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Feminine hygiene and its awareness have never been given its due importance in India It is only recently that people have become cognizant of it. Still, there are many women who compromise on their health by using below-par products for menstrual hygiene.
While awareness about feminine hygiene is seeing an uptick, the existing products available on the market, especially sanitary pads, aren't up to the mark. The optimal ones do their work but are often out of reach of the lower classes due to their costs. To tackle this issue, two individuals from Gurgaon launched a venture named 'Azah' in 2018.
Azah was founded with the aim to innovate, improve, and deliver high-quality products that solve menstruation-related hygiene issues faced by the Indian female population. Azah sanitary pads are the most well known product of the company as it is ultra-soft organic sanitary napkins known to be safe and comfortable, according to Azah sanitary pads reviews.
StartupTalky interviewed Azah founder Mr. Aqib Mohammad to learn more about the company.
Azah in A Nutshell
| StartupName | Azah |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Gurugram |
| Founders | Shashwat Diesh and Aqib Mohammad |
| Sector | Feminine Hygiene |
| Founded | 2018 |
Azah - Latest News
Azah - About
Azah - Industry Details
Azah - Founders
Azah - The Idea
Azah - Name And Logo
Azah - Funding
Azah - User Acquisition
Azah - Major Challenges
Azah - Competitors
Azah - Advisors And Mentors
Azah - Work Culture
Azah - Achievements
Azah - Future Plans
Azah - Founders Advice
FAQ
Rishabh Rathi
Azah - Latest News
20th December 2019 - Female wellness startup, Azah Raised funding from Snapdeal founders Kunal Bahl & Rohit Bansal
Gurugram based female Wellness Startup, Azah.in, announced that the company has raised an undisclosed amount in Pre- Series A funding round from Snapdeal founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal, Angel List India and a few other HNIs. According to a press release made by Azah on 20th December 2019, the lead funding came via Titan Capital, a VC arm run by Kunal & Rohit.
The startup plans to use procured funds to enhance its production, launch new products and expand sales operations in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. As said by Azah sanitary pads owner Aqib Mohammed, a good portion Azah funding will go into the research and development of new products and carrying out further innovation in the company's current product line. The company is also planning to expand its reach to newer demographics while exploring alternative channels to drive growth and acquisition
6th March 2020 - Female Wellness Brand Azah launches #RashFreePeriod Campaign on International Women’s Day
On the occasion of International Women’s Day 2020, Azah, India’s fast-growing female wellness brand, has launched a month-long #RashFreePeriod campaign. The campaign aims to encourage healthier menstrual practices and help women better protect themselves from rashes and irritation.
The campaign to be run by Azah, invites women from all across India to buy Azah sanitary pads and use them while promising its customers a 100% refund should they get any rashes during their period.
According to a survey done by Azah among urban Indian women, around 50% of the women reported facing rashes and irritation during their period. The #RashFreePeriod campaign aims to educate women that these problems need not be an unavoidable reality of their lives and can be easily be prevented by using chemical-free products and following basic hygiene practices. Which is why the Azah rash-free organic sanitary pads became popular in the market.
Shashwat Diesh and Aqib Mohammed, Azah pads owner said that, "As men, we were ourselves oblivious to the problems faced by women during their period. It was only when we saw our sisters' lives get severely impacted because of rashes, did we realize that there is still a lot that needs to be done with respect to this category. #RashFreePeriod Campaign is our effort to help tackle this problem and make comfortable, rash-free periods a much more accessible reality for women. It is an Azah promise."
"During the course of our journey, we realized that a lot of women have accepted rashes as an unavoidable part of their lives. Our aim is to educate as many women as possible that rash-free periods are completely possible and women need not suffer from rashes every month throughout their menstrual lives. A testament to this is the fact that more than 97% of our customers who used to face the problem of rashes with standard pads no longer face the problem after switching to Azah. This insight is based on an internal research study that was conducted with more than 3000 Azah customers.", added the duo.
Rishabh Rathi
Azah - About
Azah.in currently manufactures ultra-soft organic sanitary pads that are available in 3 packages - a box of 12, a box of 15, and a box of 30 pads. Azah pads are made to ensure premium quality at every stage of the production process. The price of Azah sanitary pads is Rs 239 for the pack of 12 pads, Rs 289 for the pack of 15 pads, and Rs 519 for the pack of 30 pads. Azah sanitary napkin scan be purchased online from the company's website as well as from other major e-commerce portals.
The USP of Azah rash-free organic sanitary pads are:
- Convenient: The pads are available in 2 sizes. Both can absorb the light, medium and heavy flow.
- Ultra-soft: The top layer of the pad is made with the finest organic cotton. This ensures a smooth velvety surface to prevent irritation and rashes.
- Chemical-free: According to azah sanitary pads review, they don't have harmful chemicals such as chlorine, dioxins, and artificial fragrances.
- Super absorbent: can absorb up to 1000 times its weight in water.
- Eco-friendly: All the layers except the bottom-most are made of either cotton or paper. Each pad comes in a sealed biodegradable disposal bag.
- FDA approved: Azah is also amongst those Indian organizations that have been approved by the United States FDA, one of the most reputed quality certification bodies in the world known for its exacting standards.
- Free of harmful plastic and synthetics.
Azah - Industry Details
The Indian feminine hygiene industry is growing rapidly with women becoming more educated, financially independent, and aware of personal hygiene. Which is why companies like Azah are launching fem care line installation company in India.
The revenue in the feminine hygiene segment has been US$105 Mn in 2019. The market is expected to grow annually by 6.7% (CAGR 2019-2021).
Azah - Founders
The Azah founders are Aqib Mohammad and Shashwat Diesh, and the platform was launched in November 2018. Shashwat and Aqib met while they were working with Snapdeal and came together to start Azah.
