WoW Woman in WellTech I Niharika Hariharan, founder and Chief Product Officer at Melloh Wellness
Niharika Hariharan is a designer by education and practice with a background in building innovative digital businesses, products and services that are inspired by people.
She is passionate about combining Ayurveda with tech solutions to develop novel answers to the big questions we are asking around both our mental and physical wellbeing.
Outside of work, Niharika is an amateur art collector and uses her spare time painting and drawing, reading comic books, visiting museums and art galleries. Her painting was recently selected as part of an ‘Emerging artists’ exhibition in London; which has been a big tick off her bucket list.
Melloh Wellness is perfect for those who would like to take care of themselves but are pressed for time. They are a well-tech company that combines technology, a deep knowledge of Ayurveda, natural sciences, and a range of wellness practices to tackle the big questions we are asking around our health and wellbeing. Their vision is to empower all of us to make informed decisions for our mental, physical and internal wellbeing by building expertise, harnessing the power of data, and creating recommendations that are highly personal and individual.
Niharika, tell us a bit about your background and your projects so far.
I am a designer by education and trade. I started my career in digital and tech and in the last 15 years, I’ve worked with some of the most interesting businesses around the world; developing new and innovative products and services to help build digital businesses from the ground up.
My projects so far include developing mobile tech platforms for farmers in the emerging world, creating a global consumer strategy for a luxury jewellery brand to launching a new disruptive payments business in South Africa. While I loved the range and breadth of what I was doing, I wanted to bring all my learning and experience together to do more in the wellness industry because I believed that this is where I could truly add value to our global community. After 2 years of exploring and research; I set up Melloh Wellness.
How did you get into this industry? Has it been an easy industry to get into or have you had many challenges?
Towards the end of 2018, I suffered from my third burnout, and with the onset of Covid, I realised problems like work burnouts, depression, and anxiety were treated naively as a mental health issue. With 59% of the population struggling to cope with the stress of managing work and life effectively to the acute impact of lockdown on our physical and mental health, I felt that there was a need to shift the way we were looking after our overall health. My quest to find a holistic solution that looked at mind and body as a single unit, inter-connected and co-dependent led me to a far more relevant science of Ayurveda and also made me greatly aware of the fragmented approach of the wellness industry. I started by speaking to experts, Ayurvedic doctors, wellness practitioners, breathwork experts, and naturopaths to further articulate what this approach could be. In addition, I also conducted surveys and spoke to a range of people on their needs, aspirations, and perspective on mental and physical health. This two-year-long curiosity led to Melloh Wellness that launched in December 2021.
With my background in digital design, building a network of fellow tech entrepreneurs and experts has felt like a surprisingly straightforward task. I also find the wellness industry incredibly dynamic with both practitioners and consumers keen on having conversations on topics that matter. However, working in a sector where you are not a wellness practitioner yourself is a challenge as the industry is divided into individual practitioners or established institutions that focus on either products or services. As a solo founder who is not a wellness practitioner looking to bring together a range of experts and products on a single platform has been an interesting challenge to overcome.
How long did it take you to be where you are now? What was the biggest obstacle?
It has taken me about 15 years to get to where I am today which included building the skills needed to bring design and business together to build robust propositions. However, it has only been in the last two years that I’ve wanted to do more within the wellness industry, given my personal journey and where I believe we can truly create value for communities globally. The biggest obstacle in the industry has been to quickly understand how to build a robust network of experts, investors, and partnerships. I suppose that could be because my background is in digital and design and not necessarily wellness, but getting our products and services in front of the most relevant partners has been the biggest obstacle for us so far.
What are the challenges of being in the industry you are in?
The biggest challenge in the industry has been to find authentic experts. The wellness industry while incredibly active is not only fragmented in its approach but also it populated with the noise of enthusiasts, influencers and amateurs. Finding practitioners who have education, knowledge, authenticity, expertise and the desire to disrupt and unify this industry has been an interesting challenge for Melloh.
Founded on the reductionist approach of modern science that sees mind and body as separate, the products and services we deliver hence only address part of the problem. For example, 79% of the UK population stated that their physical health played a significant role in their work burnout, but burnouts are almost always treated as a mental health issue. Luckily this mindset is slowly starting to change.
While the industry is growing rapidly with the global wellness market estimated at more than $1.5 trillion, the range of wellness practices accessible to the end consumer is still limited. Alternate therapies like art therapy which is proven to be hugely beneficial to treat anxiety and depression are currently only prescribed by the NHS for severe cases. The research conducted on alternate therapies like art, music or dance is also limited.
