Kishan Nanavati, CEO,
Spring Health Water India Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore
Hi, I am Kishan Nanavati, CEO, of
Spring Health Water India Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore.
About Spring Health Water
India Pvt. Ltd. and its services
Spring Health provides affordable,
safe drinking water to the rural masses in Eastern India. The company has been
operational since 2011 and works on an entrepreneur-based model with a revenue
share. The delivers water at the doorstep of the customer, and presently we
have 173 operational kiosks, which serve 19637 families on a daily basis. The
water is treated for bacterial and chemical contamination.
Also, I would like to add that
Spring Health was one of the first water companies in India to be Gold Standard
Certified, generate our own carbon credit, and thus help in reducing the carbon
footprint.
What inspired your
transition from telecom and retail to social enterprise, leading you to become
CEO of Spring Health Water India Pvt. Ltd.?
After spending 20 years in the
corporate world, working with various organizations like NIIT, TATA
Teleservices, Reliance Communications, and Uninor in various capacities. During
this journey, I meet with Mr. Jacob Mathew, whose company used to design the
telecom stores for us. During one such meeting, he proposed to me the idea of
Spring Health and asked if I could help them with the design of the business
plan and investor pitch. After working on weekends for this, Jacob introduced
me to the late Dr. Paul Polak, who was the founder of Spring Health. After our
meeting, I was asked to meet Mr. Sanjay Kalra, CEO of Tech Mahindra, who took
my final interview and approved my selection. This is how my journey at Spring
Health began on November 1, 2011.
Could you share your roles
and responsibilities as the CEO at Spring Health Water India Pvt. Ltd.?
At Spring Health, I had been given
the free hand to run the operations of the company and also design the model to
run a pilot. I was one of the first employees of Spring Health and hence have
done almost all the jobs that a start-up company has to offer, so as to cut
down on the operational cost. Now that the company has stabilized and has a
proven model to boost, I have moved from the operational front to more of a
fund raise, investor meetings, statutory compliance, and more of a strategic
and planning role.
What do you think are the
critical skills required for an entrepreneur to thrive in this industry?
The critical skill sets required
for any entrepreneur to survive are self-belief that the idea or project is
viable, patience to overcome the hard times, and finally, she or he should be
focused on making the idea profitable.
Could you tell us about any
achievements and recognitions that you have received within your career?
During my tenure at Spring Health,
I was awarded the "100 most promising CEOs of India." I also have won
many awards and recognition during my telecom stint. Was also awarded the
"Most investable company" by SIA Paris in 2022.
What advice would you give
to aspiring entrepreneurs who want to start a business focused on social impact
and essential services like safe drinking water?
Never give up the road; any
start-up is tough, but at the end, when the results come, you feel the joy of
it. Always strive to give your best, do not falter in your goal, and always
have a plan B for any situation. Every start-up has to go through the valley of
death, but after that stage things start to improve. Do never give up. India is
one of the largest water markets, so everyone can have a slice of the pie.
Always use non-RO technology, and by doing so, contribute to reducing the CO2
emissions.
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