He started his life with events where he used to organise large scale concerts and shows and he felt that no matter how hard as organisers they tried, maintaining female toilets for large gatherings was always a nightmare. Unlike men, women have to wipe the seat, make chairs or hold it in. Deep Bajaj, Founder of PeeBuddy: Sirona saw their frustration and came up with a solution to this problem. In an exclusive interaction he talks about his journey.
Germination of the idea
PeeBuddy is a classic case of necessity is the mother of all invention. The issue can be seen while travelling by rail, road and long haul flights where there are not many clean toilets. On a road trip in 2013, while travelling with his friends and family, it was uneasy for him to see his wife and friends go for hours without water, just to control the urge to pee while travelling. It was then that the idea germinated and he decided to come up with PeeBuddy.
Pads, tampons or cups
He feels although there are numerous options to choose from, He is of the opinion that menstrual cup is the best option for older women. According to Deep Bajaj, “menstrual cups are highly convenient to use. They don’t have to be changed as frequently as pads. They are also a much healthier option as they don’t disrupt vaginal pH or result in rashes, unlike chemically-bleached pads. Since they are leak-proof, women can experience hassle-free periods and indulge in active sports without a single worry.”
He further elaborates, “There are also financial and environmental benefits of choosing menstrual cups. They can be reused and last up to 10 years. This makes them a more economical option as a once-a-decade investment, in comparison to use-and-throw pads. It also goes a long way in saving the environment and reduces the waste disposed of in landfills every year.”
The journey so far
Like all stories, they initialled faced challenges. Nearly all the distributors and retailers were turning it down as they could neither understand the product and coming from a team of men they thought it wasn’t a serious product and won’t sell especially as it had the word “pee” in its name. However, they turned to professionals like doctors and e-commerce websites, which helped in popularising the product.
Paper-based pregnancy testing kit
The inspiration behind PeeBuddy PregRx was also the same – problem which needed a solution. To test pregnancy women have to pee into a container, use a dropper to put a drop onto a plastic cassette. The process (of getting midstream flow in a small container, then using dropper etc) was too cumbersome and awkward.
They simplified it – all you need to do is Pee into it and you will get the result – no aiming at container/no dropper / no cassette. With this simplified process for the consumer, they took some more plastic off landfills (container/cassette).
Future plans
They will continue to “demystify taboos surrounding women’s intimate and menstrual health”. With their Digital Awareness campaign, launched earlier this year, they took a step forward to this initiative. They will continue to spread awareness on sustainable menstrual hygiene solutions on a pan-India level. To make a greater impact, they are in the process of making an online ecosystem around menstrual care for women.
