Dharma Teja Nukarapu is the CEO & Founder of SharkDreams. SharkDreams has ambitious plans for bringing affordable healthcare available for everyone regardless of their background and environment. In the interview, Dharma shared with us his thoughts about helping lower-income communities with technology.
Tell us a little bit about your participation in the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in Munich.
Though SharkDreams has participated in a number of WT events over the past year, Munich’s showcase stood out because it was a culmination of insights we gathered from traveling the globe. Rather than demo one product or facet of LIVIT as we have in the past, we offered Munich’s crowd a peek into the many-armed solution that LIVIT’s ecosystem has become and will continue to augment into with our upcoming collaborations, releases, and appearances worldwide.
What is the one thing you want people to know about SharkDreams?
SharkDreams is mainly focused on bringing care to patients in different environments. We are unique because we are an end-to-end solution, providing the software and hardware, to various healthcare companies—business to business—to then supply advanced technology to their patients through our advanced ecosystem.
Talk to us a little about the major health concerns affecting the Indian population and how you plan to address them.
70% of the Indian population lives in rural areas, meaning they don’t even have access to basic care, and all of the specialty healthcare providers are at least 15 miles away from these rural communities. More often than not, the rural populations suffer from a lower quality of life, meaning they have a greater susceptibility to disease—especially if left untreated. Affordability is another huge problem; this means that if 70% of the population doesn’t have access to quality care, then they are not likely to have the funds necessary for basic care. It’s very important to take advanced technology at an affordable level to these communities—not just through basic care but through connecting these communities to our virtual care systems in a wider healthcare network.
How do you want to improve the Indian healthcare market, which is the largest in the world?
By starting from the ground up. We want to start with the basics of care and promote awareness and coaching to make advanced technology part of their routine. This is the first milestone for improving the market that can then be built upon later.
How can your software—and wearables in general—help lower-income communities and afford their residents more connection?
Our devices are made with affordability and accessibility in mind. The intent is to not just serve those of higher income communities, but to establish an ecosystem capable of addressing people from all backgrounds. In the market of highly depreciable electronics, building disposable, recyclable devices with the required accurate data was important to make the technology available for the mass market. This efficient combination of technology and implementation provides the meticulous tracking necessary for improving patient care outcomes.
What hurdles do you have to overcome to realize your vision—especially in terms of governmental regulations?
It’s always a challenge to convey the vision to decision-makers in different countries—whether due to technology exposure, budgets, priorities, or other governmental preferences. India has very solid regulations in place, which are world-standard, and these are comparable to the standards we’ve seen in European countries and within the US.
Will SharkDreams/LIVIT improve healthcare in Europe, as well?
SharkDreams/LIVIT have already started their global spread, so we are well on our way to implementing our advanced healthcare solutions in Europe and other areas across the globe. Our solutions are not region-specific; we focus on healthcare around the world and cater to providers regardless of location. Our universal approach makes us what we are—an ecosystem capable of being applied to any situation in any geographical area.
What’s next for SharkDreams? Where do you see SharkDreams in three years?
In three years, we want to be helping pharmaceutical companies develop DNA-based drug formulation. We’re constantly monitoring our patients so we can help them customize their drugs for better outcomes, better affordability, and better accessibility.
Dharma Teja Nukarapu will be speaking at WT | Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco July 9-10. WT | Wearable Technologies events give excellent opportunities to network and connect with wearable tech professionals and to promote your products and projects. The conference in San Francisco will bring together experts of the industry for already the 34th time!
