What were the major challenges faced in 2021- on the professional and personal front, and how did you overcome those?

I joined HealthCube early in 2021. These were tumultuous times for all of us - we lost our CFO in the second wave and our then-CEO’s involvement in a not-for-profit organization working to fulfill the oxygen demand in the country left HealthCube with a big gap in leadership. Despite there being a talented workforce in place, there was a lot of disenchantment and lack of clarity since the organizational priorities seemed to change frequently. I was asked to step in by the board and fill this gap.

As a leader, I believe it is important to lead from the front, take quick decisions and adopt a hands-on approach. In the last one year of my tenure, we discontinued projects which were not aligned to business goals, obsolete products were phased out, and we even bid adieu to clients that didn’t give us the right value. These steps helped us turn the tide and today, we are a happier team enjoying a healthier bottom line.

Simultaneously, I built the sales function from the scratch and relentlessly pushed the team to open new doors of opportunity. Between the 5 of us, we have had more than 500 unique conversations in 9 months. We have added 50 new institutional clients and our pipeline has the potential to do 20X the business that has so far been achieved. In a short span of 9 months, we have transitioned from having no orders in hand to potentially facing an inventory crisis!

Any take-home message for all women achievers in the life science sector?

No one makes it alone. Surround yourself with people – peers, mentors, friends, and family who are invested in your success. Learn from them, ask them for help, lean on them. Create your own community and then go for it.

Hussle & learn & don't be afraid to take the leap!

About Her-

A physiotherapist by profession, Runam Mehta is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of HealthCube, a well-funded health-tech startup in the arena of diagnostic devices. Much elated after winning the ‘Startup of The Year’ title at the Smart Bio Awards during the Bengaluru Tech Summit 2021, Runam is now aiming to lead the company into its next round of funding as well as greater market expansion in the next 24 months. Prior to joining HealthCube as its Chief Growth Officer and later taking the reins as the company’s CEO in less than 9 months, Runam spent close to 7 years at Portea Medical.