Bengaluru founder quits Netflix and Meta - what he built instead is winning hearts online

Navneeth Ramprasad

A Bengaluru-based entrepreneur who left behind a high-paying career in Silicon Valley to care for his ageing parents has become the latest name to capture social media’s imagination.

Navneeth Ramprasad, who previously worked with tech giants Netflix and Meta, has founded Praan Health, a “family-led healthcare platform” aimed at helping India’s elderly population manage chronic illnesses.

The initiative, supported by Zerodha’s Rainmatter fund, was highlighted in a post on X by investor Dilip Kumar. “Met a founder who left his job at Netflix and Facebook to return to India and build a company that helps seniors here stay healthy… While everyone is chasing Millennials and Gen Z, he chose to solve for our parents,” Kumar wrote.

According to HT, Ramprasad had shared on LinkedIn earlier that his decision to return to India was sparked by his parents’ declining health.

“Great teams. Great comp. Great resume. But none of that helped when my parents were struggling with diabetes, joint pain and post-surgery weakness and had no structured healthcare system to actually get better,” he explained.

He added that his startup has already supported more than 1,000 elders in managing chronic conditions ranging from diabetes to post-cancer recovery. “This isn’t a job. This is my fuel. And we’re just getting started,” he said.

The story resonated widely online, with many users on X praising Ramprasad’s decision to focus on an underserved demographic.

One commenter wrote, “I was reading about Praan Health and this just echoed. Thank you for sharing such instances that motivate us to build in India and build for a healthier India!”

Another highlighted the growing eldercare sector, pointing out examples like ‘Maity,’ a Kolkata-based platform offering similar services. Others called the venture a “civilisational good karma,” stressing the need to support India’s elderly population without compromising their dignity.

Ramprasad’s journey reflects a dramatic pivot from a global tech career to purpose-driven entrepreneurship. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Visvesvaraya Technological University and a master’s from Syracuse University.

He began his career as a software engineer before moving into product management at firms such as Wells Fargo, Meta and Netflix. In 2024, he launched Praan Health in Bengaluru with a vision to build an organised, accessible eldercare ecosystem.

India is home to more than 150 million people over the age of 60, most of whom grapple with chronic illnesses. While healthtech startups have largely targeted younger demographics, experts and investors now see senior care as a fast-expanding market.

For Ramprasad, however, the mission began with something closer to home. As his posts suggest, it was not the lure of business opportunity but his parents’ struggles that prompted him to build what he calls “something that didn’t exist.”