3 February 2021, Singapore – ABC World Asia, the Singapore-based private equity fund focused on impact investing across Asia, today announced that it has led a US$24M Series B round in Kim Dental – one of Vietnam’s leading dental system operators, alongside existing backer Aura Private Equity, among others. The new capital will further support Kim Dental with expanding the delivery of affordable and reliable oral healthcare services across Vietnam.
Headquartered in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Kim Dental currently owns and operates a fast-growing network of 19 dental clinics across four cities in Vietnam. The clinics provide routine dental check-ups and treatments as well as more advanced procedures such as orthodontics, prosthodontics, oral surgery and implants. The dental system operator employs 120 dentists and dental surgeons, as well as over 600 clinical and operational staff serving over 23,000 patients every month. Kim Dental also operates a dental laboratory that supports its clinic network with in-house production of dental crowns, dentures and bridges.
David Heng, Founder and CEO of ABC World Asia, said, “The improvement of health outcomes is a key impact focus for us. Oral health, despite being an important component of primary healthcare, is often neglected and continues to pose a major public health concern in many developing countries. Kim Dental is leading the way in delivering affordable and quality oral healthcare to communities across Vietnam. With its comprehensive approach towards professionalising dental operations, improving clinical training, and elevating customer service quality, Kim Dental is driving positive oral health outcomes anchored on affordability, quality, awareness, and prevention. We look forward to supporting Kim Dental in its mission as it continues to contribute to universal health coverage, and improve the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases in Vietnam through better oral health.”
“Aura Private Equity was an early investor in Kim Dental and is proud to follow on in this landmark Series B round led by ABC World Asia. We were initially attracted to Kim Dental as it is the market leader in Vietnam providing world class oral hygiene services at very affordable prices. We see strong community outcomes as well as a significant market opportunity in Vietnam for reasonably priced healthcare services. This transaction is a significant milestone for Aura Private Equity in Asia, especially in light of market conditions created by COVID-19. It is also our first collaboration with ABC World Asia, and we are delighted to partner with ABC World Asia to continue to support Kim Dental’s entrepreneurial founders in further scaling their business across Vietnam,” commented Andrew Nai, Director of Aura Private Equity.
Dr Nguyen Huu Nam, Chairman of Kim Dental, said, “As Vietnam continues to develop and its economy continues to expand, many segments of our communities are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of oral healthcare and demanding more affordable dental care services of international standards. We look forward to continue building a robust Vietnam dental ecosystem with the additional resources provided from this successful fundraising round. It is our dream to provide dentists with high quality jobs and to offer international standard dental services to patients across the country.”
Dr Nam is one of the three founders of Kim Dental – the other two founders are CEO Su Duy Bin and CFO Huynh Minh Viet. Together, they lead an experienced management team with deep local operational knowledge and clinical expertise.
Adding to the growth momentum, Kim Dental has partnered with Vinmec Central Park International Hospital, part of the Vinmec Healthcare System. Supported by Vietnam’s leading private economic consortium Vingroup Corporation, Vinmec Healthcare System is one of Vietnam’s leading healthcare groups and also operates the first general hospital in Vietnam to be accredited by Joint Commission International (JCI) – the world’s leading accreditation on hospital management and patient safety. Under this partnership, Kim Dental manages the in-house dental facilities at Vinmec Central Park International Hospital.
Su Duy Bin, CEO of Kim Dental said, “ABC World Asia and Aura Private Equity bring on board their long-term investment approach, global presence, and deep experience in building industry pioneers. We look forward to their support as we continue on our vision to build a leading dental clinic chain in Vietnam.”
Huynh Minh Viet, CFO of Kim Dental, added, “With this successful Series B round, Kim Dental is now well-positioned to expand our delivery of international quality dental care to the fast-growing communities across the country – improving community access as well as helping to elevate the standards of oral healthcare in Vietnam, so that we achieve more positive overall healthcare outcomes in our country.”
In an ABC World Asia commissioned survey, over 300 dental patients were interviewed to assess the impact of Kim Dental on their oral health. Of those surveyed, nearly half are experiencing quality oral healthcare treatments for the first time – attesting to the mission of Kim Dental to deliver oral healthcare to the underserved segments in Vietnam. Over 75% noted that they felt more informed about oral health after the treatments; and about 78% attested to changing their oral hygiene behaviours after learning more about how to improve their oral health from Kim Dental.
The World Health Organisation estimates that oral diseases affect around 3.5 billion people globally. In low-middle income and emerging markets, the incident rate of oral diseases is expected to rise as more people are exposed to sugar, tobacco and alcohol – the main risk factors for oral diseases. The National Oral Health Survey conducted in Vietnam found that one-third of Vietnamese adults suffer from periodontal pockets as a result of gum disease that was left untreated. Other negatives outcomes from poor oral healthcare also include malnutrition, reduced quality of life, and oral cancer.
Kim Dental was advised on the transaction by BDA Partners.
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About ABC World Asia
ABC World Asia is a Singapore-headquartered and Asia-focused private equity fund dedicated to impact investing. We invest in companies that drive positive change by addressing the world’s most pressing challenges such as climate change, resource scarcity, and deepening inequality. Our investment themes include financial and digital inclusion, better health and education, climate and water solutions, sustainable food and agriculture, and smart and liveable cities.
We believe that investing with an impact lens demonstrates the positive power of private capital. Through our rigorous and impact-based investment approach, we help to foster more innovative and resilient companies that deliver societal and environmental benefits. We are a disciplined investor and aim to generate positive and measurable social or environmental impact, alongside a compelling risk-adjusted return for our investors.
Our investment strategy is aligned with the ABC Framework for an Active Economy, a Beautiful Society, and a Clean Earth. The ABC Framework was established by Singapore investment company Temasek and builds on the ideals of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations.
Our inaugural S$405 million fund includes investors such as Temasek Trust, Temasek, Pavilion Capital, Mapletree Investments, Seatown Holdings, Sembcorp Industries, and Singapore Power.
For more information, please visit www.abcworld.com.sg
About Aura Group
Aura Group is a financial services business providing tailored wealth, funds management and corporate advisory solutions to clients. Founded in Australia in 2009, Aura Group has its head office in Singapore and a significant footprint across the Asia Pacific region including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Ho Chi Minh City.
Aura Group takes a client-centric approach and was awarded the Best Wealth and Fund Management Company – Asia Pacific and the Client Service Excellence Award – South East Asia, at the 2019 International Finance Awards.
Aura Private Equity is Aura Group’s Asia Pacific-focused Private Equity Team that invests in emerging marketing leaders.
For more information, please visit https://www.aura.co