This is the founding story behind iksa.ai, as told by Shaurya. Inspired by personal experiences navigating fragmented healthcare systems and a deep passion for bridging the health gap through previous healthcare ventures and consulting, the CEO’s career has been shaped by a commitment to improving patient outcomes and physician engagement. Now, with iksa.ai, a personalized, AI-driven platform, the mission is clear: to transform how care is delivered, ensuring that patients no longer fall through the cracks and healthcare becomes proactive, not reactive.
The health gap isn’t just about access—it’s about the millions of patients who fall through the cracks. Especially for those with chronic illnesses and rare diseases, care needs to extend far beyond the clinic. These patients require ongoing, personalized support throughout their treatment journey. Yet, the current system isn’t built to deliver that level of care. This is something I’ve experienced firsthand.
I’ve seen my own family navigate the fragmented and complex world of chronic illness, comorbidities, and treatment paths. From coronary artery disease to Parkinson’s, from breast cancer to COPD, I’ve witnessed how difficult it can be to access consistent, effective care. Between my grandparents, I’ve seen them move through dozens of doctors, hundreds of medications, and endure miscommunications and broken trust—constantly unsure if they were receiving the right support at the right time.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the exception—it’s the norm. It’s the reality for millions of families globally, particularly in emerging markets like India. The healthcare system often isn’t incentivized to fix this problem—especially in India, where revenue is largely driven by in-patient care, rather than proactive, preventive support. Patients are left without a safety net, falling through the cracks as they navigate a system that prioritizes sporadic adjustments to treatment over consistent, ongoing care.
From early on, I knew that bridging the health gap would be at the core of my work. In 2009, I founded MDJunior, a social enterprise that mobilizes young changemakers and medical professionals across eight countries, impacting over 10,000 patients. This was my first step in understanding how healthcare systems fail—and more importantly, how they can be fixed through personalized, proactive care across the continuum.
This ethos has guided every step of my career. At McKinsey & Company, I worked within the global Healthcare and Pharma practice, helping some of the largest pharmaceutical companies and health systems navigate large-scale digital transformations. It was here that I dove into the dynamics between pharma, physicians, and patients and realized just how disconnected these systems were from the real drivers of patient and physician engagement. The core problem? Incentives weren’t aligned with patient outcomes.
As I transitioned into advising high-growth Pharma Tech companies, in both Commercial and R&D domains, similar challenges emerged. There was a clear and urgent need for software solutions that aligned all stakeholders—patients, physicians, and pharma—toward a common goal: improving health outcomes. But no solution truly bridged that gap sustainably.
While the digital therapeutics and software-as-a-medical-device spaces moved forward our thinking around digital health, app-based interfaces didn’t meet the bar for engaging patients where they are. Healthcare is fundamentally human-to-human, built on trust, and task-based applications added complexity rather than simplifying the journey. But also, the challenge wasn’t just technological—it was about creating a model that aligns patient outcomes with top-line value for all stakeholders involved, and doing this at scale and at cost.
That realization brought me to India, where I knew real change could happen. India’s healthcare system is at a pivotal moment, driven by a confluence of factors—from government initiatives to regulatory changes to quickly evolving market dynamics—creating the perfect environment for innovation and disruption. In the most early stages of iksa, I spent months on the ground working directly with hospitals, governmental and non-governmental agencies, pharma companies, health tech companies, consulting companies, and conducting field research with hundreds of physicians, patients, and operators across the healthcare value chain. What we found was clear: physicians were overburdened, and patients were falling off their treatment plans once they left the clinic. This was not solely a patient problem, or a physician problem… it was a systematic problem—and the driving force behind iksa.ai.
The word “iksa” comes from “iksana,” meaning to see or observe with the utmost care and clarity. This principle drives everything we do at iksa.ai. Our mission is to bridge the health gap by providing personalized, AI-driven support for both patients and physicians.
90% of chronic disease care happens outside the clinic visit. (World Health Organization)
Our platform is designed to support that critical 90%—the often neglected part of the patient journey.
Our AI, trained on over 60 million patient interactions and 100,000+ parameters, delivers real-time, personalized support through reminders, behavioral nudges, and continuous monitoring. But this isn’t just about patients—physicians are central to our approach. We offer doctors a tool that integrates seamlessly into their workflow, reducing administrative burdens and enabling them to focus on what matters most: patient care.
Our AI isn’t static—it continuously learns from each interaction, refining and improving care pathways. Importantly, this happens in a clinically validated and compliant environment, eliminating the risks associated with generative AI. Every recommendation is based on evidence-based care, ensuring the highest standards of safety and compliance.
We’ve built iksa.ai as a complete solution that not only supports patients but also aligns pharma, physicians, and patients toward better health outcomes. It’s about creating a proactive system where all stakeholders work together to provide continuous, personalized support for chronic illness and complex disease management.
India’s healthcare ecosystem is at a critical turning point, and we believe that AI-driven, personalized care will be at the forefront of this transformation. By partnering with pharma companies, we’re setting a new standard—one where patients are supported continuously, physicians are empowered, and health outcomes are optimized in real-time.
At iksa.ai, we’re not just building technology—we’re building a bridge. A bridge that ensures patients no longer fall through the cracks, that physicians have the tools they need to provide proactive care, and that pharma can commercialize their therapeutics with both clinical and financial impact. Our mission is to close the gaps that have existed for too long, and we are excited for what we will accomplish—together, for generations to come.
.png)
.png)
