Stanley Ho. Photo credit: Forbes.
Malaysia’s doctor booking service BookDoc seems to be building a roster of high-profile investors. After an investment from Prince Abdul Qawi, a member of the ruling royal family of Brunei, the startup announced a new funding round, led by a family member of Macau gambling king Stanley Ho.
95-year-old Ho single-handedly built Macau’s casino-based economy, having held a government-granted monopoly on the industry for 40 years until 2001. He had always ranked among the world’s billionaires but was removed in 2011 in favor of his fourth wife, following a series of controversial asset transfers. Apart from casinos, Ho’s clan has several real estate holdings in Macau and Hong Kong, and other business interests in tourism, entertainment, aviation, shipping, and banking.
BookDoc didn’t reveal the name of the family member who invested, nor did it state how much the investment was. But it said the sum brought its valuation to “double-digit US millions.”
“Experienced individuals who hail from various business verticals with deep know-how on doing business in Asia are vital to BookDoc. It will help us penetrate markets faster and more effectively,” founder and CEO Dato’ Chevy Beh said in a statement.
Regional expansion
Launched in 2015, BookDoc is an app for people to search and book doctors locally and abroad that’s integrated with ride-hailing apps Uber and Grab, airline company AirAsia, hotel booking platform Agoda, and travel review site TripAdvisor.
It also helps companies monitor their staff’s health and manage their medical and wellness benefits.
With those features, it seems to be a cross between online doctor booking service Zocdoc and insurance and wellness marketplace CXA.
Since its inception, the startup has expanded beyond Malaysia to Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand, and launched a new feature called BookDoc Activ. BookDoc Activ rewards users for maintaining a high level of physical activity.
“With additional funding, we will be in a stronger position to expand regionally in Southeast Asia, roll out more products and features targeting the B2B market, and form strategic partnerships in the region. It is more important to get it right than to rush into any opportunities that arise,” said Chevy Beh of BookDoc’s strategic direction.
We’ve contacted the founder for more on the company’s operations and funding.
This post After Brunei prince, Macau casino king Stanley Ho’s family invests in BookDoc appeared first on Tech in Asia.
from Tech in Asia https://www.techinasia.com/brunei-prince-macau-casino-king-stanley-hos-family-invests-bookdoc
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