Ad Land’s Young Guns: Nilay Mehrotra, Founder and CEO, Kindly

Nilay Mehrotra, Founder and CEO of Kindly, is breaking social taboos and pushing the boundaries to build a holistic sexual performance and a lifestyle brand for all. The brand is on a mission to offer discreet, non-judgmental, convenient, end-to-end research-backed solutions.

Mehrotra has an engineering degree from UPES, Dehradun. Over the years, having disrupted various facets in the consumer tech and wellness space, he has gained a deep understanding of the market and consumers. His competencies and prior expertise are crucial in ensuring adequate guidance in scaling businesses, and defining long-term strategy and vision for the company, thereby driving Kindly’s growth.

In conversation with Adgully, Nilay Mehrotra, Founder & CEO, Kindly, speaks about his success mantra, addressing deep-rooted taboos and stigmas around sexual wellbeing, walking the unconventional path, and more.

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?

As the CEO of a company, I believe the most valuable skill set is learnability – you learn something new every day – and the ability to deal with uncertainty. I am a keen observer of all things around me, which helps me understand people and their problems more closely. Once you know and empathise with their problems, it’s fairly simple to build solutions for them. That’s exactly what I do at Kindly.

How did you start this organisation?

We started out by focusing solely on fertility, seeing the emotional, mental and financial toll it takes on couples. Our YC experience made us realise that we must address deep-rooted taboos and stigmas such as semen testing, which can reveal multiple lifestyle disorders apart from fertility issues. We took the opportunity to become the first company to offer at-home semen testing in Asia. Similarly, women with PCOS have to deal with stigma, incorrect diagnosis, ignored symptoms, and lack of awareness. We want them not just to live but thrive with PCOS. We also want to emphasise sexual wellness and offer diagnostics to help women get to the root cause of problems like painful sex.

Icons in this field you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?

There are no icons in this field, no one used to talk about it and that’s what we are trying to change and be the icon.

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?

I never skip gymming. I devote some uninterrupted hours to work and research. I spend some time with my team every day, and we usually end up playing foosball to unwind, but I believe that’s an integral part of team bonding for me. 

Do you think a career in this field is a viable one in the long term?

While waves of start-ups have been sweeping across several categories in India, sexual wellness has been relatively untouched by entrepreneurship. However, the sexual wellness sector in India is witnessing a sea change with a plethora of products entering the market that challenge social norms and inhibitions. We expect the sexual wellness market in India to witness significant growth in the years ahead with growing acceptance and understanding of health and wellness. I strongly believe in its viability in the long run.

What does it take to succeed in a career?

One word – perseverance! You may work smart, and that might get you somewhere, but you’ll ultimately hit a roadblock. The only way to power through is grit and perseverance. You’ll face multiple downs, and you’ll need a ton of hard work to get back to the ups!

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?

The industry has endless opportunities for young, innovative problem solvers. My advice to youngsters entering the field, or any field for that matter, would be to take as many risks as possible. When you’re young, you have the freedom to pivot, switch industries, and maximise your learning. You can make mistakes and turn them into lessons. If you want to create something extraordinary, you have to walk an unconventional path without any qualms about where it can take you. Just keep working hard, and your efforts will bear fruit in the long run.

Where do you see your organisation in five years’ time?

Growing at a healthy clip, the industry is ripe for disruption by a brand like Kindly, which has introduced new and innovative services that uplift individual lifestyles and overall wellness. This is exactly the direction in which Kindly is growing. We are trying to build a holistic lifestyle and wellness brand. While we have entered the market with semen testing, sexual wellness, and performance, we will continue to introduce new offerings and position ourselves as a lifestyle brand for all. Since awareness around holistic wellness is growing at a fast pace across the globe, we are also looking to expand our footprint globally. There is hyper growth on the horizon for the entire industry, and we are looking forward to capitalising on this positive industry dynamic and helping many more people live their lives to the fullest.