Conversations with the CEO of Dr. Vaidya’s : New Age Ayurveda
I recently met Arjun through family and friends. His zeal for D2C businesses, particularly his brand Dr.Vaidya’s, was compelling. He not only spoke with enthusiasm but his actions showed it too. Something that stands out for me was that he always wore a Dr.Vaidya’s t-shirt and tried to sell LIVitup! (Hangover Shield and Liver Protector) to any newly wed couple for their soirees. Apart from the product itself, his persuasive and kind nature helped him grow the brand and eventually sell it too! In this session we hear about his work experiences before he built his own brand.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself
I was the CEO at Dr. Vaidya's: New Age Ayurveda (until Feb 2021). Prior to my entrepreneurial stint, I graduated from Brown University, USA with a BA with honors in International Relations and Economics. I then worked in private equity at a consumer sector focused fund, L Capital Asia (the private equity arm of the Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy Group) where I focused specifically on consumer brands and consumer tech.
In October 2016, I quit his job to take on my 150-year-old family legacy of Ayurvedic formulations that my grandfather left behind. Dr. Vaidya’s repackaged the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda and emerged as India’s largest Ayurveda brand online. The brand has successfully reached 1m+ consumers across 500+ cities and 16,500+ pin codes in India. IU was the first Ayurvedic Entrepreneur to be featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia List for and Business World 40 Under 40 List! Dr. Vaidya’s also won Youth SMB of the Year from Amazon and the Retail Startup Award from the Retailers Association of India. In June 2019, Dr. Vaidya’s partnered with the USD 4b RP Sanjiv Goenka Group and has now been acquired by the group – making it one of India’s first successful D2C exits.
Outside of work, I am an advisor to football focused NGO, Just for Kicks, a World Economic Forum Global Shaper and a Mentor at the Atal Innovation Mission. I am also a part of the All-India Management Association’s Young Leaders Conference and a member of Brown University’s Young Alumni Advisory Council.
2. What do you enjoy about your current job?
I loved building Dr. Vaidya's with my wife Trisha. We literally grew up with the business. At this point, I don't really have a job which is also fun. I spend my time giving back to the ecosystem until I find what's next. I'm currently an active angel and mentor in the D2C ecosystem. I also teach a playbook on building a D2C brand in India and am very passionate about the next generation of D2C brands.
3. Let’s zoom back, Can you describe a few challenges you faced while finding your first internship at Conde Nast India?
I was 18 years old at the time and honestly hadn't ever been in a workplace. I wasn't used to a daily routine but I learned discipline at my first internship. Going back to the same desk every day and making things happen. I was also fortunate to have some amazing co-workers who I still stay in touch with!
4. What was your experience at Hublot Geneve like, what did you learn?
Hublot was super cool because I got to work in Nyon, Switzerland - a small town outside of Lausanne. I was in an unknown place all alone and I didn't even speak the language. Other than the amazing work I got to do - getting by and being by myself taught me a great deal.
5. How did your internship at the De Beers Group of Companies help you gauge the industry and build connections?
De Beers was my last internship before graduating. I had the amazing experience of working with a great mentor - Sachin Jain. He is a man with infectious energy and an amazing knack of being able to sell ice to an eskimo. I learned a lot about passion and sales from him.
6. What learnings did you take from your time at L Catterton?
L Catterton was a life changing experience. At ages 21, I got to work in private equity at a fund sponsored by the Louis Vuitton Moet Henessy Group. The fund is solely focussed on the consumer space and so I got to meet some of India's top B2C entrepreneurs and learn from them at such a young age. Also, Fabindia and PVR were our portfolio so spending time with them was invaluable. Ecommerce was also on the rise in India at the time and so I got to spend a great deal of time on this being the youngest member of the team!
7. Would you want to change your journey of navigating through the different internships? If so, how and why?
Not at all. I'm not one who likes to change things. Each was a critical part of my journey and who I am today.
8. Any advice you would like to give recent graduates, especially those who are finding it difficult to navigate and find a path, especially amidst a pandemic?
Be a sponge and learn as much as you can from every opportunity you get. Also, things may be tougher now but don't be scared to cold call/email someone that you're keen to talk to - the worst that can happen is you won't get a reply.
9. How did your different volunteer experiences shape you not only professionally but also personally?
Trisha and I got to work with Just for Kicks - a football focussed NGO. We trained a team of school kids for an entire year and took them to the semi finals of a year end tournament. The experience with JFK taught us patience and gave us a different degree of context outside of the way we think.
