logo
Naluri secures US$5 million funding to power expansion into Philippines, Vietnam

Naluri secures US$5 million funding to power expansion into Philippines, Vietnam

Business Times15 hours ago
[KUALA LUMPUR] Singapore-based digital health and employee well-being services provider Naluri has completed a US$5 million Series B equity fundraising round, setting the stage for a push into the Philippines and Vietnam.
The latest round was led by Telus Global Ventures – through its impact-focused Pollinator Fund for Good – alongside existing investors Sumitomo Corporation Equity Asia, M Venture Partners and others.
With this new funding, Naluri's total Series B proceeds now stand at US$14 million. The company is aiming to become profitable within a year.
Group chief executive officer and co-founder Azran Osman-Rani said the fresh capital will fund working capital and market expansion, as the company looks to extend its reach from Malaysia and Indonesia to other high-growth Asian economies.
'We are deeply honoured to have won the trust of our investors to scale this business model and reach the one million lives covered milestone,' Azran said in a statement.
From low-cost flights to digital health
Azran is no stranger to scaling disruptive businesses. As the founding CEO of AirAsia X in 2007, he pioneered the world's first low-cost, long-haul airline, steering it from a startup to roughly US$1 billion in revenue, 2,500 employees and a public-listing in six years.
A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU
Friday, 8.30 am Asean Business
Business insights centering on South-east Asia's fast-growing economies.
Sign Up
Sign Up
He co-founded Naluri in March 2017 to tackle a different challenge: making mental and physical health coaching more accessible and affordable in South-east Asia.
The platform integrates digital therapeutics, behavioural science and a multidisciplinary coaching model to address chronic diseases, mental health and preventive health needs.
Its services are delivered through partnerships with insurers, corporates and healthcare providers, targeting both improved employee well-being and lower long-term medical costs.
Established regional presence
Naluri says it has built a leadership position in Malaysia and Indonesia's employee well-being markets, and counts blue-chip enterprises from banking, insurance, energy and transport among its clients.
Its programmes go beyond mental health counselling, combining preventive behavioural health, chronic disease management, health screenings and assessments, promotional campaigns, multidisciplinary health coaching, consultations and 24/7 crisis support lines.
The approach has secured contracts with pan-Asian and multinational companies, and facilitated expansions into Singapore and Thailand. The next phase of growth will focus on the Philippines and Vietnam.
The investment marks a strategic alignment with Telus Health, which has also signed a commercial partnership with Naluri to support its Employee Assistance Programme clients across eight markets in the region.
Telus Global Ventures managing partner Terry Doyle said the deal reflects both the commercial and social impact potential of the business.
'Our investment in Naluri allows us to expand our footprint in South-east Asia while also demonstrating Telus' strategic commitment to leading the evolution of workplace mental health solutions globally,' Doyle said.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Stocks to watch: Wilmar, CapitaLand Investment, City Developments, Yangzijiang Financial, Haw Par Corp
Stocks to watch: Wilmar, CapitaLand Investment, City Developments, Yangzijiang Financial, Haw Par Corp

Business Times

time2 minutes ago

  • Business Times

Stocks to watch: Wilmar, CapitaLand Investment, City Developments, Yangzijiang Financial, Haw Par Corp

