A deeply personal loss led this inspiring scientist of India to change the face of breast cancer detection for the women all over the world.
We are honored to speak to Dr. Geetha Manjunath, Founder and CEO of Niramai Health Analytix, who developed a novel artificial intelligence-based medical device to detect breast cancer at a much earlier stage than traditional methods or self-examination.
Her mission – to take this test to every woman on this earth – and her values drive her every day, and she shares her experience of being a first-generation entrepreneur and building an impact focus enterprise with us.
Three amazing facts about Niramai Health Analytix which is revolutionising early-stage detection of breast cancer:
• A non-contact solution for early-stage detection of breast cancer is designed as a changing room experience. The thermal imager is placed three feet away from the person. The sensor captures images and temperatures of the chest. There is no contact, and there is a screen between the person and the technician. The whole process takes 10-15 minutes, after which a report is generated.
• The mission of NIRAMAI is to enable non-invasive technology enabled solutions for early detection of cancer. Thermalytix is a portable screening test which ensures patient privacy and also offers a painless experience with accurate results.
• Making early detection more accessible with “Easy Launch Kits”. A special ‘Starter Kit’ is offered on daily rent to social organizations, and partner cancer societies enabling them to provide accurate breast cancer screening services to their communities.
What led you to creating Niramai? How has this journey changed since you launched and how has it changed you?
A very deep personal experience shook my well settled life. My cousin, Bharti, who was just 42 years old was diagnosed with breast cancer, but unfortunately too late. This was the turning point for me which led me to quit my job and dive deep in to researching the situation around breast cancer.
I started this journey into this completely unknown territory with one dream; I wanted to solve this problem. I believe God made me want to take up this path at this point of my life.
My focus has been on fulfilling my mission, my vision and also keep building up the company and the team. Over the years, my leadership style has transformed as we grew, and I have learnt to place more confidence in my leadership.
Niramai has received wide acclaim and recognition since its launch. What does this success mean to you?
From day one till today, my purpose and calling has always been on creating an impact focused enterprise. The success, rewards, recognitions and other ‘values’ as people might perceive, matter very little compared to the value I want to create – which is to find a solution for the women of this world.
I am grateful to every recognition, award and accolade we have received and to those who granted us these recognitions. These awards and recognition by our community and peers have given us wider acceptance and also reinforced our belief in our work.
I see Niramai’s success as a vehicle that takes us faster to our goal of reaching out to every woman on this earth and finding more acceptance with our community.
Every award is a testimony to our belief and standards as we have invested heavily in building our business according to global benchmarks in health. Niramai Quality Management Processes are certified to be compliant with ISO 13485 and MDSAP. We follow good clinical practices, comply with information security and data privacy policies, as per EU GDPR and US HIPAA requirements. Results of multiple clinical studies comparing Thermalytix with current standards of care have been published in peer reviewed conference/journals. The results from these clinical trials indicate very high accuracy of Thermalytix that is non-inferior to X-Ray Mammography in general, and 25% better sensitivity than mammography in women with dense breasts.
What motivates you every day to wake up and do what you do?
There is an opportunity for us to reach out to and save thousands of lives everyday with our early-stage breast cancer detection solution.
I wake up with this thought and this drives me and my team to go out and reach out to those women. We know what we are offering is serving a huge need, it is credible, it is working, and we want to continue to serve women. The potential and this goal make me stay strong, stand tall and overcome all hurdles, manage all obstacles, and keep serving.
As a first-generation entrepreneur, what challenges have you faced and overcome in launching and building your company?
Building a company on tech innovation, which Niramai is, meant that everything was new, because we are innovating a solution that never existed. So every step was a new step, be it functions, processes and even the problems I came across.
For me another challenge was to manage my time building a sustainable organisation, adhering to the highest global standards which was key, and creating a leadership team, at the same time.
As a sole founder, I also had to take care of the funding, expansion and operational side of work and at the same time lead the big picture, which tested me. But also my journey made me a more confident and assertive leader who took knowledge-based decisions.
What is your decision-making style and how do you manage the extra pressure felt by sole founders?
At times it feels daunting that everything stops at you and you are the only one who must have, know, and share all the answers. There is a good side to it also because as a founder, who is driven by your vision, you see the light at the end of the tunnel, even in the most difficult of times.
I built a process of step-by-step and scientific approach when it comes to decision making either independently or with my teams. This involves brainstorming, evaluating all perspectives and rationale, writing down our reasonings, rationale and situation analysis and giving it the time it deserves.
I am a consultive – collaborative decision maker and I delegate decisions, involve my key team in the decision making process and I place high value on listening to different perspectives that come from my great team and advisors.
Working with a trusted team towards a knowledge and fact-based consensus help drive me towards the best decision and we collectively invest a good amount of time in brainstorming and referring to our big picture strategy, and this helps in reaching the optimal decision.
Founders need to be aware of the balance between urgent vs critical decisions and the dilemma of taking too much time in reaching a good decision.
How much does passion count in building a business?
My own journey of building Niramai stemmed from a very personal experience. I believe passion is very important, but passion alone is not enough. Passion needs to be directed towards your purpose, your target end user, the solution you are building and knowing WHY you are doing it.
One needs to have intrinsic faith in the work you are doing, perseverance, the resilience to face failures and continue and an ability to take risks. All these qualities play an equally important part in making a successful business owner.
The business needs a strong and balanced commercial business model, and a collaborative approach towards reaching your path, especially in healthcare. The founders also need a cultivate a sense of collaboration and sharing their innovation with other organisations and people who can accelerate your impact.
Last and not least, building a team and have the ability to instil the purpose, values and passion in the team and developing a collective vision for the organisation is key to building a sustainable organisation.
What are three pieces of advice for women who are dreaming of building their first business?
• Eyes on your goal, passion and purpose. Put all your energy, time, creativity and resources into that one vision and ignore everything else. Keep your mind away from thinking of situations you might face being a woman, being a minority in a male dominated sector, or being a sole founder.
• Think of what you know; and not what you do not know. We tend to focus more on what we do not know or may not know. This keeps us in a loop of self-doubt and limits our capabilities. Make a conscious effort to distance yourself from the self-bias and doubts which women are prone to playing in their mind. Upgrade and strengthen your skills and learn what you do not know or delegate it and focus on your strong points.
• Learn to take care of your priorities on an everyday basis. Everyday your priority will change and evolve. One day this will be your child, another day it will be your business. You need to be free and open in understanding that you cannot do everything everyday all the time. You may feel the guilt of not doing it all however, accept this as a part of your life and release the guilt. Instead, be aware and proud of what you are managing everyday and this peaceful and positive state of mind will help you give your 100% and stay motivated.
For more information on Dr. Geetha Manjunath and her ground breaking innovation, visit: https://www.niramai.com/
