Indian paediatric healthcare startup Primerry has raised ₹7.1 crore, or about $760,000, in a pre-seed funding round. The company wants to build a modern healthcare brand for children and make everyday health products easier for parents to trust and easier for children to use.
The startup was founded by Rushabh Nandu and Dr Nihar Parekh. The new capital will help Primerry strengthen its research and development pipeline, build its founding team and expand its distribution across important markets in India.
Primerry plans to offer healthcare products for children between the ages of 2 and 14. Its wider aim is to address everyday health needs with products that focus on taste, ease of use and clinical credibility.
The company sees a gap in the current market. Many child health products have used older formulas and a broad approach that does not always focus on the specific needs of children as they grow. Primerry wants to build its products around that age group instead.
Who is behind Primerry?
Primerry was founded by Rushabh Nandu and paediatrician Dr Nihar Parekh.
Their backgrounds bring together business and medical experience. Dr Parekh’s work with children helped him see some of the everyday problems that parents face when they try to manage basic health needs at home.
For many parents, giving a child a healthcare product can be difficult. Taste is one issue. A child may refuse a product because of its flavour or form. Ease of use is another concern. Parents also want to know what a product contains and whether it has a sound medical basis.
Primerry wants to address these concerns through its product design.
The company says its goal is to create products that children can use more easily while also giving parents confidence in their quality and purpose.
A focus on children aged 2 to 14
Primerry has chosen a clear age group for its products.
The company plans to serve children between 2 and 14 years old. This is a wide stage of childhood, with major changes in growth, diet, activity and health needs.
A two-year-old child has very different needs from a 14-year-old teenager. Their bodies, habits and ability to take medicines or supplements can differ greatly.
Primerry’s approach is based on the idea that products for children should take these differences into account.
The startup says it wants to create a portfolio of everyday healthcare products with a focus on taste, ease of use and clinical credibility.
This places the company in a space between healthcare and consumer products. The products need to meet health expectations, but they also need to work as products that children will actually accept.
Why taste matters for child healthcare
Giving a child a healthcare product is not always easy.
Children can be sensitive to taste, smell and texture. A product that an adult may find easy to take can be unpleasant for a young child.
This can create stress for both the child and the parent.
Primerry wants taste to be part of its product design rather than an afterthought. The company believes healthcare products for children should be easier and more pleasant to use.
This does not mean taste alone decides whether a product is useful. A child health product still needs an appropriate formula and sound clinical support.
Primerry therefore puts taste alongside clinical credibility and ease of use.
That combination forms a central part of its brand idea.
The company sees a gap in the market
Primerry says India’s paediatric healthcare market remains underserved by modern, parent-first brands.
The company believes many existing products rely on legacy, one-size-fits-all formulations. In its view, there is room for products designed specifically around the needs of growing children.
The startup wants to use this gap as its entry point.
Instead of creating products for a broad population, it plans to build a portfolio around children’s everyday health needs.
This approach may also help Primerry create a clear identity in a market where parents already have many choices.
The challenge will be to show that its products offer a meaningful difference rather than only a new brand name.
What the new funding will support
The ₹7.1 crore pre-seed round gives Primerry early capital for several areas of its business.
One major focus will be research and development. The company plans to strengthen its R&D pipeline as it builds its product range.
The money will also help Primerry build its founding team. A young healthcare company needs people across product development, science, operations, sales and distribution.
The third major area is market expansion. Primerry wants to build distribution across key markets in India.
For a consumer healthcare startup, distribution can be as important as the product itself. Parents need to be able to find the products when they need them.
Primerry therefore plans to use both online and offline channels.
Who invested in Primerry?
The funding round attracted several investors.
Ashish Kacholia and Lashit Sanghvi took part in the round. Angel investors Mohit Sadaani, Hitesh Dhingra, Ajay Mehra and Samir Palod also participated, along with select family offices.
The group includes investors with experience across consumer brands and other businesses.
Their participation gives Primerry access to more than just financial capital. Early investors can also provide advice, contacts and experience as a startup builds its brand.
For a company at the pre-seed stage, these connections can be useful as it moves from product development to market launch.
Eight products are part of the plan
Primerry plans to roll out its products in phases.
The company has a full range of eight stock keeping units, or SKUs, planned for its first portfolio. The products will have prices between ₹499 and ₹1,499.
The full range will be available through Primerry’s own direct-to-consumer platform.
The phased launch gives the startup time to introduce products one group at a time rather than place its entire portfolio on the market at once.
This can help a young company learn what parents want, understand which products gain the most demand and improve its approach before it expands further.
The price range also places Primerry in the consumer healthcare segment where parents may compare products based on quality, ingredients, trust and value.
Quick commerce is part of the strategy
Primerry also plans a quick-commerce rollout within its first year.
Quick-commerce platforms have become an important retail channel in India. They allow consumers to order products through an app and receive them within a short period.
For healthcare products, this type of access can be useful when a parent needs something quickly.
Primerry’s plan to enter this channel shows that the company wants its products to be available beyond its own website.
The challenge will be to make sure customers understand the products before they buy them. A healthcare brand often needs more education than a regular consumer product.
Primerry will therefore need clear information about what each product is for, how it should be used and who it is designed for.