[SINGAPORE] The following companies saw new developments that may affect trading of their securities on Wednesday (Aug 13): Wilmar International : The agribusiness group on Tuesday posted a net profit of US$594.9 million for H1, up 2.6 per cent from US$579.6 million in the year-ago period. This was attributed to stronger performances in its plantation and sugar milling, which rose on the back of higher palm oil prices and fresh fruit bunch production. Shares of Wilmar closed flat at S$2.97 on Tuesday, before the announcement. CapitaLand Investment (CLI) : It will invest more than 192 billion rupees (S$2.8 billion) in Maharashtra by 2030 to deepen its presence in the key Indian markets of Mumbai and Pune, CLI said on Tuesday at the launch of its first India data centre in Navi Mumbai. The planned investments are an 'integral part' of CLI's wider growth strategy for India, where it aims to expand its funds under management from more than S$8 billion currently to around S$15 billion by 2028. CLI shares closed 0.7 per cent or S$0.02 lower at S$2.75 on Tuesday. City Developments Ltd (CDL) : It posted a 3.9 per cent year-on-year rise in its first-half net profit to S$91.2 million on Wednesday, up from S$87.8 million in the previous corresponding period. This translates to a basic earnings per share (EPS) of S$0.097, compared with S$0.092 in the year-ago period. The board proposed a final dividend of S$0.03 per share, a slight increase from S$0.02 a year prior. The property development segment was once again the largest revenue contributor with a 24.3 per cent jump. The counter closed flat at S$6.35 on Tuesday before the announcement. Yangzijiang Financial : The investment management company on Tuesday posted a 28 per cent rise in net profit to S$137.7 million for its H1, from S$107.4 million in the year-ago period. This was largely driven by the reversal of credit loss allowances, higher contributions from maritime joint ventures and net foreign exchange gains. The group said that the subsidiary which it is proposing to spin-off, YZJ Maritime Development, intends to raise up to S$250 million through the placement of new shares to accredited investors and institutional investors. The counter ended S$0.015, or 1.5 per cent, higher at S$0.99 on Tuesday. Haw Par Corporation : The Tiger Balm ointment maker posted an 18.2 per cent rise in net profit to S$144.1 million for its first half ended June, from S$122 million in the previous corresponding period. H1 revenue rose 7 per cent to S$126.3 million, from S$118.1 million a year earlier, as demand for healthcare products remained resilient. Shares of Haw Par closed S$0.19 or 1.3 per cent lower at S$14.13 on Tuesday, before the results were released. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Hong Leong Asia : The group posted a 13.1 per cent rise in net profit to S$56 million for the first half ended June, from S$49.5 million in the year-ago period. This was mainly due to the strong performance of its subsidiary Yuchai, as well as higher precast concrete volumes, the company said on Tuesday. Shares of Hong Leong Asia closed 1.1 per cent or S$0.02 higher at S$1.86 on Tuesday, before the release of the results. ValueMax Group : The group on Tuesday posted a net profit of S$48 million for H1 , up 35.5 per cent from S$35.4 million in the year-ago period. This was attributed to 'robust performance' across all its core business segments – pawnbroking, moneylending, gold and jewellery retail and trading. Revenue rose 16.8 per cent to S$268.3 million, from S$229.8 million previously. Shares of ValueMax closed S$0.05 or 6.6 per cent higher at S$0.805 before the announcement on Tuesday. Prime US Reit : Its H1 2025 distribution per unit declined 33.3 per cent to US$0.0012 , from US$0.0018 in the year-ago period. Income available for distribution slid 28.6 per cent to US$16.7 million, from US$23.3 million. The manager attributed the drop to the divestment of One Town Center, an office tower in Florida, in July 2024 as well as higher finance expenses. Units of Prime US Reit closed up 0.6 per cent or US$0.001 at US$0.174 on Tuesday, before the announcement. Trading halt: Ascent Bridge called for a trading halt at 12.05 pm on Tuesday, pending the release of an announcement. Its shares ended the day 1.4 per cent or S$0.01 lower at S$0.68.

Singtel logs 14% rise in first-quarter profit on Optus, regional partners' boost
Singtel logs 14% rise in first-quarter profit on Optus, regional partners' boost

CNA

time2 minutes ago

  • CNA

Singtel logs 14% rise in first-quarter profit on Optus, regional partners' boost

Singapore Telecommunications posted a 14 per cent increase in first-quarter underlying profit on Wednesday (Aug 13), driven by strong results from its Australian unit Optus and contributions from regional associates, including India's Bharti Airtel. Singtel's improved performance highlighted price hikes for telecom services in key markets and resilient growth from its regional associates, led by Bharti Airtel, whose post-tax contribution from India and South Asia more than doubled during the quarter. Post-tax contribution from regional associates, including Bharti Airtel, Indonesia's Telkomsel, and Thailand's AIS, grew 24.5 per cent to S$468 million. As a result, Singtel's first-quarter underlying net profit rose to S$686 million (US$534.77 million) from S$603 million a year earlier, largely in line with the consensus estimate of S$686.9 million, according to Visible Alpha. "We achieved a strong set of first-quarter results despite ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties and currency fluctuations," Singtel CEO Yuen Kuan Moon said. On a statutory basis, Singtel reported a net profit of S$2.88 billion, sharply higher from S$690 million seen last year, bolstered by one-off gains from the sale of a partial stake in Airtel and the Intouch-Gulf Energy merger.

