In a conversation with Manan and Divya, Founders of UnderControl

We think the same way a diabetic does: Founders of UnderControl on starting the new venture for diabetics

A quote by Vance Havner states, “The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs.” That’s what Manan Chowdhry and Divya Chowdhry (Founders of UnderControl) believe and that is how they started their new venture dedicated to diabetics in India. 

In a conversation with Growthbeats.in, Manan and Divya talk about their vision, mission, and challenges. Read on to know more.

What is Under Control?

Undercontrol is a ‘Boutique Indian Online Pharmacy’ that focuses on diabetes and particularly Type 1 Diabetes. We are unlike other pharmacies in the fact that we don’t keep a stock of medicines, to begin with. There is so much that goes on, besides medicines when it comes to Type 1 Diabetes. We focus on products that can help improve the everyday lifestyle of people and caregivers living with T1D.

How did you get the idea to create UnderControl?

Through our own experience. We are T1D caregivers and have seen firsthand what it takes to manage diabetes every day. The idea came from the fact that we were tired of asking friends and family to bring products from their travels overseas. Also, the fact that there was no single resource on the internet in India, from where we could order our monthly supplies and also get to know about other products that could help us better. So we started talking to a few of the brands that we now work with and shared our ideas with them. To our pleasant surprise, everybody almost instantly understood what we were talking about and agreed to support us. That’s when we understood that we might be able to make a difference.

What do you want to achieve with UnderControl?

It's not so much about achievement as it is about facilitating for everyone. We as T1D parents have been supported tremendously by our T1D community, during the early days and every day since then. Talk to any T1D or T1D parent on the planet and one thing that will stand out is the fact that we are always willing to support each other. If we could, we would go out and find a cure for T1D but as you can imagine, that is easier said than done. So, we do the next best thing. Each one of us is uniquely able. Some of us help each other understand fitness, some help with understanding diets, some are available 24x7 to advise during an emergency, some raise money for the underprivileged, some donate to charities, some have started NGO’s to spread awareness, some help us figure out looping, some teach us carb counting, some are our diabuddies and all of us, are each other’s pillars of strength. We understand supply chain and logistics. So what we decided to do was, to bring products from around the world to India, so nobody has to hesitate about what they are buying and who they are buying from. Now all people living with T1D in India can feel confident knowing that there’s someone from our community on the job making sure the product reaches us ethically and conveniently. We feel UnderControl is the role we have been assigned to play for our community and we hope we can do it justice.

How is Under control different from other Diabetes related e-commerce websites?

To be honest, a website is just a website, a means of communication or facilitation. What's different is what you communicate, what you facilitate and that is where we are different. Our website is geared more towards the daily routine of diabetes. Everything that we do from sourcing to creating content, we try to answer one simple question, “How are we reducing the stress or pressure of the person we are doing this for?”. All brands and products that are available and will be available on UnderControl serve a specific purpose in the everyday routine of a diabetic. Any product that we feel doesn’t add value to our guiding question, is not added to the catalogue. We understand intimately that diet plays an important role in our everyday lives. You won’t find products like diabetic-friendly atta, dal, chawal, or products that claim to be sugar-free. Instead, we have an entire section dedicated to ‘Recipes you can cook at home. We encourage freshly prepared food at home as it’s healthier for obvious reasons when compared to packaged stuff, and also the fact that you know what’s going into your meals so makes counting carbs and dosing insulin a lot easier. So you see, why we are ‘different' from other diabetes businesses is because ‘we think the same way a diabetic does’.

What are the challenges you are facing on this journey? How are you planning to deal with them?

One unique challenge that we have posed for ourselves is that we don’t want to resort to conventional marketing or advertising tactics. We feel that UnderControl belongs to the community and the only reason for it to exist is if it serves the community. We also strongly believe in the power of stories. When people share their stories they inspire others, give them strength in ways you wouldn't imagine, and make them feel like they belong. We’ve introduced a program that marries these beliefs interestingly. We call it ‘Heroes’. The way we look at things, every T1D is a hero. There is a dedicated ‘Heroes’ page on our website where we’ll be sharing the profiles and stories of a select few heroes for everyone to be inspired by. The ‘UncerControl Heroes’ will not just share the story of their journey but will also host and participate in events ranging from discussions to meets to anything that inspires us to live better.

Where do you see your company in the next 5 years?

Right here! A part of T1D India. Impacting and facilitating a change in the daily lives of our diabetic heroes.

Any message for T1Ds?

Wait till you see all the cool stuff that we are bringing to India. You’re gonna love it!

You can check what they are doing on their website and Instagram.