The post-pandemic world has seen a significant shift in priorities, with animal nutrition and healthcare emerging as rapidly growing areas of focus. It isn’t just about pampering our beloved pets; it’s a deep commitment to the well-being of all animals, ensuring their health and optimal nutrition, from furry companions to livestock.

At the forefront of this compassionate revolution stands Dr Deepak Pandey, Founder and CEO of Biophilia Healthcare. More than just a leader, Dr Pandey is a beacon of transformation. Biophilia Healthcare embodies his unwavering dedication to providing all animals, from cherished pets to vital livestock, with the exceptional nutritional and healthcare services they deserve.

Dr Pandey unveils his vision! An exclusive interview with CIOLook India dives deep into Dr Pandey’s plans for his foundation, its current innovative approach, and its trajectory for the future.

As a rising startup in the industry, could you take us back to the beginning of your journey? What motivated you to step into this dynamic ecosystem?

I always had a stern belief that I would do justice to my passion for Animal Nutrition and Healthcare only when I had my own company. However, you try not to leave your comfort zone of a secure job. However, the uncertain times during COVID-19 gave me the opportunity to explore the endless possibilities in Animal Nutrition and Healthcare with the foundation of Biophilia Healthcare. Where most other companies focused on cost-cutting and reducing technical services for the customers, we concentrated on our passion.

Biophilia Healthcare has emerged as India’s rising startup company. Could you share the guiding philosophy that has propelled your organization’s success?

I believe in these traits of our organisation story so far:

• Freedom – To the individuals to express their passion.
• Accountability – Each member is accountable for their actions and results.
• Honesty- Any task should be done with 100% honesty, irrespective of the outcome.
• Empathy- Feeling empathetic towards customers, stakeholders and team members improves the overall credibility.
• Product offerings should be based on the gap in the market and customer needs rather than only competitor portfolio analysis.

The startup landscape is continually evolving. Please brief our audience about your firm’s USPs and how you are currently positioned as one of the best startups.

We are very closely associated with our customers, viz., working closely with Key account customers, identifying their bottlenecks, and providing them holistic solutions and options to improve their ROI (solutions not necessarily our products but also competitors’ if need be). This helps build trust amongst customers.

We provide solutions that suit the animals’ needs and requirements and work towards sustainable sourcing and product offerings.

Our very flexible approach to adapting to changes or feedback received from the market allows us to tailor our product offerings to customers’ current needs.

By treating our stakeholders, especially suppliers and employees, as Kings makes our task and job easy.

Your inspiring leadership style is often recognized as a driving force behind Biophilia Healthcare’s achievements. Could you explain your approach to leadership and team building within the organization? 

• Identifying the potential in an individual and giving them responsibility.
• Polishing the skill levels of team members and preparing them for the next available responsibility.
• Breeding a culture of Entrepreneurship within the organisation, a few of our senior members are also the company’s distribution partners.
• Trust that individuals are free to fail once and learn from it. Such an environment makes individuals more secure.

The essence of startup lies in innovation, disruptions, and enhancing the end-user experience. How does Biophilia Healthcare strike a balance between operational efficiency and customer satisfaction?

Innovation is how we work with customers – detailed fieldwork at a commercial dairy farm requires a complete audit extending from three to four hours per farm per visit with no intention of selling the product but creating a need and automatic demand for products through the recommended solution.

Disruption would be a few products we made from raw materials locally sourced from India, which were earlier imported from other countries.

Our few loyal Customers in Punjab motivated us to start our own customised nutrition supplement premix facility in November last year, which is a badge of honour for us in terms of customer satisfaction.

Word-of-mouth activity has helped us gain new customers month after month.

Digitalization and technological advancements are crucial aspects of the modern startup ecosystem. How does Biophilia Healthcare integrate these principles into its core functioning and contribute to a technovative future?

Our team members are all equipped with a technical kit that includes modern electronic tools and devices to measure blood glucose, ketone bodies, urine pH, feed moisture content, feed toxin levels, cow comfort levels at dairy farms, and milk quality parameters.

All sales members are equipped with iPad tablets for product discussion or concept demonstration at the farm.

Online training and meetings are regular patterns of our work.

Our reporting structures, expense statements, order books, and invoices are all paperless and automated, enabling swift execution and fewer manual interventions.

The workforce is the cornerstone of any successful organization. How does your company foster a culture of growth, skill development, and empowerment among its employees?

• Regular training online plus quarterly training at their headquarters
• Technical consultants visit the field every bi-monthly at headquarters.
• Experts from European countries visit every six months.
• Visits to expos and trade fairs in India and abroad give employees a good understanding of their work’s scope and development.

As a leader in India’s rising startup sector, your company has likely faced its share of challenges. Could you share an instance where your team’s resilience and ingenuity triumphed over adversity?

I would narrate a time during the second lockdown during COVID-19 when we had only six months of experience. Work-from-home doesn’t work in sales and customer-facing roles.

We used the opportunity to improve the team’s technical skills through extensive training. Then, we built upon our portfolio and planned to launch 6-8 products in successive months after lockdown.

Even with zero sales and zero payment receipts for three months in 2021, we could still keep our team together and perform well in the later part of FY 21-22.

Team members were resilient in their approach, and we got business later when MNC giants were struggling, winding up business verticals and downsizing headquarters.

Startups are a way for the Indian industry to accelerate its young entrepreneurial potential and capacity. What would you advise other rising entrepreneurs who aspire to venture into the startup space?

If you are already working somewhere, work on your KRA objectives, thinking that you have put your money at stake in the organisation. You should feel the pain if objectives are unmet. Take as much responsibility as possible and learn as much as you can. You still don’t lose anything but earn your salary along with your learning.

I have seen people take their jobs for granted and avoid changing their roles or departments when working as employees.

Once you have decided that now you will start your start-up journey, be prepared to enjoy yourself on rollercoasters; the more you enjoy surprises and challenges, the more fruitful your entrepreneurship journey will be. Don’t come with any Plan B. It’s all Plan A only- if it doesn’t work, make a new Plan A but No Plan B. Ride in only one boat and let there be only one Door open for you to go. It’s a game of Patience and no overnight success. ‘Entrepreneurship is a Marathon run with unexpected Hurdles’.

You need to trust and be empathetic toward others. This will help you align others with your goal and build a good team. Make Sharing a hobby—information, knowledge, and collective success.

Looking to the future, what is your vision for Biophilia Healthcare? How do you aspire to continue making a significant impact on India’s rising startup landscape?

We want to be known as Solution-Driven Animal Nutrition MNCs in and out of India, offering customer-centric and sustainable solutions to make India the hub of Animal products and byproducts globally.

We always prefer and support small or new startup companies as our vendors or suppliers. In the future, we will surely associate with and support some young companies and work out synergy to foster collective growth.

For more information, contact Dr Deepak Pandey at feedback@biophiliahealthcare.com or +919821521529.