Aqib Mohammad graduated from IIT Roorkee in 2015. He worked with Snapdeal and co-founded Edtech startup Xolvr.com that got acquired in October 2016.
Shashwat Diesh graduated from R.V College of Engineering in 2012. He worked with Ola and Snapdeal before Azah. He also founded an FMCG brand 'Flossy' in 2017 which he exited in February 2018 to focus on 'Azah'.
The Azah team has 9 members at the moment.
Shubham Kumar
Azah - The Idea
Menstruation and openness are rarely mentioned in the same breath because of the social stigma around them. Therefore, it is was a courageous act for Aqib and Shashwat to start a company based on manufacturing sanitary pads.
It began with a casual conversation. Sometime around May 2018, Shashwat was having a general talk with one of his sisters. She casually mentioned the problem of rashes and itchiness due to the conventional sanitary pads in the market.
Sashwat was moved by his sister's ordeal decided to take corrective measures. He spoke about the same with his friend Aqib and the duo began researching sanitary pads. They did a survey at the end of May 2018 and got a response from 285 women attesting to the fact that 1 in 2 women face rashes and itchiness from menstrual pads. They inquired further about feminine hygiene from gynaecologists and experts.
On the 1st of June 2018, Aqib and Sashwat left their respective professional commitments and to work full time on Azah. On 28th October 2018, Azah.in officially launched its products in the market.
"Without support from family and friends it would have been very tough to start up a company to produce sanitary pads considering the taboo associated with it", says Aqib, the Azah founder.
Azah - Name And Logo
Azah logo and the name is a Hebrew name meaning strong and bright. The brand name is inspired by the immense strength a woman carries within herself and consequently as a brand, it aims to lend the same qualities to its product line.
Azah - Funding
When it comes to Azah funding, the company has raised USD 200,000 in seed-round funding from a group of angel investors in April 2019.
| Date | Stage | Amount | Investor |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2019 | Seed | $200,000 | Angel Investors |
Azah funding is said to be used for the expansion of its inventory and operations across India. Azah.in plans to use a part of the fund to optimize its supply chain management and improve customer service by leveraging technology.
Purbalee Dutta
Azah - User Acquisition
It’s extremely hard to develop and design a product that you yourself can't use - Aquib (Azah Founder)
While the company got its first set of customers through friends and family, the biggest factor that helped the company scale to 5,000 customers in a matter of 90 days was through positive word of mouth publicity. The company also runs social media campaigns to promote its products.
Azah - Major Challenges
According to founder Aqib Mohammad, brand stickiness is unusually high in this industry. There is very little consumer awareness and women resort to whatever brand they were introduced to in the beginning by their mother or sister. It has always been a challenge for an upcoming brand to convince customers to switch brands, especially when they've been using a specific one for as long as a decade.
Azah - Competitors
The company faces tough competition from international market leaders like P&G and Johnson & Johnson. The company has been still been successful in carving its niche in the market and earn the trust of consumers. The other Azah Competitors are Peebuddy, Carmesi, Nua, Heyday Care, GlamEgo, Bharti Sales, My Urifiemme, GoGirl, among others.
When it comes to azah pads vs nua pads, Azah Sanitary pads is better because is free of harmful synthetics such as chlorine, dioxins, and artificial fragrances, and is FDA-approved. Besides that, it also helps to prevent rashes and itchiness. Whereas Nua on the other hand, is super light, chemical-free and has great absorption, but is more expensive.
Azah - Advisors And Mentors
Azah is moving forward under the expert guidance of Mr. Mehmood Khan who served in the Global leader innovation process at Unilever from 1990-2009.
Ashwini
Azah - Work Culture
We are friends first then colleagues - said Aqib Mohammad.
Every member of the Azah team is motivated by the positive impact fostered through the work done at Azah. This enables the team to go above and beyond in making ever-lasting contributions.
Azah - Achievements
The Azah sanitary pads review are usually positive from all customers across various e-commerce platforms. It sold more than 200,000 pads within 5 months of launch. The Azah pads review also helped the company to successfully served customers in over 1800 pin codes across India with the average delivery time being only 2.5 days.
Azah’s average monthly revenue is growing at 50%. The company's revenue crossed INR 10 lakhs in March 2019. Azah.in claims to have a retention rate of 90% and has a net promoter score (NPS) of +6.
Azah - Future Plans
Azah plans to become a one-stop solution for all premium feminine hygiene products. Azah.in is expecting a ten-fold growth in order volumes by 2020. The company envisions expanding globally over time since the Azah sanitary pads review are positive and the demand for Azah sanitary pads has increased over the years.
Azah - Founders Advice
Don’t be afraid of taking risks. More importantly don’t be afraid of failure - Aqib, (Azah pads owner).
Avantika Bhardwaj
FAQ
Who's the Azah sanitary pads owner?
The owner of Azah is Shashwat Diesh and Aqib Mohammad.
Azah pads made in which country?
China
Are AZAH pads biodegradable?
Yes
Is Azah an Indian brand?
Yes, Azah is an Indian brand.
Are Azah pads safe?
Azah is known for Azah rash-free organic sanitary pads which are extremely safe.
Is Azah eco friendly?
Azah is eco-friendly and non-toxic as it is made of organic materials.
Who are the Azah competitors?
The Azah competitors are Peebuddy, Carmesi, Nua, Heyday Care, GlamEgo, Bharti Sales, My Urifiemme, GoGirl, P&G and Johnson & Johnson.
Author: Chayanika Goswami
Source : https://startuptalky.com/azah-feminine-hygiene-story-founder/
Date : 2021-08-23T16:00:00.000Z