In an insightful interaction with Nimish Mehra and Cyril Joe Baby, Co-founders of Fupro Innovation, the conversation goes beyond technology to uncover the deeply personal experiences that shaped the company’s foundation.
What began as a firsthand encounter with mobility limitations evolved into a mission to eliminate the long-standing compromise between affordability and functionality in prosthetics.
Rooted in empathy and driven by rigorous in-house innovation, Fupro Innovation today stands at the intersection of medical precision, human-centric design, and scalable impact reimagining mobility not as a luxury, but as a fundamental right.
1. What personal gap or problem inspired you to start Fupro Innovation, and how has your original vision evolved since the company’s inception?
For me, it began with something very personal — a knee surgery that temporarily changed how I moved through everyday life. Experiencing mobility limitations firsthand made me aware of how dependent confidence, freedom, and even identity can be on something as basic as movement. More importantly, it exposed a larger gap: people were often forced to choose between affordability and functionality.
That experience stayed with me. When I looked at the prosthetics ecosystem in India, I saw capable products, but limited access. Good technology existed, yet it wasn’t reaching the people who needed it most. That realization became the foundation of Fupro — quite literally, the “Future of Prosthetics.”
From the start, our goal was to bridge that gap by building solutions that were advanced, durable, and practical for real-world use. Over time, the vision has evolved from simply creating better products to building clinically sound, medically prescribed solutions that restore independence and trust. Today, every innovation at Fupro is rooted in that original insight — mobility should never be a compromise.
2. As a founder, what were the toughest early-stage challenges you faced—whether operational, financial, or market-related—and how did those experiences shape your leadership style?
The toughest challenge early on was credibility. Convincing people to trust a new brand in something as personal as mobility isn’t easy. Financial constraints were real, but the bigger test was patience — building slowly, improving constantly, and not cutting corners.
Those experiences shaped how I lead today. I’ve learned to listen more, stay grounded, and take responsibility when things don’t go as planned. Leadership, for me, became less about control and more about clarity and consistency.
3. Innovation is at the core of Fupro. How do you, as a founder, foster a culture of innovation within the team while ensuring scalability and business sustainability?
Innovation at Fupro doesn’t start in a lab — it starts with people. We encourage the team to question assumptions and spend time understanding real user needs. At the same time, we’re mindful that innovation has to be practical, scalable, and sustainable.
My role is to balance curiosity with discipline — allowing experimentation, but ensuring every idea serves a real purpose. Growth only matters if it’s responsible and repeatable.
4. Can you share a critical decision you made that significantly altered Fupro Innovation’s trajectory, and what that moment taught you about risk and resilience?
One critical decision was choosing to invest deeply in in-house R&D rather than taking faster, outsourced routes. It was risky, slower, and financially demanding — but it changed everything.
That decision taught me that resilience isn’t about reacting quickly; it’s about committing fully to what you believe in, even when the outcome isn’t guaranteed. It reinforced that long-term impact often requires short-term discomfort.
5. Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for Fupro Innovation, and how do you see your role as a founder evolving as the company scales over the next few years?
My long-term vision is for Fupro to become a global benchmark for smart, human-centric prosthetics, proudly made in India. I want our solutions to reach more people, across geographies, without losing empathy or intent.
As the company scales, my role will evolve from building everything myself to guiding the culture and vision. Staying connected to why we started will always matter more to me than how big we become.
