How do you enter the world's most complex healthcare market?
Vast market → 5 target states, 7 channels, first 100 customers
The problem
A Singapore-based AI startup had developed birth defect screening technology with real potential in India. What they didn't have was a strategy for entering a market of 1.4 billion people, wildly different healthcare systems, and complex regulatory landscapes. The conventional advice (target major metros, build brand awareness, scale gradually) would have burned their runway chasing the wrong customers.
What I did
Built a market entry strategy from scratch using PCPNDT Act registration data as an unconventional TAM proxy. Developed a multi-factor scoring model across healthcare infrastructure and market readiness indicators to identify 5 priority states. Mapped 7 distinct acquisition channels and built a detailed database of the first 100 target customers: not just names, but decision-maker contacts, AI readiness scores, and warm introduction pathways.
Outcomes
What I learned
India's complexity is a feature. You get to choose which markets to play in rather than being forced into one competitive arena.
Hospitals already using healthcare AI became the highest-value target list. Selling AI to AI users is easier than selling to sceptics.
Constraints force clarity. Limited runway forced us to choose, and that constraint produced a better strategy than unlimited resources would have.
Got a similar problem?
Tell me what you're working on. I'll tell you if it's a fit.
Prefer email? workwithakshatkharbanda@gmail.com →