Rahul Gannamani, Co-Founder of Ancora
"We are a Groningen-based company with our HQ there.
Founded in Groningen and the Launch Café were some of the organisations that initially supported us.
The local university’s investment board was one of the first investors in Ancora Health. We’ve also received grants and support from the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG).
We also have significant ties in this region that helped us grow through their network or financial support."
Rahul Gannamani is a co-founder of Ancora Health, and the idea behind the start-up is to offer preventive health programs and empower individuals to take ownership of their health. Rahul started to work on the idea of Ancora Health in 2018, together with a fellow medical student and his godfather.
Rahul talked to The Northern Times about his experience on building a business in Groningen.
What's your start-up about?
"We were founded with the vision of adding 5 million healthy years to the community within 5 years via digital lifestyle therapeutics. We started out in 2018. I founded Ancora together with a fellow medical student and my godfather who is our CEO. We asked: How can we empower individuals to take ownership of their health?"
What's your connection to Groningen?
"We are a Groningen-based company with our HQ there. Founded in Groningen and the Launch Café were some of the organisations that initially supported us.
The local university’s investment board was one of the first investors in Ancora Health. We’ve also received grants and support from the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). We also have significant ties in this region that helped us grow through their network or financial support."
How did you overcome your biggest challenge?
"By listening to the market. Initially, our challenge was about who was going to adopt our proposition. We learned that there was a demand from employers to offer employee wellbeing, so we pivoted towards business to business.
We’re seeing interest from the government and insurance companies, so we’re preparing to launch public health programmes. The biggest challenge in preventative healthcare platforms is: How do you get enough users? Who is going to pay for it? You need to look at your stakeholders, fine-tune your proposition, and address needs."
What advice do you have for a startup working in your field?
"Dream big! Think about how you can sell the proposition from the beginning. But build that proposition around the person you are serving. Then if you really want to become a fast-growing startup you need to scale up.
Personally, since I’m in my 20s I found it important to have mentors and work with an experienced team. If you’re coming to Groningen, identify your key stakeholders which are potentially the university or the medical center. There are several partners in the ecosystem."
The article was originally published in The Northern Times. Article and interview by Christoph Schwaiger.
