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Marico Founder Harsh Mariwala says that his newest wellness venture AquaCentric Therapy is on a learning curve and the strategy ahead would be to “hasten cautiously”.
“I like setting up businesses that are pioneering in nature,” Mariwala told BusinessLine of the venture he co-founded with physiotherapist Amit Kohli about eight months ago.
Specialised services
AquaCentric provides water-based therapies to support wellness and fitness, besides providing rehabilitation and other therapeutic outcomes.
But given the specialised services and the challenges in getting doctors for the different verticals that the centre supports, Mariwala says, he will proceed with caution. It is a complex business, he explains, in terms of therapies offered across orthopaedics, neurology, paediatrics including supporting children with special needs and women’s health. The model here is “differentiated”, focus ‘highly individualised’ and also, there is a cure aspect to it, he said.
Mariwala’s investment in AquaCentric is personal, through his family’s Sharrp Ventures. But striking a contrarian note to the environment of exiting ventures, Mariwala said, “My mindset is not to build and sell. I am not a serial entrepreneur.”
‘Effective therapy’
A couple of Aquacentric centres are operational in Mumbai and Mariwala is optimistic about their potential. “The weight of your body in water is approximately 1/10th of that on land, so exercising in water is easier, making recovery faster, he said, adding that it is proven that aquatic therapy provided faster and more efficacious recovery compared to conventional physiotherapy. Customers are showing improvements, he said.
Having built brands like Parachute (under Marico) and the Kaya network of skincare clinics, AquaCentric aims to be a holistic physiotherapy centre combining water, land and air-based techniques.
The centre comprises therapeutic indoor pools equipped with underwater treadmills, a pool bike and resistance jets, besides outdoor areas also tuned to healing and wellness.
With an investment of about ₹5 crore per centre (5,000-7,000 sq ft) , Mariwala’s plan is to build the network on their own and not through franchisees, given the medically critical requirements of the venture. And though reports suggest plans of spreading across the country with about 20-plus centres, Mariwala indicated that it was early days yet and did not venture into growth projections on the fledgling venture.
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