Two Kolkata brothers dropped out of MBA to start Diagnostics Lab Chain, builds a Rs 150 Cr+ valued brand

In 2018, Subhra Kanti Saha and Abhra Kanti Saha, based in Kolkata, started a small pathology lab called Nirnayan Healthcare to provide various medical tests. 

The duo brothers came forward to share the journey of Nirnayan with Startup Pedia. 

Hailing from a doctor's family where grandfather and father are doctors, the duo brothers Subhra Kanti Saha and Abhra Kanti Saha observed that the special medical tests, such as blood testing, were outsourced from West Bengal to big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. They realized that filling this gap could be their forte.   

Holding engineering degrees, the brothers were working in different MNCs. However, when they realized they could start their own business to fill the medical gap, they resigned from their respective jobs and dropped out of the MBA.

The duo saw the vision of making a healthcare brand from eastern India to facilitate and expedite the diagnosis with compassion. 

Today, Nirnayan is one of Eastern India's largest, most respected, and most accredited brands. It will soon make its footprint across India and globally.

Subhra and Abhra have worked for the most reputed MNCs, including Cognizant, M.N Dastur, Levis, Wyndham, Tata Groups, Jindal, etc. After working with such companies with high remunerations, both left all their In-Creative Jobs and security, putting their family at stake; they started this venture in healthcare without having any domain knowledge to make their dreams successful, and now it is a reality. 

"We dropped out of MBA in the middle because we realized that if we want to do something out of the box, it cannot be learnt anywhere. We have to start doing and learn on the way", Abhra said while talking to Startup Pedia.    

The Nirnayan Healthcare co-founders went back to their native place. 

Nirnayan Healthcare Office

With a humble start, investing around Rs 10-12 lakh for required machinery, they opened a 200-square-foot laboratory.

Being a B2B business, Nirnayan Healthcare collects blood samples from its clients, such as hospitals, processes them, and then provides accurate and fast reports.     

Initially, the Duo brothers targeted tier 2 and tier 3 city hospitals and then onboarded hospitals from tier 1 cities. Their clientele are hospitals and doctors in various locations in West Bengal, including Kolkata and its surrounding areas. 

"We had a humble start. I still remember the first day when our laboratory did blood testing of 22 patients. Currently, we are processing more than 4,000 patient samples per day. This is a huge growth for us in the last five years," said Mr. Subhra.

Nirnayan Healthcare Services 

Nirnayan Healthcare Lab

When the coronavirus pandemic hit, Nirnayan Healthcare was one of the leading labs for COVID-19 testing. Leveraging automation and advanced technologies, the brother-turned-founders Subha Kanti Saha and Abhra Kanti Saha expedited the testing process. 

Looking at the critical situation during the pandemic, they are also implementing broad testing units, remote consultations, and contactless technologies. 

The National Accreditation Board accredited Nirnayan Healthcare for testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) in 2019. This was a significant milestone for the business because the accreditation signified Nirnayan Healthcare's competence, reliability, and adherence to international quality standards. 

What started with just 200 sq ft has now spread across a 15,000 sq ft lab and has a strength of over 400 employees. 

The business has been growing 40-50% year on year financially. Nirnayan Healthcare clocked a revenue of Rs 30 crore in the financial year 2022-23. "We are projecting Rs 200 crore revenue in the next two years," aims Subhra. Also, the current Asset Value of the business stands at Rs 50 crore, and the market value is Rs 150 Cr. 

Shedding the light on expansion, Subhra said that Nirnayan Healthcare will have over 50 labs across India in the next five years. 

Brothers making the business grow

Mr Subhra Kanti Saha - Co-founder & Co-CEO at Nirnayan Healthcare

Mr Subhra Kanti Saha is the Co-founder and Co-CEO who is currently looking after the Business Development and Information Technology wings of Nirnayan. The business has grown at least four times under his leadership between 2022 and 2023. 

Under his guidance, Nirnayan has achieved end-to-end laboratory integration, eliminating pre-analytical and post-analytical errors, which helped Nirnayan provide the most accurate reports in the shortest possible time.

As the company scaled up and entered the B2C market, it strengthened its balance sheet and established itself as a visible brand. 

Mr Abhra Kanti Saha - Co-founder & Co-CEO at Nirnayan Healthcare

Nirnayan’s Technical, Operation, and Finance wings are currently under Mr Abhra Kanti Saha who is the Co-founder and Co-CEO of the company. Under his leadership, Nirnayan is constantly acquiring many upgraded, state-of-the-art technologies, helping Nirnayan emerge as the most advanced laboratory across Eastern India. 

In the process of this upgrade, Nirnayan will soon make its position in the Leaderboard of Laboratories on the map of Our Country. 

Under his guidance, Nirnayan's Logistics, operation and technical wing are integrated and optimized – to connect every dot starting from Tier 5 Cities to Tier 1 in collecting samples as quickly, precisely, and efficiently as possible.

Last year, the Kolkata-based medical diagnostics lab chain acquired the most advanced technologies like ICP MS, GC MS, and LCMS, through which Nirnayan started its journey in Medical diagnostics and medical research. 

Nirnayan's social impact

In the rural areas, Nirnayan helped mankind by providing the most accurate report at the most affordable price. It has organized many camps during the year to help mankind get their daily health statistics. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nirnayan was one of the top laboratories that provided COVID reports in the shortest possible time to help people get their diagnosis, saving their lives.

Nirnayan Healthcare USP

Since its inception, Nirnayan has maintained quality service and become the market leader for providing the shortest turnaround time (TAT) for Super Special parameters like Oncogenomic, Genetic Disorders, etc. 

Previously, they were being outsourced to other cities from eastern India, and eventually, reports would get delayed. Due to Nirnayan, people of Eastern India are getting those reports with accuracy in a much shorter time.

FAQs

What is Nirnayan Healthcare? 

Nirnayan Healthcare is a Kolkata based Medical Diagnostics Lab Chain that collects blood samples from its clients, such as hospitals & Doctors, processes them, and then provides accurate and fast reports.  

Who are the founders of Nirnayan Healthcare? 

Subhra Kanti Saha and Abhra Kanti Saha, based in Kolkata, are the co-founders of Nirnayan Healthcare.  

What is the revenue of Nirnayan Healthcare? 

Nirnayan Healthcare has clocked a revenue of Rs. 30 crore in the financial year 2022-23.

Where is Nirnayan Healthcare based? 

It is based in Kolkata but plans to spread across India in the next five years.