Kubo Care is an Antler original, it's an idea born in the Antler Residency program. More importantly, it is deeply rooted in the personal experiences of its founders, Anurag Ram Chandran and Ayush Agrawal. Both encountered the challenges of senior care firsthand within their families, which became the catalyst for their entrepreneurial journey.
Anurag's journey began two years ago when his grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The experience was particularly harrowing as he witnessed her rapid decline from self-sufficiency to being unable to recognize close family members. During this time, Anurag helped manage her care. In just six months, they had to switch between 11 different care professionals. This experience opened Anurag’s eyes to the shortcomings in the senior care sector, particularly the lack of proper training, poor communication, and an overall absence of safety assurance.
Ayush’s connection to senior care dates back to the 1990s when his grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and dementia. Being the son of a doctor, his family became the primary caregivers, giving him early exposure to the challenges of elder care. This would later lead him to start Seniority.in, India’s largest e-commerce platform for senior citizens. In about four years, the company grew significantly, serving over half a million customers and generating more than 100 crores in sales.
Anurag and Ayush’s paths converged at Antler's Residency program earlier this year. Ayush, after exiting Seniority.in and a leadership stint at unicorn startup Cars24, was drawn back to entrepreneurship. Anurag, with his background in VC and his recent experiences in senior care, also found his way to Antler.
What began as a casual conversation on the “zeroth day” of the Residency extended into a two-and-a-half-hour discussion, where they discovered a mutual passion for addressing the challenges in senior care. This initial connection sparked the idea that would eventually become Kubo Care.
Nurturing the Kubo Care Idea
The evolution of Kubo Care's concept within the Antler Residency is a testament to the founders' adaptability and customer-centric approach. They started with the idea of a tech-enabled services solution, aiming to create an improved version of existing care services.
However, through extensive market research, conversations with 80+ families, and spending time at 12 homes of people who were availing senior care facilities for their families, they pivoted towards a hardware solution focusing on fall detection.
This pivot was driven by consistent feedback from potential customers who, unprompted, frequently mentioned falls as their primary concern for the elderly.
This realization led Anurag and Ayush to explore AI and IoT-based solutions focussed on fall detection and shunning the idea of white-labeling existing devices they found to be subpar.
The final Kubo Care solution that emerged from the Residency is radar-based remote monitoring for at-home senior care. The radar technology offers a non-intrusive alternative to wearables. Eventually, the team's vision is to expand beyond fall detection to build an ecosystem of cutting-edge, non-invasive devices that will monitor health metrics end-to-end to ensure better care for seniors and provide a sense of security and peace to their families.
Investing in the Future of Senior Care
Our investment in Kubo Care is driven by a confluence of market opportunity, innovative technology, and a uniquely positioned founding team.
- Burgeoning Market Opportunity: India's senior care market is set to grow from $12-15 billion to $40-50 billion by 2030, with the senior population doubling by 2050. Their vision of an ecosystem of radar-based devices with comprehensive software for remote health monitoring presents significant scaling potential and the opportunity to build strong moats.
- Exceptional Founder-Market Fit and Execution Capability: The team has demonstrated high agency and swift execution throughout the Antler Residency, from pivoting to in-house hardware development to securing key partnerships.
- Global Potential with Scalable Technology: While starting in India, Kubo Care has the potential to expand into other markets globally. Their scalable technology platform can address the growing need for at-home care solutions, driven by the shift towards nuclear families and the shortage of senior living facilities worldwide.
The Road Ahead for Kubo Care
Kubo Care is poised at an exciting juncture. By the end of 2024, they aim to have a beta version of their product ready for installation in 100 to 150 homes. Their longer-term vision includes launching the product in around a thousand homes by the end of 2025 and laying the foundation for international expansion.
Nitin Sharma, Partner, Antler in India: "Ayush and Anurag embody what we seek in founders - a blend of deep market insight and genuine passion for solving a critical problem. Their journey, from Ayush's experience with Seniority to Anurag's mission in elder care, deeply resonates with us. What stands out is their ability to translate this personal connection into a scalable, tech-driven solution. Their agility in pivoting to in-house hardware development, despite challenges, exemplifies the determination we value.”
With Kubo Care, we're excited to see a passionate team leveraging cutting-edge technology to enhance the quality of life for seniors. As India's elderly population grows, the need for innovative, at-home care solutions becomes increasingly urgent.
We're confident that this is just the beginning of Kubo Care's journey towards creating a safer, more connected future for our elderly and their caregivers.
If you are passionate about creating a lasting impact in the lives of seniors and want to work on building cutting-edge technology products from India to the world, reach out to the Kubo Care team at hello@kubocare.com.
Globally, over 8,000 founders believe the Residency to be the best platform to launch a startup, whether it be stress-testing venture scalability, validating an idea faster, or completing the founding team. We are looking for solo founders and early teams committed to building game-changing venture scalable startups.
Join Antler to validate your idea, build your team, and access capital to launch and scale your company. Applications are open for early teams throughout the year for rolling intake and for the cohort starting August 2024 for individuals. The last date to apply is 31 July 2024.
