CleverCUP — Arundhati Healthcare Private Limited

The problem

Most UTI tests fail before they reach the lab

Correct midstream collection asks a patient to part labia with one hand, clean, then pee a small amount in the commode, hold, aim and give midstream sample in the universal urine collector, without guidance. Most don't get it right.

30%

of manually collected samples show contamination from skin and perineal microflora, producing false positives.

51%

of uropathogens identified in India are now multi-drug resistant — inaccurate testing is a direct driver of antimicrobial resistance.

36L

urine tests prescribed daily to UTI-suspected OPD patients across India — CleverCUP is built for this diagnostic revolution.

How it works

One void, three streams, sorted automatically

CleverCUP uses a fluidic pathway — not electronics — to route each stage of the void into its own chamber, in the order it's produced. No stopping, repositioning, or manual timing required; just use and seal.

Stage 1 — FVU

First-void urine

The initial ~10ml, carrying skin and perineal contaminants, fills a dedicated compartment and locks in place via the ball-float valve.

Stage 2 — MSU

Midstream urine

Once the valve locks, clean midstream flow diverts automatically into a separate sterile chamber — ready for culture and sensitivity testing.

Stage 3 — LSU

Late-stream urine

A third compartment captures late-stream flow, enabling full urine-profile analysis — useful for urinary bladder microbiome analysis.

How a sample is sorted

First-void (contaminated) Midstream (clean, sent for culture)

The valve locks after ~10ml, diverting first-void urine before the clean midstream ever reaches the collection chamber.

From notebook to prototype

The product development journey

Four stages from first hand-drawn sketch to a validated, TRL 4 device — same funnel-and-valve concept, refined through every iteration.

Early hand-drawn engineering notebook sketches for CleverCUP's chamber and segregator design

01Sketch & concept

3D CAD modelling of the CleverCUP funnel and valve mechanism on screen

02CAD & engineering

Early 3D-printed physical prototype of CleverCUP on the test bench

03Physical prototyping

The validated CleverCUP device and collection tubes alongside its product information card

04Validated device

A modular plug and play device

To cater the four distinct care settings from the single technology.

Flagship

Aura

Restroom-independent

Manages the entire void in privacy curtains for PHCs and rural health camps with no fixed restroom.

Supported by BIRAC under BIG-'24

Urban

Commode-optimised

Palm-sized, ergonomic design built for urban diagnostic chains and standard home bathrooms.

Supported by BFI & m-Pragati under NAMAH

POCT

Triage

Dipstick-integrated

30-second real-time screening for seamless sample triaging, effective urine culture and AST of dipstick positives only.

Supported by IKP Knowledge Park (ICTPH), under Health Access Catalyst

Omni

Metabolic markers (ACR)

Mechanism is optimised for cardiometabolic disease screening and monitoring — improved ACR efficiency.

Supported by Novo Nordisk & FITT, under Healthier India Program

Market opportunity

Sized from prescriptions, not aspiration

The market is built bottom-up from the ~60,000 registered hospitals already prescribing urine culture tests to UTI-suspected patients.

TAM

₹95 Cr+

36 lakh tests/day × 264 working days, at a tentative ₹50 unit price.

SAM

70%

Share of TAM addressable through women's UTI screening alone.

SOM

50%

Of SAM targeted as the realistic serviceable segment.

3-year target

₹166 Cr

Potential revenue at 10% capture of SOM within three years.

Evidence & validation

Validated in the lab, moving through clinical pilots

Proof-of-principle was established through in-vitro testing with artificial urine spiked with known uropathogens, followed by clinician and patient surveys.

growth of first-void bacteria detected in the MSU chamber during lab trials

80%

of surveyed patients were unaware of correct midstream collection technique

80%

of surveyed patients and providers expressed intent to adopt CleverCUP

hospital pilots — underway at ESIC Faridabad, planned at PGIMER Chandigarh

Petri dish cultures from CleverCUP's in-vitro validation: FVU and MSU control plates compared against CleverCUP's segregated MSU1 and MSU2 chambers, plus confirmatory colony PCR gel

In-vitro validation with spiked artificial urine: control plates against CleverCUP's segregated chambers, confirmed by colony PCR — significant reduction in first-void CFU count, with no growth carried into the MSU2 chamber.

Patent · 202311085431

Design · 440405-001

PCT · PCT/IN2024/052375

NPE filed · US, EPO, UAE, AU, China, Singapore

Technology developed and assigned by BRIC-THSTI under School of Diagnostic Innovation in Biodesign, a Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India supported programme.

Ecosystem support: ~₹1.52 Cr

DBT-SiB, BRIC-THSTI

BIRAC BIG '24

Novo Nordisk & FITT

IKP Knowledge Park

Venture Centre Pune

BFI & BVT Interconnect Fellowship

BFI NAMAH, m-Pragati IIT Delhi

RCB BBB, NCR Biotech Science Cluster

Our journey

From a first ribbon to a working platform

A chronological record of the milestones, foundation days, and exhibition floors that have shaped CleverCUP since its first public showing in November 2024.

