Danucera Diaries
Entry 37: Samyu Krishna Vora
Tell us more about yourself?
I’m currently a second year student at Harvard Business School. Before school, I spent six years in New York working across branding and consulting, which really shaped how I think about building and storytelling. Before my undergraduate days, I was a professional dancer. That background probably explains a lot about how I live now. I tend to be structured during the day, but I also care about how things feel. I love fashion and hosting friends for dinner. Putting together looks, thinking through a table and cooking are my ways of slowing things down and creating moments that feel intentional, especially when everything else is moving quickly.
You're at HBS right now, but we also know you’re planning to build something of your own post-grad. What is it and what’s led you in that particular direction?
At HBS, I’ve been building in healthcare, focused on neurological diseases of aging and how we can detect and intervene earlier in a patient’s journey. What drew me into this space is how fragmented and opaque the system feels from a patient’s perspective. There is real scientific advancement happening, but very little of it translates into something people can actually navigate. It is also deeply personal for me. I have seen dementia in my own family, and it is difficult to reconcile how limited both the solutions and care pathways still are. That gap between what is technically possible and what people actually experience is what made me want to build here.
"Cream Supreme...keeps my skin consistently hydrated without feeling heavy, and I notice the difference immediately if I skip it."
—Samyu Krishna Vora —
Q: As someone preparing to become an entrepreneur, how do you think about discipline and consistency, not just in business, but in how you take care of yourself?
Samyu: I have always been someone who relies on routine. It is the only way I can keep everything moving without feeling scattered. At any given moment, I am balancing classes, working on my product, investor conversations, meetings with clinicians, and trying to stay present in my personal life.
Consistency is what helps me hold all of that together. It gives me something to return to, even on days that feel unpredictable.
That carries into how I take care of myself. Skincare is one of those rituals that feels small but grounding. It is a moment that is just mine, and over time it has become something I genuinely look forward to, in the same way I look forward to getting ready for a dinner or winding down at the end of the day.
Q: On a full day of classes, meetings, networking, etc., how do you set yourself up in the morning, mentally and physically?
Samyu: "I wish I could say I do not check my phone first thing, but I do. I usually start with emails and a quick scan of the news, just to get a sense of what the day looks like. After that, I try to move into something a bit more intentional. I’ll do my skincare routine, head to the gym, and almost always spend a few minutes in the sauna. It helps my skin, but it also gives me a bit of space before everything starts moving.
Most of my classes are in the afternoon, so I use my mornings for focused work and meetings. Afternoons are more outward facing with classes and networking, and in the evenings I try to shift into something lighter, whether that is dinner with my husband, hosting friends, or just turning my brain off for a bit."
Q: Where does Danucera fit into that preparation, is it practical, grounding, or something else?
Samyu: "It feels grounding, but also a little indulgent in the best way. It is one of the few parts of my day that stays consistent no matter what is going on, and it helps me feel more composed before stepping into everything else."
Q: What’s your non-negotiable Danucera product, even on your busiest days? And why?
Samyu: "The Cream Supreme, without question. My skin gets really dry, especially during Boston winters, and I need something that actually lasts all day. It keeps my skin consistently hydrated without feeling heavy, and I notice the difference immediately if I skip it."
Q: Which Danucera product are you loving most right now, and what does it do for you beyond the surface?
Samyu: "The Exfolibuff. I do an everything shower a couple of times a week, and it is a non-negotiable part of that routine. It feels like a reset in the middle of the week. I usually put on music, take my time, and treat it as a bit of a ritual instead of rushing through it."
Q: We know your husband, Bhavik, has recently gotten more into skincare. What changed for him, and what’s the one Danucera product he now refuses to skip?
Samyu: "I think he has seen how much those small routines help me, especially when things get busy. And also, there is only so long you can get away with late nights and early mornings before it becomes very visible.
Now he is very consistent. He will not skip the basics, especially anything that helps with hydration and looking more refreshed. It has been funny watching him go from skeptical to fully invested."
Q: Do you approach skincare differently, or have your routines started to overlap?
Samyu: "We started very differently, but they have definitely started to overlap. I am still a bit more structured and probably more particular, but now we share products and routines more than I expected. It has quietly become something we both care about and honestly, it is quite fun to share these treatments with him. My next goal is to get him into a spa for a facial!"
Q: Finish this sentence. Building a future and taking care of myself both require…
Samyu: "Clarity, discipline, and showing up for myself consistently, even on the days when it would be easier not to."
