The Rise of Healthcare Startups in India

Explore how healthcare startups in India are solving for infrastructure gaps, lifestyle diseases, and digital health innovation. Discover the role of AI, B2C models, and government support in reshaping healthcare.

With over 1.4 billion people and counting, India is racing against time to fix a widening gap in its healthcare system. The numbers reflect this reality: India faces a shortfall of 2 billion square feet in healthcare infrastructure to support its 1.42 billion people, according to a report by Healthcare Asia Magazine, and that is where the crux of the problem begins.

Compounding this infrastructural gap is the growing disease burden. India is also considered the diabetes capital of the world owing to the number of people who are diagnosed with the condition, besides also clocking in the highest number of people with lifestyle-related disorders. This presents an obvious market for healthcare startups. There are a wide range of problems to be solved from fertility to blood glucose management.

In response, the startup ecosystem has begun to act. There were about 10,000 startups focused on healthcare in 2024— with most of them raising about $707 million in the first half of that year as compared to the $325 million they raised in the first half of 2023.

That being said, where are healthcare startups headed in the next few years?

The post-pandemic wave of startups

The COVID-19 pandemic left the world in a state of shock. Hospitals were laden with patients, healthcare systems were suppressed, and countries built massive graves for the first time as the pandemic took over the world. Naturally, after a shock of this magnitude, most people had a rethink about the status of their own health. This caused a natural boom in the number of startups. Here’s how that looked in a snapshot:

• Potential market opportunity: India’s healthcare market could generate $37 billion in revenue by 2030.
• Change in preferences: About 58% of the Indian population now seeks out healthier alternatives to traditional snacks in view of better healthier alternatives.
• Inclusion of tech-led solutions: Rise of tech-led solutions to healthcare issues like teleconsultations, health-tracking, e-pharmacies and more.
• Diversity in solutions; Some segments within healthcare have sustained post-pandemic activities like online medicine delivery, tele-consulting, and tech solutions for doctors and hospitals and other healthcare service providers.

This momentum has laid a strong foundation for the next phase of healthcare innovation in India. The question now is: which segments will lead the next wave—and who’s building for them?

The WeWork Labs take:

The COVID-19 pandemic was a turning point for India’s healthcare ecosystem. It sparked a wave of health consciousness and accelerated the rise of tech-led solutions—from teleconsultations to e-pharmacies. Today, India’s healthcare market is poised to hit $37 billion by 2030, with startups solving for everything from lifestyle disorders to digital diagnostics. As consumer behavior shifts and infrastructure gaps persist, healthcare innovation is no longer optional—it’s inevitable.

The new wave of healthcare startups

The micro-ecosystem of healthcare startups in India has now moved beyond telehealth consultations and e-pharmacies. There is now a greater focus on understanding other aspects of healthcare, including management of stress and lifestyle conditions. For instance, longevity is now a core focus for many healthcare startups. While on an ecosystem level, institutes like Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have set up incubators to double down on longevity as a focus, startups like Biopeak are using technology to bridge the gap between preventive medicine and personalised healthcare.

As far as solutions go, they skew more towards B2C (business to consumer) than B2B (business to business).

Here a simple snapshot to understand this better:

• B2C startups are seeing greater traction, given the nature of the sector being more consumer focused. The sector is currently dominated by the likes of PharmEasy, Practo, NetMeds, HealthifyMe.
• Meanwhile on the B2B end, companies like Onsurity healthcare membership to businesses on a monthly subscription basis.

As far disruptions go, most interventions currently in the market happen on a software level. While IoT devices and wearables make up for a chunk of the market, they do not outpace software solutions which aim to simplify and ease diagnostics and early detection of diseases like cancer.

The WeWork Labs take:

While giants like PharmEasy and HealthifyMe lead the charge, the B2B space is seeing emerging models like Onsurity’s healthcare subscriptions for businesses. Most disruptions remain software-led—focusing on diagnostics, early detection, and disease management—although wearables and IoT continue to grow in parallel.

Government initiatives and public policy

Post the pandemic, the government has shown greater interest in promoting health and wellness. In fact it has been a major driver of healthcare innovation. Here’s a quick snapshot of that:

• Through initiatives like the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), which aims to digitize health records and enable seamless health data exchange. This creates a robust framework for startups in telemedicine, data analytics, and personalized care—a trifecta that even startups are attempting to solve for.
• In the latest budget, the government placed a greater focus on education—giving greater impetus to education by expanding the number of seats available to 10,000 and calling for the establishment of 200 daycare centres.

That being said, there is still a long way to go with establishing the right infrastructure to enable success. India’s hospital bed-to-population ratio stands at only 1.3 beds per 1,000 people. To meet global standards, the country needs an additional 2.4 million beds, indicating a shortfall of 2 billion square feet in healthcare infrastructure for its 1.42 billion population, according to a report in Healthcare Asia.

Within rural areas, there are a large number of public hospitals in number but these institutions are underequipped and face a severe shortage of qualified doctors.

Also Read: role of work culture in startups

The WeWork Labs Take

India’s healthcare startup ecosystem is at a pivotal inflection point. Fueled by a rising disease burden, massive infrastructure gaps, and a post-pandemic surge in health consciousness, the sector is witnessing an urgent need—and growing appetite—for innovation. Startups are no longer just plugging holes in the system with teleconsultations or online pharmacies. They're reimagining healthcare with tech-led solutions in diagnostics, chronic condition management, and even longevity.

However, this wave of innovation cannot operate in isolation. The success of healthcare startups hinges on building a strong public-private partnership—one where government initiatives like the National Digital Health Mission align with startup capabilities to solve for access, affordability, and awareness. With a projected market of $37 billion by 2030 and increasing consumer demand, the opportunity is vast.

The next few years will define not just which startups lead, but how India redefines healthcare itself—for a billion and more.

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