In a world where performance is tracked, optimised, and measured down to the last calorie and step count, one essential element often goes unnoticed—the air we breathe. For Anmay Shahlot, Co-Founder of Atovio, that blind spot became the starting point of a mission. What began as a personal discomfort with Gurgaon’s air pollution soon transformed into a bold entrepreneurial leap, from a high-paying consulting career to building a science-backed wearable air purification brand made in India, for India.
Anmay represents a new generation of founders who view wellness not as a trend, but as an ecosystem, one that includes fitness, discipline, resilience, and environmental control. With Atovio validated by IIT Kanpur and positioned at the intersection of health, technology, and lifestyle, his journey reflects the mindset of modern masculinity, i.e., ownership, consistency, and purpose-driven action.
In this candid conversation, he speaks about risk, resilience, leadership, and redefining strength in today’s performance-driven world.
You left a high-paying consulting career to build Atovio. What pushed you to take that leap?
Ans: On paper, my consulting career was stable and rewarding. But when I moved to Gurgaon in 2022, air pollution became deeply personal. I remember buying an air purifier even before I bought a mattress in my new house. That’s how urgent it felt.
I also had the option to relocate to the US through work, but I chose to stay back. The problem was here, and it needed solving here. Eventually, the discomfort of ignoring it became bigger than the comfort of staying employed.
Was there a specific moment that made you say, “This is it”?
Ans: Yes. I noticed that while room air purifiers were common indoors, the moment you stepped out, you were exposed again. Masks were an option, but most people didn’t wear them consistently because of discomfort. That’s when it struck me, there was no practical, wearable solution for personal air protection. The idea of making clean air portable became the starting point of Atovio.
You’re not from a business family. What was it like starting from scratch?
Ans: I come from a business family, but I have built Atovio from scratch with the support of my two founders. There was no inherited blueprint, no family office, no existing factory to plug into. When I decided to build Atovio, it truly began with conversations and a lot of learning by doing. I remember walking into manufacturing units where nobody knew who I was, trying to explain a category that didn’t even fully exist yet.
Starting from scratch means every win feels earned: your first prototype, your first bulk order, your first customer who believes in the product. It also means every mistake teaches you something fundamental. I had to understand supply chains, component sourcing, product design, compliance- things that were far outside my consulting background.
But that blank slate also gave me freedom. I wasn’t bound by legacy thinking. I was building something from first principles, shaped by the problem I wanted to solve. And that process, though difficult, has made me far more resilient and far more invested in every part of the journey.
What were the biggest challenges in the early days?
Ans: Convincing people that wearable air purification was even a category. When something is new, it’s met with skepticism. We had to educate before we could sell. Building hardware is also capital-intensive and operationally complex. There were supply chain hurdles, design iterations, and countless refinements. But those early struggles built resilience into the company’s DNA.
Atovio is tested and validated at IIT Kanpur. How important was that milestone?
Ans: It was crucial. In a space like air purification, credibility matters. Getting the product tested and validated at IIT Kanpur reinforced that we were not building a gimmick; we were building a science-backed solution. It gave customers confidence and strengthened our positioning as a serious technology brand.
How would you define Atovio in one line?
Ans: A personal layer of protection made in India, made for India.
Best for Him speaks to modern, fitness-conscious men. How does Atovio fit into that lifestyle?
Ans: Men today are investing in better food, better workouts, better sleep, but air is often overlooked. If you’re tracking your macros and steps but ignoring the air you breathe, you’re missing a critical piece of wellness. Atovio fits into that everyday performance mindset. It’s about optimising what you can control.
As a young founder, what kind of leader are you trying to become?
Ans: I am trying to become a leader who brings clarity in moments of uncertainty. In a startup environment, chaos is inevitable, but confusion is optional. My role is to set direction, define priorities, and ensure the team knows exactly what we are building and why.
For me, leadership is less about charisma and more about responsibility. It means owning the outcomes, especially when things don’t go as planned. I believe in building a culture where discipline and ownership are non-negotiable, but equally where people feel trusted to take initiative. If the team grows stronger and more confident with every challenge, then I know I am leading the right way.
In a world where men are constantly chasing performance, in fitness, business, and life, how do you define real strength today?
Ans: I think real strength today is not about intensity; it is about consistency. Anyone can push hard for a week or post a highlight moment. But real strength is showing up every single day, especially when no one is watching.
For me, strength is discipline in the small things. Taking responsibility when something fails. Building something meaningful instead of chasing validation. It is easy to perform when conditions are perfect. It takes strength to stay committed when they are not.
Modern masculinity, in my view, is less about dominance and more about ownership. Ownership of your health, your decisions, your impact, and the environment you create around you. That quiet accountability is far more powerful than any outward display of success.
Where do you see wearable technology heading in the next few years?
Ans: Wearable technology is entering a far more meaningful phase. The first wave was about tracking- steps, heart rate, notifications. The next wave is about intervention and the environment. Devices are no longer just measuring your life; they are starting to actively improve it.
We are seeing wearables evolve beyond fitness bands into smart rings, recovery tools, environmental sensors, and protection-focused devices. They are becoming smaller and more integrated into daily routines. The goal is not to add more screens to our lives, but to quietly enhance recovery, focus, and overall well-being.
In the coming years, I believe wearable tech will move closer to preventive care and environmental optimisation. It will sit at the intersection of health, lifestyle, and design. The most successful devices will not feel like gadgets; they will feel like natural extensions of the body.
What advice would you give to young founders who are just starting out?
Ans: Don’t build something just because it sounds impressive. Build something that genuinely bothers you. Entrepreneurship is far more demanding than it looks from the outside; it tests your patience and your discipline. If the problem doesn’t matter deeply to you, you will quit when it gets uncomfortable.
Second, focus on fundamentals early. Understand your numbers. Know your product inside out. Glamour fades quickly, but clarity and consistency compound.
And finally, build strength. Success is rarely dramatic. It’s built through small, disciplined actions repeated every day.
In an era obsessed with visible gains, better physiques, bigger titles, and louder milestones—Anmay Shahlot reminds us that real progress often begins invisibly. Atovio is not just a product; it is a philosophy rooted in preventive strength, disciplined ownership, and quiet optimisation.
Because sometimes, the most powerful move isn’t chasing more, it’s protecting what truly matters.
