Teacher’s monthly absence leads brother to launch period care startup
Bengaluru: A government school teacher in a small Assam town was missing four to five days of work each month. She did not want to be away from her classroom, but for those days, staying home was easier than facing a school day without proper facilities.
Her younger brother, Kiriti Acharjee, an electronics and communications engineer based in Bengaluru, noticed the pattern. When he asked why, her answer set him on a new path. “My sister is a government school teacher. She spends eight to nine hours at school. But she didn’t attend school when she was menstruating,” Kiriti said. “I first thought it could have been some other reason. But I came to know that she neither had any hygienic facility to change her pads nor any products that could stay for long hours.”
The conversation stayed with him. He realized his sister was not alone. Across India, millions of women face the same five days each month with limited options. Standard sanitary pads often leak, cause discomfort, and require a clean toilet every few hours, something many schools and workplaces lack.
In response, Kiriti co-founded HealthFab in Bengaluru with Satyajit Chakraborty and Sourav Chakrabarty. The startup focuses on period care products designed for long hours and limited access to washrooms.
HealthFab CEO Kiriti Acharjee said the goal is to remove barriers that keep women out of classrooms and workplaces during menstruation. “Across India, millions of women were navigating the same five days each month with no real options,” he said.
The company is among a growing number of Indian startups addressing gaps in menstrual hygiene access, especially in areas where infrastructure and product choice remain limited.
