After substantial layoffs, can Naluri nurse itself back to health?

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Hi there,

This past week, there were many public holidays across the region, which means my colleagues and I had some time off. That’s given me a chance to run outdoors.

Since I’m returning to running, I’m still trying to figure out my best pace. In my last run, thanks to my new pair of shoes, I thought I could handle five kilometers in less than 40 minutes (it’s not the toughest goal, I know).

Still, that confidence cost me. I ended up running just four kilometers and was gasping for air in the last five minutes.

In this week’s Big Story, my colleague Emmanuel spotlights Malaysian healthtech startup Naluri, which shows that companies too can run out of breath from time to time. Having landed fresh capital in 2022, it expanded swiftly into Thailand and quickly ran out of steam.

It found success in the early days of the pandemic as Malaysian corporations availed of its physical and mental health assistance services to help their struggling employees. But by 2023, as the tech winter persisted, it was apparent that Naluri could not keep up with the pace of expansion.

Emmanuel speaks with Naluri’s CEO, Azran Osman-Rani, on how the company plans to run at a pace it can sustain and its aim to break even by the end of the year.

Speaking of races, I explore how a superteam of tech giants – including Google, Intel, and Qualcomm – plan to overtake Nvidia in the race for AI dominance in this week’s AI Odyssey.

But first, this week’s Big Story.

— Elyssa

THE BIG STORY

Despite setbacks, this Malaysian healthtech firm eyes EBITDA breakeven by year-end

Image credit: Made by Tech in Asia using Midjourney

After laying off about a third of its staff, Kuala Lumpur-based health tech startup Naluri is ready once more to grow its business to profitability.

AI ODYSSEY

NEWS YOU SHOULD KNOW

FYI