so simply accessible, many individuals depend on it with out totally understanding the long-term penalties.”
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Re-engineering the wearable ecosystem
Curapod is concerning the dimension of a five-rupee coin, measuring simply 4.8 cm in diameter. “Initially, we developed a a lot bulkier machine and examined it with customers. The suggestions we obtained was that it wasn’t comfy to put on, and numerous mild was leaking. We then tweaked the optical design, made the machine smaller, and improved the best way the sunshine was dispersed,” he stated.
Prototype unit of Curapod. (Picture: Litemed)
Maguluri says he was impressed by how Fitbit modified the wearable expertise market lengthy earlier than Apple launched the Apple Watch and made health gadgets mainstream. Maguluri additional added that, simply as Fitbit, Apple, and extra not too long ago Whoop have made individuals extra acutely aware of their well being by means of wearable expertise, Curapod goals to attain one thing comparable within the therapeutic area.
“We’re creating a tool inside the identical wearable ecosystem, permitting individuals to make use of the product themselves and instantly expertise its advantages,” he stated.
Curapod makes use of Photobiomodulation (PBM), a method that stimulates the physique’s pure therapeutic processes with mild. PBM remedy works by shining pink LED mild on a selected space of the physique for a brief interval. The sunshine penetrates injured or infected tissues, serving to enhance blood circulation within the affected space. Elevated blood movement can cut back irritation and helps decrease your ache stage and heal wounds.
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Maguluri claims {that a} 30-minute Curapod session can provide as much as 60 per cent reduction for circumstances comparable to arthritis, sciatica, and frozen shoulder. The machine mechanically shuts off after every 30-minute session to keep away from overuse. Every cost offers two periods, totalling 60 minutes of working time.
As Maguluri has explicitly said, Curapod is a ache reduction machine, not a treatment or a alternative for medical therapy. He advises customers to not cease ongoing physiotherapy. The concept is to make use of it as a “complementary remedy” alongside physiotherapy or treatment, with the purpose of lowering dependence on painkillers.
Security, demographics, and purchaser profile
Work on Curapod started in 2022, and it took one and a half to 2 years to convey the machine to market. Throughout this time, Curapod needed to endure scientific trials and received as many as seven security certifications earlier than it was launched in 2024.
Curapod is classed as an authorized “medical machine” and is registered with India’s Central Medicine Normal Management Organisation (CDSCO). The machine can be utilized manually and with the appliance, which tracks the variety of periods and data ache scores over time, evaluating earlier and present outcomes. Nonetheless, the information must be manually entered by the person.
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Curapod makes use of Photobiomodulation (PBM), a method that stimulates the physique’s pure therapeutic processes with mild. (Picture: Litemed)
Curapod, which retails for Rs 8,399 in India, is focused at individuals aged 45 and above who’re affected by power ache. In reality, Maguluri famous that 60 per cent of Curapod clients are girls over 60, indicating that joint ache and knee points are extra prevalent amongst older girls in India. The machine can be standard amongst company employees aged 35 and above who expertise lengthy hours of standing or sitting. What stunned Maguluri was that utilization of Curapod is greater amongst males aged 30 to 45.
Maguluri, nonetheless, notes that the person profile and purchaser profile differ. Usually, the consumers are little children buying Curapod for his or her mother and father or grandparents.
As soon as a buyer purchases Curapod, an organization consultant arranges a digital demo of how the machine works. After one week, they comply with up with the client, and after a month or so, the corporate will get in contact once more to verify on the person’s product utilization.
Maguluri says the corporate has to this point not skilled any antagonistic pores and skin results amongst its customers after utilizing the Curapod. He assures that the machine has a number of certifications, together with IEC 62471 for photobiological security. It additionally complies with biocompatibility and home electronics security requirements (IEC 60601-1). That being stated, if there may be slight redness on a person’s pores and skin, it usually subsides inside 24 to half-hour.
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Scaling in-house manufacturing in Hyderabad
Curapod is designed and manufactured in India on the firm’s manufacturing facility in Hyderabad. “Through the number of elements and growth, we did face some points associated to design elements. However whereas scaling up, we haven’t confronted points as a result of the complete electronics distribution ecosystem in India is extraordinarily nicely developed,” says Maguluri.
For Maguluri, the group developed the prototype alongside the complete manufacturing and validation course of, together with PCB meeting and testing. All through growth, Maguluri and group constantly discovered the problems and refined each the product and the method. “It’s a relentless evolution,” says Maguluri. “Within the subsequent one or two years, you may count on one of the best manufactured electronics gadgets from India.”
Curapod is designed and manufactured in India on the firm’s manufacturing facility in Hyderabad. (Picture: Litemed)
Maguluri’s Litemed operates primarily as a direct-to-consumer model, with Curapod being offered through the corporate’s web site. Nonetheless, the corporate has not too long ago carried out a small pilot to promote Curapod by means of a web-based market. Curapod can be accessible through Apollo Pharmacy. That being stated, Maguluri is trying to strengthen its B2B gross sales focus. He cites the affiliation with PhysioPlus, which has over 1,000 physiotherapy centres throughout India. The main target can be on working carefully with elder care centres comparable to Khyaal, a premier digital membership and bodily group for senior residents in India.
Within the coming months, the corporate has plans to launch Curapod within the US and European markets. Maguluri says a small pilot within the US is deliberate for this yr, with a full launch focused for the following monetary yr. The corporate is at present going by means of the certification formalities within the US.
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Like smartphones and different linked gadgets, Maguluri sees Curapod being upgraded over time, and R&D is already underway on the following model internally. He didn’t reveal the main points.
The med-tech ecosystem is rising quick, and the best way the marketplace for well being wearables and gadgets is evolving is benefiting startups like his. Maguluri explains that the med-tech market is rising quickly. He used steady glucose monitoring (CGM) for instance of how diabetes care has shifted from a troublesome analysis to a manageable life-style situation. He believes that ache administration is on the same path and is rising as a fast-growing market.
Whereas many startup founders regard India as a troublesome market through which to develop startups and introduce new improvements, Maguluri has a distinct take. He cites T-Hub in Hyderabad, an incubator that provides funding, mentorship, and publicity, which has helped speed up the event of Curapod.
Hyderabad is quick changing into a hub for startups and a most popular vacation spot for American tech firms to develop their campuses and GCCs.
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Maguluri provides that he has not confronted any challenges find the correct expertise in Hyderabad. “What we do is let each product growth individual first work on the manufacturing facility after which transfer them into product growth, as a result of that’s after they perceive precisely what we try to construct,” he stated, including that the common age group is between 28 and 29, and that lots of them maintain BTech and MTech levels.
Maguluri employs over 60 individuals at his firm. There aren’t any plans to boost extra funds, as he’s at present centered on scaling operations earlier than pursuing main future funding rounds.