It is always said that the great thing about Ayurveda is that its treatments always yield side benefits and not side effects. It is the focus on these very benefits that propelled Ram N Kumar to establish Nirog Street, the first ever Ayurveda tech startup in the country in June 2016. It is a unique concept in the Ayurveda healthcare ecosystem. The company is striving to make Ayurveda the first call of treatment for people. Their technology-driven platform provides access to authentic Ayurveda doctors on a global scale.
Personal struggle paves the way
It was when Ram himself suffered through sever health issues after being diagnosed with Hepatitis C that he truly understood the importance of Ayurveda. When the western medicine failed to work, he shifted the course to Ayurveda. It took him almost 6 months to respond to the Ayurvedic treatment and 3 years to fully cure and become healthy again. While being bed-ridden and going through the treatment, he learnt about the issues the Ayurveda sector faces.
He asserts, “What I realized was that people trust Ayurveda but they don’t trust its doctors and the medicines, and this is the biggest problem facing the Ayurveda industry. It dawned upon me that I needed to solve this problem of trust. This was the most compelling reason that led me to the realization of my vision.”
This led to the birth of Nirog Street. Mr. Kumar worked as a software engineer and was running his own venture. He also worked in the knowledge industry as a director of a think tank for almost a decade. It gave him a much-needed experience to start and run a business successfully.
About the company
The website helps interested parties connect to reliable doctors, find clinics, buy medicine and offers a variety of treatment options. There is an ongoing collaboration with various experts, seasoned practitioners, and organizations to conduct CMEs (Continual Medical Education), digital webinars and discussion sessions.
An app called ‘NirogStreet for Ayurveda Doctors’ has been developed which aims to build an interactive, knowledge-oriented, and robust information sharing platform for the practitioners, academicians, and students. Focus is to implement best practices and deliver quality Ayurveda healthcare.

Fundings
NirogStreet rose its first funding of half million dollars from Spiral Ventures, a Japan based capital firm. The investment gave the platform a global exposure and an opportunity to become finalists at Hack Osaka Global Conference, 2019.
The platform further raised $2 million in a pre-series funding led by Wavemaker Partners and Amand Ventures. The startup said it will use the funding for deeper penetration, strengthen technology and digitalise supply chain. Kumar started his venture alone but soon was joined by his two Co-Founders, Mr. Abhishek Gupta and Ms. Shreya Jain.
Today, the platform has around 50,000 doctors using the app and website on a daily basis. It is also opening its offices in Varanasi and Kolhapur in addition to Delhi. It can be safely said that Nigro Street’s community-first approach leverages a wide network of practitioners and students to promote health and wellness in the society.
Also Read: Amrutam: The Digital Detox Brand with Ayurvedic Legacy