Sangopan Tendercare, a finalist at the NICE Aarohana Business Plan Competition (BPC) – Early Stage, is a digital platform that helps moms-to-be and new moms. Sangopan aims to be a “Guardian Angel” for the mother and baby during pregnancy & motherhood.
Featuring Sangopan Tendercare on NICE Stories.
Why was the founder motivated to start an enterprise to support moms-to-be and new moms? How did she set up the business? What is the Sangopan mission? Read on.
Meet the Founder
Tejashree Joshi, a commerce postgraduate, has worked in the medical transcription sector for several years before finding her passion as a Mompreneur with Sangopan. Sangopan’s story is closely linked to Tejashree’s motherhood journey.
Motivation to Start Sangopan Tendercare
I dealt with several challenges when navigating the pregnancy and motherhood journey. From dealing with three miscarriages to finding the right therapist for postnatal massage to getting the right guidance when I needed it. Sangopan was born from these experiences.
An expecting mother may have all the medical attention around her, but what is missing is the 24/7 support and guidance and someone empathetic who understands what the mother needs.
I intended to align and structure all that is required in the prenatal and postnatal phases for a mother & baby. I envisioned serving them in the comfort of their home.
My Calling
Helping mothers with their holistic health is a passion and a calling for me. Motherhood is a subject I care about deeply. I am the founder CEO and also the “Chief Empathy Officer” for the mothers that I work with.
Having stayed and worked in various cities both in India and North America, I am familiar with the challenges of a working mother and the support available from the healthcare systems.
At Sangopan, our mission is to make the motherhood journey as smooth sailing as possible!
Business Timeline and Growth
I started Sangopan in 2011 as a therapy services firm soon after the birth of my second daughter. The decision was triggered by the challenges I had faced during my pregnancy and the previous experiences. In 2015, we set up our operations in Hyderabad and incorporated a private limited company.
In 2020, we launched our digital consultation platform and expanded our scope of services. Our digital services are available pan India now.
We are proud to have served over 5000 mothers in Bangalore and Hyderabad with only a nominal spend on marketing. The business has grown because of strong customer word-of-mouth referrals.
We now offer corporate plans as well. We have formed partnerships with insurance companies and corporates to offer our services to their employees.
Sangopan Philosophy
Sangopan is a Sanskrit word that means ”to nurture a baby with love”.
Our philosophy is simple. We believe motherhood is a gift of nature, and nature has all the answers to the questions related to motherhood. We also believe health is not only about the physiology and symptoms related to the body.
We take a holistic approach to a mother’s health, focusing on her physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
Our coaching, counseling, consultation, and therapy services are anchored to the traditional Indian system of medicine as well as other holistic approaches that have been proven and practiced for hundreds of years.
What We Do
At Sangopan, we are focused on the health and wellness of mother and baby in their early stages of motherhood – the pre & postnatal stages. We bring home the ancient tradition of massage for the pregnant mom, newborn and just delivered mother.
We offer a set of curated services that include consultations, counseling and massage therapy services through a hybrid model, a combination of online and in-person service.
Our consultations related to Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Yoga and Pranayam, Garbhasanskar, diet and nutrition, psychological counseling, and Hypno-birthing.
We also offer massage therapy services offered at home for pre & postnatal phases. These services are offered individually and also via corporate plans.
Currently, our in-person services are available in Bangalore and Hyderabad. We are working to expand these to other cities in India and North America geography.
Funding and Investor Support
As an entrepreneur, the primary challenge is funding and investor support. The current investment patterns are geared up towards rapid growth, high tech sectors with lesser priority to businesses that have a high touch and high-emotional quotient like Sangopan.
We continue to work on getting the right type of investors for our growth story.
At the Core of Our Business
Over a period, I have come to learn the critical factors needed to build a sustainable business in this industry.
They are love, trust, human touch, and empathy towards the mother, baby, and equally towards our employees. These will always be at the core of our business.
While Technology and Digital will help us scale, they will largely remain as enablers and cannot replace the factors that are at the heart of Sangopan.
Overcoming Challenges
The pandemic was an unprecedented event of adversity and presented several challenges for our high-touch business. Our business reduced to less than 25% of pre-Covid times!
We utilized the slowdown to launch the digital consultation platform that allowed us to offer services through our mobile App.
I continue to rely on the three Ps that have worked for me in the past:
- Passion
- Patience
- Perseverance
Those are the keys to long-term success for any enterprise, and especially so for a cultural enterprise.
Our Experiences with NICE Org – Network of Indian Cultural Enterprises
NICE Org is a much-awaited platform for cultural entrepreneurs like myself. I deeply appreciate the guidance and mentoring. The time taken by the accomplished individuals on this forum speaks of their selflessness and commitment.
It is motivating and inspiring to meet fellow entrepreneurs and understand their journeys – helps broaden my horizon and enriches my perspectives.
The opportunity to meet different investors is of course a significant part and while we are awaiting success on this front, we are hopeful and looking forward to a breakthrough.
At the NICE Aarohana Business plan competition
It was exciting and gratifying to be amongst the 10 finalists in the early stage category. Being a finalist increased our confidence and jury inputs helped us sharpen our plan. It also validated our thinking, direction, and the business model we have chosen.
We see a tremendous value in this forum and hope to continue to benefit from it in the future and contribute as much as we can.
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Calling Cultural Entrepreneurs
Have a cultural enterprise? Tell us what you do. Write to us at namaste@niceorg.in
Images from Sangopan
