Yoga is often the first thing associated with India globally, and one young entrepreneur who has helped expand that connection in the digital age is Saurabh Bothra, a 34-year-old IIT-BHU graduate who moved away from a conventional engineering career to build a large wellness platform.
Bothra reportedly struggled for several years before founding Habuild, a startup that has since grown into a global yoga community reaching over 1.5 crore people across 169 countries. The platform’s reach is not only defined by scale but also by its audience profile, with a large proportion of participants being women above the age of 40, many of whom had not previously followed a consistent fitness routine.
Born in Maharashtra, Bothra was influenced early in life by values of service and social impact, shaped by his family background and philosophical influences such as Swami Vivekananda. After gaining admission to IIT-BHU, he initially appeared set for a traditional engineering path, but a chance exposure to meditation and yoga during a train journey reportedly changed his direction.
Over time, he chose to focus on teaching yoga rather than pursuing a conventional corporate career. While conducting sessions and travelling, he observed a recurring challenge among people: although many wanted to stay healthy, they struggled with consistency. This insight eventually became the foundation of Habuild’s approach.
Launched in March 2020, just before the Covid-19 lockdown, Habuild began as a self-funded initiative with a small group of participants. Its core idea centred on daily practice and habit formation rather than short-term fitness goals. As lockdowns confined people to their homes, online sessions rapidly gained traction, and participation grew significantly through word of mouth within families and communities.
The platform’s model emphasised daily engagement, community participation and structured challenges, which helped users integrate yoga into their routines. This approach proved particularly popular among women managing household and professional responsibilities, offering an accessible way to focus on health and well-being.
Habuild has since expanded into a company with more than 300 employees and now conducts large-scale virtual yoga and meditation sessions. Despite its growth, Bothra’s focus remains on habit-building and long-term lifestyle change rather than purely fitness outcomes.
From an IIT-trained engineer to the founder of a global wellness community, Bothra’s journey reflects how traditional practices like yoga have found renewed relevance through digital platforms, reaching audiences across the world one daily session at a time.