Primerry also has an offline plan
The company does not want to rely only on online sales.
Primerry plans to build an offline presence through pharmacies, paediatric clinics and mom-and-baby specialty stores. The first focus will be Tier-1 cities and major metropolitan areas.
This approach gives the brand several routes to parents.
A customer may first see Primerry online and later buy it from a pharmacy. Another parent may hear about the brand through a paediatric clinic.
Specialty stores can also place the products in front of families who already shop for children’s health and care needs.
For Primerry, this mix of online and offline access could help build awareness.
PocDoc adds a consumer touch
Along with its healthcare range, Primerry has launched a product called PocDoc.
PocDoc is a customisable carry case designed to hold Primerry essentials. It includes charms and is meant to make it easier and more fun for children to carry their healthcare products.
At first, a carry case may seem separate from healthcare.
But it fits into Primerry’s wider brand idea. The company wants everyday health care to feel less like a chore.
For a child, a colourful or personal item may make a healthcare routine feel more familiar.
For parents, a dedicated case can also make it easier to keep products together.
PocDoc therefore adds a lifestyle element to Primerry’s healthcare brand.
The company wants to build trust
Trust is a major issue in children’s healthcare.
Parents are naturally careful about what they give their children. They want clear information about a product’s purpose, contents and safety.
Primerry says clinical credibility is one of its priorities.
The company’s co-founder Dr Nihar Parekh has a paediatric background, which gives the brand a direct connection to child healthcare.
Primerry wants its products to combine medical credibility with an experience that children can accept.
That balance is not simple.
A product can have a strong formula but fail if children refuse to take it. A product can also have an attractive design but lack the clinical support parents expect.
The startup is trying to address both sides.
The rise of modern child health brands
Primerry enters a market where parents have become more selective about healthcare and wellness products.
Consumers now have access to more information than before. Many parents research products online before they buy them.
They may look at ingredients, product claims, medical support, reviews and advice from doctors.
This creates both an opportunity and a challenge for new brands.
A startup can use a modern digital platform to educate customers. But it also has to provide reliable information and avoid claims that go beyond the available evidence.
For Primerry, clinical credibility will therefore be an important part of its brand identity.
A different model from a traditional pharmacy brand
Traditional healthcare products often focus on a medical need and sell through pharmacies.
Primerry is trying to build something broader.
Its model combines product design, direct online sales, quick commerce, pharmacies, paediatric clinics and specialty stores.
The brand also has a visual and lifestyle element through PocDoc.
This approach is closer to the model used by modern consumer brands, but with healthcare at its core.
That could help Primerry connect with younger parents who are comfortable with digital shopping and online research.
At the same time, the company must maintain the standards expected from a child healthcare business.
India’s large child population creates a major market
India has a very large population of children, which gives paediatric healthcare companies a broad potential customer base.
But size alone does not guarantee success.
Parents have different income levels, healthcare habits and access to doctors. Families in major cities may also have very different needs from those in smaller towns.
Primerry’s first focus on Tier-1 cities and metros allows it to start in markets with strong digital access and established retail networks.
If the model works well, the company can later look at a wider national footprint.
That expansion could take time because healthcare distribution requires reliable supply, clear product information and strong customer trust.
The pre-seed stage means Primerry is still early
It is important to place the ₹7.1 crore raise in context.
This is a pre-seed round, which means Primerry remains at an early stage of its company journey.
The startup is still building its product range, team and distribution network.
The funding is meant to help it create that foundation.
Unlike a mature healthcare company, Primerry does not yet have a long record of sales across a large national market.
Its next phase will be about proving that parents want the products, that children accept them and that the business can grow in a sustainable way.
What comes next for Primerry
The immediate task for Primerry is to turn its plans into a working consumer healthcare business.
The company has eight SKUs planned, with prices from ₹499 to ₹1,499. It has its own D2C platform and plans for quick commerce within the first year. It also wants a presence across pharmacies, paediatric clinics and mom-and-baby specialty stores.
The startup will also use its new capital to strengthen research and development and build its team.
Its first major markets will be Tier-1 cities and metros.
If Primerry can establish trust with parents in these areas, it may have a base for wider expansion across India.
The company has entered a market with a clear need but also with high expectations. Parents want products that are safe, useful and easy for children to take. Doctors want credible healthcare options. Retailers want products that customers understand and trust.
Primerry is trying to bring all three needs together.
A new approach to everyday child healthcare
The ₹7.1 crore raise gives Primerry the resources to build its idea at an important stage.
The startup is not trying to create a hospital or replace paediatric care. Its focus is on everyday healthcare products for children aged 2 to 14.
Its strategy combines clinical credibility with taste, ease of use and modern consumer design.
The company also wants to make access simple through its D2C platform, quick commerce and offline retail.
PocDoc adds another part to the concept by making healthcare products easier and more appealing for children to carry.
The road ahead will depend on execution. Primerry must build products that meet its claims, earn the confidence of parents and doctors, and create a distribution system that can support growth.
For now, its ₹7.1 crore pre-seed round marks an early step in that effort. With Rushabh Nandu and Dr Nihar Parekh at the helm, Primerry is seeking to create a dedicated child healthcare brand for India’s young families, with a product range designed around the needs of children rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
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