Finally, the industry is heavily skewed towards an unattainable sense of ideal which means it often tends to be dominated by influencers and celebrities popularising trends and ‘fads’ over experts and knowledgeable practitioners. The industry needs a more authentic voice to be truly relevant to the masses.
What are your biggest achievements to date?
Setting up Melloh single-handedly while learning to be a new parent, peak pandemic is perhaps what I would consider my biggest and bravest achievement. We are a very young start-up, however, in our first month, we met our monthly targets and have a range of exciting collaborations and opportunities lined up for the near future.
What are the projects you are currently working on?
We are working on launching a series of Ceramic art therapy sessions aligned to our mission of enabling people to access a broad range of wellness practices. Our first event for the year is scheduled to be held on the 23rd of January 2022.
We are launching a new capsule collection of our Work Reboot routine. Ayurvedic inspired indulgent blends designed especially for those who work long hours and have little time to look after themselves
We are also working with a sustainable marketplace to launch Melloh blends
We have been developing Pranayama (breathwork) sessions with exercise that are especially targeted towards work burnouts and reducing the chances of cellular disorders. Our classes will be held at the start of February as well
Finally, we are working on raising funds to further our tech to build a data-driven platform enabled by our products, routines, events and customer feedback to shape our holistic wellness offering
Is the #WomenInTech movement important to you and if yes, why?
Absolutely. We need a broader representation for women in the tech industry to challenge existing norms but to also develop products and services that are relevant and representative of our needs. In addition, solo founders like myself have found that being part of this community has provided a huge amount of reassurance and support that is much needed throughout this journey.
The aspiration for Melloh is to be a data lead ecosystem platform that brings together multiple aspects of wellness etc. and connecting with like-minded women who have tech expertise has been incredible.
What will be the key trends in your industry in the next five years and where do you see them heading?
There are four major trends that started to spark towards the start of the pandemic, and I believe are going to take centre stage in 2022:
Increase in the rise of traditional and alternative approaches to wellness- there is going to be greater demand and preference towards wellness practices that are spiritual, natural and ethical. The move from ostentatious fads to products that are founded on life sciences like Ayurveda, increase in meditation and pranayama activities and a conscious shift to unprocessed and natural medicines and consumables are going to become fairly evident in 2022.
Legal reinforcement for keeping mental health checks – with some European countries already limiting work hours, we are going to see more governments regulating businesses to be accountable for the mental health of their employees and make a more conscientious effort towards work-life balance by implementing guidance against work hours, holiday breaks and improving support around mental health.
Detachment from Digital – Meta’s multiverse may be exciting for many, but there is a significant percentage of the millennial population that has lost the desire to stay connected all the time. There will be an increase in digital detox holidays and programmes. In addition, tech companies are going to create more features to help us switch off from our devices and from social (as long as it doesn’t affect their profits of course ☺)
Becoming your own wellness guru – self-help and self-care is already a norm in the health-tech industry where we are able to diagnose and test ourselves using digital tools and services and the same behaviour is going to translate to the wellness industry where we will be sourcing knowledge from food, exercise, natural remedies and wellness practices and teaching ourselves the skills to become our own wellness gurus.
What is the most important piece of advice you could give to anyone who wants to start a career in this industry?
Wellness is multi-faceted in its meaning and offering, so make sure you have a clear idea of what makes your proposition distinctive. For the same reason, it is also good to focus on building a network of experts to guide you through the different aspects of wellness
Who are three inspirational women in your respective industry you admire?
I am inspired by all the female entrepreneurs I’ve had a chance to meet and get to know over the course of my journey as each has played a part in helping me move forward.
As a designer, I admire Zaha Hadid. She was able to translate her imagination into something that people could live their lives in. As a woman in a predominately male-dominated industry, she not only broke stereotypes but did things with conviction and without any fear. An absolute legend!
Find out more about Melloh Wellness on their website.
Follow Melloh Wellness on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Connect with Niharika on LinkedIn.
This interview was conducted by Marija Butkovic, Digital Marketing and PR strategist, founder, and CEO of Women of Wearables. She regularly writes and speaks on topics of wearable tech, fashion tech, IoT, entrepreneurship, and diversity. Follow Marija on Twitter @MarijaButkovic and read her stories for Forbes here.