When it comes to sustainable business practices, lack of innovation is the major factor holding back many startups from achieving success. Generally, many tend to follow the footsteps of others and do not execute efficient plans innovatively. Nevertheless, some are successful as they do things differently. Primarily focusing on healthcare, Luniva Tech is one such successful IT startup providing smarter solutions across multiple areas. 

In December 2009, co-founders Rajiv Shrestha, Nhurendra Shakya and Raj Kumar Karki came together to integrate ideas to form a company as an innovation hub for research and solutions. Starting out as a web site developer, Luniva Tech was officially established in 2013 with a seed capital of Rs 10,000. 

The company is now operated by Rajiv Shrestha and Nhurendra Shakya. Shrestha is the CEO of the company and Shakya is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Both co-founders completed their BE from Himalayan College of Engineering. The idea behind establishing the company was to contribute something to Nepal’s health sector. 

According to the founders, one big reason as to why Nepal’s IT sector hasn’t progressed is because of the brain drain- skilled students going abroad for work and further studies after completing their first degrees. “We decided to stay in the country and work rather than going abroad. Therefore, we established Luniva Tech to contribute something to Nepal’s IT sector,” says Shakya. 

Their passion towards the IT sector was their biggest motivational factor. “We turned our passion into a profession,” mentions Shakya. Like other startups, Luniva Tech also faced various difficulties while starting the company. Problems in finding office space, lack of adequate resources, little know-how about government rules and procedures were among the difficulties the inexperienced youths encountered during the starting phase. 

Meanwhile, the company also faced workforce related problems during the initial years.  The difficulties mostly came as people switched to other companies after receiving training. “We used to provide training to students. However, many trainees switched to other institutions after the completion of training rather than working with us,” recalls Shrestha.

The company is mainly targeting the healthcare sector with its special software Luniva Care. The software is used to access health data and medical records of patients obtained from associated hospitals. The system tracks the medical history of patients digitally. It helps the hospitals and also individuals to find their past health records easily whenever required. 

Meanwhile, the company has come out with “Luniva Telemed”, telemedicine system software, aiming to provide remote medical expertise through telecommunication and information technology. Similarly, Luniva Care Lab and Care Clinic are other healthcare related projects the company has successfully developed. 

Besides the healthcare sector, the company also has applications and software on transportation, education and bakery. Luniva Tech has developed an app called “Hamro Sajha” in association with Sajha Yatayat. The mobile app enables passengers to locate the buses operated by Sajha Yatayat in real-time.  Similarly, the company has an e-library software for students and Niva Bakery Management for bakeries along with software for asset management. 

Apart from these, the company provides services including web hosting, web design and development, software development, mobile apps development, search engine optimisation (SEO), graphic design, research and training, big data management along with internships for fresh graduates.

Luniva Tech has other mentionable projects in its portfolio. Among them is the Krrish Funding Secretarial (KFS) reporting software developed with direct investment from “Shanti Kosh.” The software helps in the budget distribution of the Nepal Police. Nevertheless, the Nepal police are yet to use the software across Nepal. 

The founders want to make Luniva Tech a successful IT company by providing top-class services to its clients. “We believe that creating  robust, user friendly and functionally rich software solutions is a risk-free proposition for Luniva tech and its clients,” says Shrestha, adding, “We are confident that we will be able to create an exceptional system that will meet and exceed the client’s and consumer’s expectations.” 

According to him, Luniva Tech is the only company in Nepal that specially focuses on recording and digitising the health data. The company, which has been providing its services in the domestic market, is now planning to expand its business at the international level. As per the founders, the annual turnover of Luniva Tech is Rs 1.3 million, whereas, the annual growth rate is in between 10-15 percent. 

Currently, the company operates with eight full time and two part time staff. The company is associated with Nepal Police Hospital, National Reference Laboratory along with its six branchesl. The company is partnering with two more clinics in the near future. 

The company maintains its market strategy by mainly focusing on supporting its clients right from the start and through good public relations. “Our design teams help our clients through the digital design and strategy maze,” says Shrestha. “We are engaged with clients from the early stages of projects.” 

Luniva Tech has plans to start other major projects. It is planning to digitally compile the health data of every Nepali. “Currently, we are organising data provided by the clinic and hospitals. But in the future, we have plans to record the data of each and every individual from every corner of the country,” shares Shakya.