Leaning into the South-Asian cultural tradition of deep regard and care for the elderly, Anthony is the founder of burgeoning, new healthcare app NILA where the platform is notably partnered with Aviva: the internationally reputable medical and life insurance company. Drawing from his wealth of experience in the remittances industry, the well-attuned entrepreneur noticed that “a huge chunk of payments by immigrants were being made towards ensuring healthcare abroad as well as investments and living expenses.” Specifically, they: ‘spent around $850 billion globally each year. Healthcare payments represent a large proportion of that, around 10-15%.’ Anthony has also personally experienced the stress of arranging care at home, together with his sister, during the outbreak of Covid for grandparents who live in Sri-Lanka – Anthony’s country of origin. “I noticed that a lot of Indians, Nigerians and Sri-Lankans living in the UK and Canada were having a similar issue,” he commented. “We were thinking about our loved ones standing out in the open in long queues trying to get help and simply wanted a solution. We were having trouble finding referrals and finding qualified staff.”
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Anthony himself travels a significant amount for work so that he is on the move. The central goal then was ‘to build a platform that provided the same level of care and assurance as you would get if you were there yourself.’ This resulted in the digital healthcare management app that is NILA today: it is a streamlined effective option for ensuring quality care for families of NRIs abroad. Indeed, much of the genius lies in the integration of otherwise disparate specialist services such as organising qualified carers on the ground, individual finances, home visits and regular beneficial check-ups. “Essentially, it is a concierge-type system that is cost-effective and provides reliable quality care.” However, the founder also made sure to emphasise that NILA’s unique training is a fundamental component of the business and entrepreneurial model. “Our managers are trained in-house by the Nila team so that you know that loved ones are truly safe and that the care is reliable. Sorting payment is also simplified across currencies.”
In terms of the biggest challenge to launching NILA, Anthony mentioned being able to successfully co-ordinate teams over separate time zones. The app is operational in cities such as Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad, with plans to expand in the future. On the idea of what has been a common insight across the industries of remittances and healthcare, he commented: “I have found that word-of-mouth works very well when raising awareness. With my old job, for example, I would help people pay directly in dollars internationally. If the concept is genuinely trusted by the community, you will get more interest organically. We found that public figures had a lot of sway by extension as opposed to the odd Google ad.” As a corollary to this, the founder states being able to retain and grow one’s clientele as a marker of strong business: “at NILA, we often have people signing up for the simple plan who then go on to invest in a more complex one as they are incredibly satisfied with the service.”
Finally, not only does the app ‘bridge a gap’ between the customer and a pain point, but also pertinently highlights the disparity socially of the general acknowledgement of the wellbeing of the elderly that could be better addressed: the UK is currently in the middle of a social care crisis where there is an increasing aging population in great need but a lack of the availability of attendance. Here, Anthony commented on his personal motivation as rooted in South-Asian identity: “I do think that the idea of looking after our elders is considered respectful in culture and, in that sense, unique to our community. This is not as much the case typically in the West – it is not so normal to put family in a care home,” or indeed leave loved ones to fend for themselves. The app therefore not only demonstrates the power or technological progression but also that of global solidarity and the intimate exchange of innovation infrastructurally. Anthony demonstrates the remedial overhaul that can be found within Healthtech as a sector itself.
