// PODCAST

Digital Health Records in India: YC Founder Lessons | Aman Bhandula, Farmako

Aman Bhandula, founder and CEO of Farmako, walks through how an IIT Roorkee side project became a Y Combinator-backed health records company, and what he learned about doctors, incentives, hiring and burn.
Aman Bhandula, Farmako on The Builders Club Startup Founders Podcast
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A doctor who never asked about his medical history. A squash injury. A nine-hour late-night brainstorm with two hacker friends. That is how Aman Bhandula, founder and CEO of Farmako, stumbled into the problem of digital health records in India.

On this episode of The Builders Club Startup Founders Podcast, recorded live with the community, Aman shares the messy path from a campus prototype to a Y Combinator-backed startup, including the pivots, the failed interview and the mistakes he would rather you avoid.

How do you build digital health records in India? Aman Bhandula’s core thesis

Aman’s view is that structured medical records only get built if they start with the people who create them: doctors and diagnostic labs. Patients value a clean record, but they show up when they are sick and rarely stop to organise paperwork.

So Farmako gives providers a reason to share records, then delivers them to patients on WhatsApp so nobody has to download an app. The company is Y Combinator backed (Summer 2020 batch) and still experimenting with its long-term revenue model.

  • Start where the data is created. Records must be digitised at the doctor or lab, because patients will not upload them.
  • Meet users where they already are. WhatsApp delivery avoids the drop-off that comes with a new app.
  • Build for the easiest users first. The team began with doctors on its own campus and close family connections.
  • Keep burn low until the product is clear. Hire slowly, and let people who build the product develop product sense.

How did an IIT Roorkee side project become Farmako?

Aman went into IIT Roorkee expecting a career in machine learning research. A visit to a campus doctor who prescribed medicine without asking about his history made him curious about why medical history is so often ignored.

He discussed it with his friends and future co-founders, built a prototype and even emailed the CEO of NITI Aayog, who replied with details of the national digital health plans. At that stage it was still a project, not a company.

What changed the mindset?

A summer internship in Bangalore put Aman in a house with the Razorpay founders and showed him the startup ecosystem up close. His co-founder happened to be interning just 200 metres away, and the two came back to college ready to treat the idea seriously.

What did Aman learn from two Y Combinator interviews?

The first YC application reached the interview round but failed. Aman says the team had a prototype and no users, and the panel mainly asked about users. They realised startups are about products people actually use, not about raising money.

Back on campus they launched an electronic medical record app for doctors and reached around 32 active doctors. In the second interview they knew their usage numbers cold, and they got in.

  • Know your users and numbers. Be ready to say how many users are active and how many write prescriptions daily.
  • Show the team can ship. YC looks at whether the founders can build and whether someone can go out and talk to customers.
  • Hustle counts. Traction from your own network is a signal that you can get your first users.

How does Farmako get doctors and labs to share records?

Aman explains that the incentive cannot be only the record itself. Farmako sends the patient a WhatsApp message carrying the doctor’s or lab’s own details, such as a photo, years of experience, a website or an appointment number, so every shared record also keeps the provider visible to patients.

Doctors also get a clinic app and notifications when a record is added, so they can follow up. Patients get a free health ID and a link to their structured history, with no separate app needed for now.

  1. The lab or doctor shares a report through an extension or the clinic app.
  2. The patient receives it on WhatsApp with a health ID and a link to their history.
  3. The provider is notified and can message the patient about next steps.

What is Farmako’s business model?

Aman is candid that the team is still figuring out the primary model. He is clear that charging doctors is unlikely to work in the Indian healthcare system, so the business has to be built around others in the ecosystem.

As an experiment, the team started medicine delivery in Moradabad, a tier 2 city, and says it passed 10 lakh rupees in monthly revenue there, though he does not see it as the final model.

  • Medicine delivery: a test of how pharmacy works, used to learn the market.
  • Insurance: with patient consent, structured histories could help insurers price risk, and Aman sketched an idea of a fee per insured person.
  • Services on top of records: once records are structured, there is room for services built on them.

How should early-stage founders hire and manage a team?

Aman argues for a small core team while the product is still unclear. Hire for a reason, keep burn low, and first find out who your primary customer is before adding dozens of people.

He also admits that his team of friends from IIT Roorkee is strong on talent but weak on management, and that this is something they want to improve.

What are Aman’s do’s and don’ts?

  • Do take breaks, because burnout hurts the work.
  • Do work with people you genuinely enjoy working with.
  • Don’t get selfish about the product or about hiring once you have funding and control.

Further reading and sources

Frequently asked questions

Why are digital health records hard to build in India?

Patients visit a doctor or lab when they are unwell and rarely organise their paperwork afterwards. Aman Bhandula argues that records therefore have to be digitised at the doctor or lab, which means those providers need a clear incentive to take part.

How does Farmako deliver health records to patients?

