Why We Built Novara
This isn't a business. It's a mission born from personal loss.
"I lived in the US for 10 years. During that time, my mother was hospitalized, my father battled prostate cancer for 5 years before passing, and I lost my grandmother to old age — all while I was 12,000 miles away with zero visibility into what was happening."
I know what it's like to get that call at 3am and feel completely helpless. To wonder if your father is taking his medications correctly. To wish you could be in the room when the doctor explains the diagnosis.
Novara exists so no one else has to feel that way.
Tanay Lakhani
Founder, Novara
The Problem We Saw
18 million NRIs have aging parents in India. Most of them share the same anxiety: What's really happening with their parents' health?
Medical records in India are handwritten. Doctors scribble prescriptions that even pharmacists struggle to read. Lab reports pile up in drawers. And parents — bless them — don't want to "worry" their children abroad.
The result? Children only learn about health issues after emergencies. By then, it's often too late to help.
We looked at existing solutions. Most elder care companies operate on a promise of "Don't worry, we'll handle it." They remove the child from the picture entirely.
That felt wrong to us.
Our Approach: Presence by Proxy
We don't believe in removing you from your parents' healthcare. We believe in putting you back in the room.
Instead of asking your parents to learn an app (they won't), we send trained Captains to them. These are real people who:
- Visit your parents' home and digitize years of paper records
- Accompany them to doctor appointments
- Ask the questions you would ask if you were there
- Scan every prescription and upload it to your dashboard
Your parents don't touch technology. You never miss a moment.
That's what we mean by Presence by Proxy.
Why This Works Now
AI can finally read handwriting. GPT-4 Vision and modern OCR can accurately digitize handwritten Indian prescriptions that were impossible to process just two years ago.
India's labor economics make this possible. A Captain visit costs $6-12 including travel. This ops-heavy model only works in India.
WhatsApp is already everywhere. 500M+ users in India. Your parents already know how to answer a WhatsApp call. No new app to learn.
The Math That Makes Sense
A single trip to India costs $1,200 – $1,600.
If Novara helps you avoid just one emergency flight by catching issues early and keeping you informed — the subscription pays for itself 3x over.
For an NRI earning $100k+, our service costs less than one dinner out per month.
Join Us
We're currently serving families in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Hyderabad, and Gujarat. Join the waitlist to bring Novara to your parents.
View Plans & Join Waitlist