Tencent investors eye path to record in cheap stock valuations
Tencent investors eye path to record in cheap stock valuations

Straits Times

time32 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Tencent investors eye path to record in cheap stock valuations

Tencent still has not erased the hit from China's corporate crackdowns, which drove its stock to a five-year low in 2022. HONG KONG – As tech megacaps around the world climb to new records, investors see a chance for Tencent shares to finally regain their former glory. The Hong Kong-listed stock has added more than US$150 billion (S$192.5 billion) in market value this year yet it remains 26 per cent below its all-time high. And it is trading at a substantial discount to global tech peers from Meta to Sony. Tencent has more than cheapness going for it, with earnings estimates higher than ever ahead of the company's results due today , and big expectations for game titles including Valorant Mobile. So how close might the shares be to a new peak? 'It's just a matter of time,' said Ms Jian Shi Cortesi, a fund manager at Gam Investment Management, which has Tencent as the largest holding in its flagship fund. The ubiquity of WeChat will make Tencent a long-term winner in e-commerce, and its stock valuations are 'reasonable' on historical and peer comparisons. Tencent still has not erased the hit from China's corporate crackdowns, which drove its stock to a five-year low in 2022. It has not benefited as much as peers such as Alibaba Group from this year's artificial intelligence (AI) boom, nor has it suffered from extreme competition like Meituan. Shares of Tencent are trading at 17.6 times estimated forward earnings, below their five-year average of 20 times. Meta and Sony are both at around 22 times while Japanese video game company Nintendo trades at nearly 40 times – all three of those reached new record share prices last week. 'I have no doubt that Tencent will return to historical levels,' said Morningstar analyst Ivan Su. The market still is not factoring in how much AI will help the company's advertising and gaming businesses, but 'I think those earnings revisions will eventually come through.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Sengkang-Punggol LRT line back to full service: SBS Transit World US trade team will meet Chinese officials in two or three months, Bessent says Singapore From survivable to liveable: The making of a green city Asia DPM Gan kicks off India visit in Mumbai as Singapore firms ink investment agreements Multimedia World Photography Day: Celebrating the art of image-making World Ukraine, sidelined in Trump-Putin summit, fights Russian grab for more territory Opinion Singpass use in dating apps raises difficult questions Singapore SG60: Many hands behind Singapore's success story Even still, while many Chinese firms are seeing margins squeezed by price wars, the average estimate for Tencent's 12-month forward earnings per share has climbed to an all-time high. Its earnings report is expected to show revenue rose 11 per cent in the three months ended June, a third-straight quarter of double-digit growth. Advertising momentum is a key point, 'especially if its AI efforts help drive growth momentum in its video accounts services,' said Ms June Lui, a portfolio manager at Polen Capital. 'Tencent has a diversified business portfolio and that helps make it more defensive than peers from headwinds like tariffs and macroeconomic uncertainties,' she said. Investors have turned more sanguine, with the cost of hedging against declines in shares of Tencent dropping from a peak in April. The street is overwhelmingly bullish on Asia's second-largest stock, with its 66 buy recommendations the most in the region. Beyond earnings, the market is looking forward to the Aug 19 launch of Valorant Mobile, a highly-anticipated shooting game. The title should help drive Tencent's revenue from later this year through the first half of 2026, according to Goldman Sachs. Meanwhile, 'Delta Force is emerging as a potential franchise-level evergreen game,' analyst Ronald Keung wrote in a note last week. 'Gaming remains a sector with strong-visibility cash generation –particularly at a time when much of China internet transaction-based platforms are seeing earnings pressure.' BLOOMBERG

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store