According to Aman, providers share a report through an extension or the clinic app, and the patient receives it on WhatsApp along with a health ID and a link to their medical history. No separate patient app is required at this stage.

What should founders know before applying to Y Combinator?

Aman’s experience is that YC wants to see a team that can build, real users and clear numbers. His first interview failed because the team had a prototype but no users, and the second succeeded after they had launched and measured usage.

Conclusion

Aman Bhandula’s story is a reminder that a startup often begins as a curiosity about a small, everyday problem. What turned it into a company was getting close to users, learning from a failed interview and staying honest about what is still unproven.

If you are building in a regulated, incentive-heavy space like healthcare, start with the people who create the data, keep your team lean and test business models cheaply.

Want more conversations like this? Join The Builders Club, our community of 35,000+ founders and CXOs, and explore more episodes of the Startup Founders Podcast.

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Silicon Valley VPs vs. Indian Family Business Promoters

The Executive Sponsor Trap: Selling to Silicon Valley VPs vs. Securing Commitments from Indian Family Business Promoters

November 5, 2026 No Comments

A Silicon Valley VP can usually sign inside a budget they own. An Indian family business promoter often holds the final say but delegates the evaluation, and that gap is where deals stall. Treating a friendly mid-level sponsor as the decision-maker is the most common mistake in cross-border enterprise sales. Here is how the two models differ and how to secure a commitment that survives promoter review. What is the executive sponsor trap? It is the assumption that the person championing your product has the authority to buy it. In US enterprise sales, a VP or director often does hold budget. In many Indian family-run groups, authority sits with the promoter or family council, while managers and professional CEOs run evaluations. How do US VPs make buying decisions? Delegated authority. A VP typically owns a departmental budget with a defined spending limit. Process-led approval. Procurement and legal run a standard path once a business case is approved. Rep-free research. Buyers do much of their research independently, as shown in Gartner’s 2026 sales survey, so your first call is rarely the start of their evaluation. How do Indian family business promoters make buying decisions? Final say at the top. The promoter or a small family circle may approve significant spend, even when a professional CEO handles daily operations. For context, see Business Today on professional CEOs in Indian business families. Trust over process. A recommendation from a known peer, advisor or existing vendor carries heavy weight. Group thinking. Decisions consider the whole group, not only one business unit, which can slow or accelerate a deal sharply. Tech caution. Research on Indian family businesses by Inc42 describes growth-driven but technology-cautious attitudes, which means proof and references matter. Academic work such as the Indian School of Business research on family business groups offers background on how these groups are structured. Sponsor authority compared: Silicon Valley vs family-run Indian groups Factor Silicon Valley VP Indian family business promoter Budget ownership Often in the VP’s own budget Often approved at group or promoter level Who evaluates The VP’s team Managers, CIO or professional CEO What builds trust Data, ROI case, peer reviews Personal credibility, references, introductions Typical blocker Competing priorities and budget timing No access to the final decision-maker Commitment signal Signed order form Promoter or senior leadership endorsement, then paperwork How do you secure a real commitment from a promoter-led company? Ask the authority question early. “Who gives the final nod on a decision of this size?” is polite and effective. Arrange a senior-to-senior meeting. Your founder or most senior leader meets the decision-maker with the sponsor’s backing. Use a trusted introducer. A mutual contact, existing client or advisor opens doors more reliably than outreach. Give the sponsor a promoter-ready summary. One page covering outcome, risk, cost, and references in plain language. Confirm the paperwork route. Once approval is verbal, ask who triggers legal, security and procurement. What if you cannot reach the promoter? Work through the professional CEO or CIO, and ask them to describe what the promoter will want to see. Prepare that material in advance. FAQ Who makes the final software buying decision in an Indian family-owned business? It varies, but for significant spend the final approval often rests with the promoter or a small family group, while managers and a professional CEO run the evaluation. Ask early who gives the final nod. How is selling to a US VP different from selling to an Indian business promoter? US VPs typically own a budget and follow a defined buying process. Promoters weigh trust, references and group-level considerations, so you need senior access and credible introductions. How do I get a meeting with a promoter or business owner? Use warm introductions from mutual contacts, existing customers, advisors or community events. Ask your internal sponsor to request the meeting and prepare a short, outcome-focused briefing. Conclusion Do not mistake enthusiasm for authority. In the US, test whether your VP owns the budget. In Indian family groups, find the person who gives the final nod, and get there through trusted introductions and a promoter-ready summary. Need warm introductions to promoter-led enterprises? Join The Builders Club. References and further reading Gartner Sales Survey: 67% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free experience (2026) Gartner: The B2B buying journey and how to optimise it Business Today: Why Indian business families are hiring professional CEOs Inc42: Indian family businesses are growth-driven but tech-cautious Indian School of Business: Family business groups in India About the author: Sohail Khan is Founder and Director of The Builders Club, a professional community of 35,000+ founders and CXOs across India, UAE, Singapore and the US.

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November 2, 2026 No Comments

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