Group photo on stage at the 1st Foundation Day of BRIC, 9 November 2024, with guest of honour Shri Amitabh Kant

9 NOV 2024

RaSE Challenge Winner

CleverCUP named a Race-from-Science-to-Entrepreneurship winner at the 1st Foundation Day of BRIC, Department of Biotechnology — guest of honour Shri Amitabh Kant, G20 Sherpa & former CEO, NITI Aayog.

Devhuti Palan receiving a cheque for the RaSE Competition Winner special award, sponsored by Dr Anand Deshpande of Persistent Systems

26 FEB 2025

₹1 lakh special recognition

Honoured at the 39th Foundation Day of the Department of Biotechnology, with a ₹1 lakh award from Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder & Chairman of Persistent Systems, to support project development.

Devhuti Chetan Palan receiving the Medicall Healthcare Innovation Awards 2025 Gold Award and a one lakh rupee cheque

26 JUL 2025

Medicall Gold Award

Gold Award and a ₹1 lakh prize at the Medicall Healthcare Innovation Awards 2025, Medicall Expo Chennai — hosted by Bio Vedas and Anna University.

Certificate handover on stage at IKMC 2025 Beyond the Blueprint, Platform Technologies category

27 OCT 2025

First prize, IKMC'25 TechX

First prize (₹75,000) in the SSD category of TechX at IKMC'25, hosted by IKP Knowledge Park.

BHARAT INNOVATES 2025

On the exhibition floor

CleverCUP's public debut at booth 27 — the first time visitors outside the lab could see, hold, and ask questions about the device.

SINE, IIT BOMBAY

The full platform, on the table

At SINE, IIT Bombay — this time with Aura, Urban, Triage, and Omni all on display side by side.

15 JUL 2026

On stage at THSTI's 17th Foundation Day

Presenting CleverCUP Aura to the institute that helped build it — from a Biodesign Fellowship prototype to a platform with four variants in the field.

More moments along the way

Team visit to T-Works, Government of Telangana's prototyping and manufacturing hub — At T-Works, Telangana's state prototyping & manufacturing hub

Group photo with mentors and the Biodesign Fellowship community — With mentors and the Biodesign Fellowship community at BRIC-THSTI

Larger group photo on stage at the 39th DBT Foundation Day — On stage at the 39th Foundation Day of the Department of Biotechnology

Team

A small clinical and product team, closely advised

Devhuti Palan

Founder & CEO

DBT-THSTI Biodesign Fellow '23 · B.Tech Genetic Engineering, SRM IST Chennai

Dr. Sadia Iqrar

Clinical Validation & R&D Lead

Ph.D. Biotechnology, Jamia Hamdard, Delhi

Uchit Mehta

Product Lead

7+ yrs consumer-centric design · B.Industrial Design, Raffles, Australia

Shivang Dwivedi

Lab Validation, Screening Associate

M.Sc. Zoology (final year), CSJMU Kanpur

Jenil Thacker

QC/QA & Documentation

Bachelor of Pharmacy, BNCP Mumbai

Advised by: Dr. Niraj Kumar & Dr. Susmita Chaudhuri (BRIC-THSTI, DBT SiB) · Dr. Satya Prakash Dash (CEO, IKP) · Dr. V. Premnath (Director, Venture Center Pune) · Dr. Ashutosh Pastor (FITT, IIT Delhi) · Dr. Suman Gupta (BRIC-RCB, BBB) · Dr. Shinjini Bhatnagar (Sr. Prof. THSTI, AIIMS Delhi) · Dr. Neelam Taneja (HOD Med. Micro., PGIMER Chandigarh) · Dr. Raunak Bir (ESIC Medical College, Faridabad) · Dr. Ravikrishnan E. & Dr. Dinesh K.S. (m-Pragati, IIT Delhi) · Dr. Johnathan Pillai (MD, Premom).

Access & pricing

Priced for public health programmes, not just private hospitals

Imported midstream devices run ₹200–₹450. CleverCUP targets ₹20–25 per unit for B2B and ₹50 retail, with an ex-factory cost of ₹8–10 at scale.

₹20–25

CleverCUP (B2B)

₹200

Peezy

₹300

Whiz

₹450

Colli-Pee

Public health programmes

Integrates into RMNCH+A, maternal care, and school-based screening under existing government health infrastructure.

Hospitals & diagnostic chains

Institutional supply to PHCs, telemedicine labs, NGOs, and diagnostic networks, reducing repeat-test costs from contamination.

Patients, direct

Available through pharmacies and e-commerce for home use, with dignity-first design for women, elderly men, and children.

For investors & partners

Raising for global product launch

We're onboarding pilot sites, institutional partners, and distribution channels ahead of CDSCO approval and commercial scale-up, backed by BFI m-Pragati IIT Delhi, DBT-BRIC-THSTI, and RCB BBB.

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ContactDevhuti Palan, Founder & CEO — arundhatihealthcare@gmail.com — +91 84699 77244

Registered office2nd Floor, Plot No. 4, Minarch Tower, Sector-44, Gurugram, Haryana 122003, India

IncubationBSC BioNEST Bio-Incubator (BBB), BRIC-RCB, NCR Biotech Science Cluster