‘Aveya’ by 29 Year Old Opens IVF Treatments to the Common (Wo) Man
Dr Sahil Gupta is that game changer who founded Aveya Fertility and IVF Center. According to Dr Gupta, “Infertility is on the rise in urban cities and we are noticing an increase in young couples with primary infertility. I am talking about couples less than 30 years old. We are noticing diminishing ovarian reserve and sperm quality due to urban lifestyle and stress and pollution.”
Couples aged between 22 and 40 come to Aveya for self cycles and couples aged over 50 seek Aveya for egg donation and surrogacy.
Here’s more from Dr Gupta:
Why did you decide to start Aveya IVF?
Typically IVF and fertility treatments in India are priced upwards of rupees 1.5 lakhs. It’s beyond the reach of common people making infertility treatments a luxury. Therefore, I launched Aveya in partnership with a German (Dr. Markus Nitzhscke) and an Israeli partner (Doron Mamet) in 2015 with the hope of bringing affordable reproductive medicine to the common people. Our all inclusive treatments start at 35,000 rupees which is a fraction of conventional IVF center prices. We see patients from the poorest backgrounds who are now able to afford IVF because of Aveya. At the same time, we have success rates that are comparable to the top centers in the US and Europe.
Share with us what’s special about Aveya and how it’s different from its competitors?
This venture is special because it has opened IVF treatment to the common man! You don't need to spend lakhs of rupees to get IVF done at Aveya.
Aveya is also special because we have a stable pregnancy rate of 55 to 60%; This VF has no injection and is a natural cycle so it’s painless and has no side effects, and no hidden charges or fees later on. That’s a big change from our competitors.
How did you manage to fund this idea?
Aveya was built on funds generated from previous successful infertility businesses that I founded in Nepal, Thailand and South Africa.
Tell us how the business has grown so far
We have seen a stable growth trajectory since August 2015, when we started with 3 IVF cycles. Currently, we see more than 400 patients in a month and around 50 IVF cycles each month, making us one of the busiest IVF centers in Delhi. Our revenue is more than a million dollars this year.
We are looking to grow and expand into 2 new cities every year. Next on our list is Ludhiana in Punjab and Muradabad in UP. We are mostly looking to expand in Tier 2 and 3 cities given our affordable and low cost IVF plans.
What is the market size and opportunity?
Market is huge. EY reports that the Indian IVF treatment market is expected to grow at a CAGR of about 20% from the current 100,000 cycles to 260,000 cycles in 2020.
Any challenges faced setting up? Anything unique to your situation?
Challenges that I face always has something to do with my age. I am 29 and it has its challenges when convincing doctors and senior management to join your project especially when there are multinational healthcare brands bringing IVF in India.
Share with us some best and worst memories while running Aveya
The best memories are always happy clients. I meet pregnant clients almost every day who struggled with treatment everywhere else and spent a lot of money but finally got pregnant at Aveya.
There aren't any worst memories as of now (and I hope there won't be). I consider low points as lessons. So no 'worsts' as yet.
