The Healthy Company: Devansh Jain Nawal on AI Health Coaching and Superfoods
What happens when you combine a 50kg weight loss journey with a 99.96 percentile in CAT? You get Devansh Jain Nawal, the Founder of The Healthy Company. Devansh famously turned down admissions from IIM Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Calcutta to pursue his startup mission: helping millions of Indians achieve their health goals through a data-driven combination of AI coaching and superfoods.
Devansh's journey is deeply personal. As an 18-year-old, he weighed 128 kilos. By the time he entered the ELI Podcast studio, he was a fit 78 kilos. "My co-founder Ackshay and I have both been on similar journeys," Devansh shares. "The Healthy Company started by simply sharing what worked for us—figuring out how to make sustainable, permanent health changes without the misery of traditional dieting."
The 'Paycheck' Addiction
Devansh believes the biggest hurdle for Indian entrepreneurs is the 'mentality of safety.' "We buy into the narrative that jobs are safe and startups are risky. But covid showed us that jobs are just as risky. In a startup, your growth rate is much higher because you are the support system for everything. You're forced to evolve faster than any corporate role could ever demand."
AI Coaching Meets Superfood Nutrition
The Healthy Company operates on a twin-pillar model. First is Eva, an AI health coach app that understands your body's specific parameters and preferences. "Eva learns your lifestyle," Devansh explains. "If you can't diet on Sundays because you love cheat meals, Eva recognizes that and adjusts your remaining six days to compensate. It's about contextual learning, not rigid rules."
The second pillar is a range of proprietary Superfoods, including Spirulina-infused green teas and granola bars. These products are designed to boost metabolism and support health goals like weight loss, muscle gain, and managing lifestyle diseases like PCOD and thyroid. "India is a global hub for lifestyle diseases," Devansh notes. "We want to solve the core problem of longevity through accessibility and science."
The 'Piece of Paper' Product: Rethinking Education
A CAT topper himself, Devansh has a radical view on the current education system. He views many colleges as "factories of degrees." "The business model of a college is selling you a piece of paper—the degree—for lakhs of rupees. They focus on status signaling rather than execution," he argues. This philosophy is why he encourages students to learn from operators on platforms like YouTube rather than just academics with PhDs in entrepreneurship.
For Devansh, the true value of education is critical thinking and the ability to execute. By choosing his startup over the prestige of an IIM, he put his personal credibility on the line, a move that he says has made fundraising much easier because investors see his absolute commitment.
Devansh's Playbook for Founders
- Build for Sustainability: Assume you will never raise funds. If you can build a profitable, sustainable company from day one, fundraising becomes a "piece of cake."
- Solve for the Younger Demographic: Younger audiences care about aesthetics; older ones care about longevity. Understand which lever you are pulling for your customer.
- Hire for Accountability: Don't just look at skills. Hire people who feel they own the company. A person who is accountable will bridge any skill gap in three months.
- Start Early: When you're 21, the stakes are low. You don't have a family to feed yet. You can afford to fail three times before finding what works.
A Profitable Path to Impact
In just over a year since its June 2019 launch, The Healthy Company acquired 20,000 paying customers and clocked over ₹2 crores in annual revenue—all while remaining EBITDA positive. This focus on profitability and customer value attracted marquee investors like Venture Catalysts and the founders of Bodo. Looking ahead, Devansh aims to scale The Healthy Company into a global health-tech powerhouse, proving that sustainable habits and smart technology can solve the world's most common health challenges.
Impact at a Glance
- Customer Base: 20,000+ paying customers within the first year.
- Growth: Over ₹2 Crores in annual revenue, maintaining profitability.
- Innovation: Patented superfood recipes and AI-driven coaching (Eva).
About the Guest
Devansh Jain Nawal is the Founder of The Healthy Company. A computer science graduate from NSIT Delhi, Devansh is a unique blend of a techie and a fitness visionary. After a personal transformation losing 50kg, he dedicated his career to health innovation. He has multiple research publications in AI and Augmented Reality and is a CAT topper who chose the entrepreneurial grind over the traditional MBA route. Devansh is a prominent voice in the Indian startup community, advocating for risk-taking and sustainability.
The Healthy Company is a pioneering health-tech startup that combines biotechnology with artificial intelligence. By offering a range of clinically proven superfoods alongside a personalized AI health coach, the company empowers individuals to achieve their fitness and wellness goals sustainably, making healthy living accessible to the modern Indian consumer.