How Jaanuu Is Becoming the 'Nike of Scrubs' and Taking on Figs

Jaanuu — a name derived from the Hindu word for "life" — was founded in 2014 by the brother-sister duo Shaan Sethi and pediatrician Dr. Neela Sethi Young. The pair spotted an opportunity to liven up the stilted medical apparel market by developing fashionable designs for scrubs that "focused on the intersection of sport, empowerment, technology, and style," Sethi said. 

The company has seen significant growth in the past two years, tripling its revenue among both medical and non-medical consumers in 2020 from the year prior. In 2021, Jaanuu has already more than doubled its revenue among medical professionals. Aside from traditional scrubs, Jaannu sells face masks, lab coats, and bomber jackets.

Sethi told Insider that Jaanuu has also seen an uptick in average order spend and repeat customers this year. Building loyalty will prove especially vital to the company, as a growing number of direct-to-consumer medical scrub companies enter the fold — including the popular brand Figs, which filed its initial public offering earlier this year.

Sethi said he believes Jaanuu has an edge over competitors thanks to being one of the only companies cofounded by a practicing doctor. 

"We are really the only physician-led brand driving this category forward and that allows us to really be deeply in tune with the healthcare professional experience," he said. "We talk about the concept of a FUBU — for us, by us — and I think that really allows us to tap into what the healthcare consumer is going through and what they need."

And while Figs is being dubbed as the "Lululemon of scrubs" by investors, Jaanuu is poaching Nike executives to boost marketing. The company recently tapped Dan Alder, Nike's former head of global marketing, as chief marketing officer and Scott Shepley — who previously worked alongside Alder on Nike's global brand marketing team — as vice president of brand marketing.  

Both Alder and Shepley spent nearly two decades at Nike where Sethi said "they reinvented multiple categories."

"Bringing them on board at Jaanuu allows us to not only refine and tighten our brand messaging, but also really amplify the message in a big way to increase the brand awareness of Jaanuu around the world," Sethi said. 

According to Sethi, Jaanuu's customer base is wide-ranging within the medical world, spanning all ages and practices, with an increasing number of younger consumers engaging with the brand thanks to the recent debut of ambassador programs and partnerships with universities. 

"We obviously have high penetration within the nurse category, the physician category, and a whole host of other healthcare professionals, but from the early days, the core demographic has been somewhere in the 20s up to the 50," he said. 

Jaanuu believes it is poised for global growth, a major focus for its nearly 80-person team with offices currently in the US, China, and Vietnam. Sethi said while there may be a possibility for Jaanuu to expand into other types of uniforms beyond medicine, the company is "only at the tip of the iceberg in penetrating into a multi-billion dollar medical apparel category." 

"We're setting up the foundation of Jaanuu at this intersection of innovation and inspiration and style and empowerment that really allows us to open up the aperture and open up the entrance into other categories as we see fit," he said.

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