Healthcare systems globally are buckling under the weight of administrative tasks. In Malaysia, where the doctor-to-patient ratio hovers around 1:450, frontline clinicians are facing severe burnout, spending hours after their shifts typing up medical notes. Enter Heidi: a Melbourne-based HealthTech startup providing a B2B SaaS AI Care Partner. Originally launched as an AI medical scribe to transcribe and structure clinical notes in real-time, the platform is evolving into a comprehensive workflow tool handling patient communications and ad-free clinical research.



In just 18 months, Heidi has supported over 73 million patient consults. Backed by a US$65 million Series B led by Point72 Private Investments, the company is now valued at US$465 million and executing a US$9 million expansion into Malaysia.



CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Tom Kelly talks to us about building clinical software, while we dissect the early, messy iterations of the Heidi MVP, and why "moving fast and breaking things" has no place in modern medicine.

Healthcare systems globally are buckling under the weight of administrative tasks. In Malaysia, where the doctor-to-patient ratio hovers around 1:450, frontline clinicians are facing severe burnout, spending hours after their shifts typing up medical notes. Enter Heidi: a Melbourne-based HealthTech startup providing a B2B SaaS AI Care Partner. Originally launched as an AI medical scribe to transcribe and structure clinical notes in real-time, the platform is evolving into a comprehensive workflow tool handling patient communications and ad-free clinical research.In just 18 months, Heidi has supported over 73 million patient consults. Backed by a US$65 million Series B led by Point72 Private Investments, the company is now valued at US$465 million and executing a US$9 million expansion into Malaysia.CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Tom Kelly talks to us about building clinical software, while we dissect the early, messy iterations of the Heidi MVP, and why "moving fast and breaking things" has no place in modern medicine.

The flagship entrepreneurship show on BFM, featuring personal business stories from early stage start-ups, all the way to billionaire octogenarians in Malaysia and abroad. Notable guests include Martin Cooper (father of the mobile phone), Julian Assange (founder of WikiLeaks), Ralph Henry Baer (father of video games), Tony Buzan (Mindmap Guru), Isaac Tigrett (Hard Rock Cafe founder), Robert Kiyosaki (Financial Guru), Nick Vujicic (motivational speaker) and more. Tap into this valuable resource of shared experiences for the SME industry, which also touches on news, issues and trends affecting the business community and beyond.

Open For Business

Discover fresh concepts, tackle obstacles, and unleash growth - Open For Business is the dynamic show where BFM engages with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and industry trailblazers, igniting inspiration, sparking success, and exploring new business models.

Can AI Save Malaysia’s Overstretched Hospitals?

The local Malaysian beauty industry is dominated by aggressive marketing, promising consumers "flawless skin in 3 days" and chasing the latest viral TikTok trends. 



But when Sarah Shah Nor suffered from severe postpartum eczema, she realized those harsh, trend-chasing products were exactly what sensitive skin couldn't handle.



Leaving behind her background in the fashion industry, Sarah founded Cuura—a beauty and wellness brand built on gentle, effective, and innovative skincare designed specifically for busy working mothers. Today, Cuura has scaled into a 7-figure, highly profitable, and 100% bootstrapped business that includes both physical retail stores and the Cuura Skin Spa.



Sarah talks to us about the operational reality of building a beauty brand from scratch, the financial discipline required to bootstrap a physical retail and spa business, and the deeply emotional, often lonely "messy middle" of trying to scale an empire while navigating motherhood.

The local Malaysian beauty industry is dominated by aggressive marketing, promising consumers "flawless skin in 3 days" and chasing the latest viral TikTok trends. But when Sarah Shah Nor suffered from severe postpartum eczema, she realized those harsh, trend-chasing products were exactly what sensitive skin couldn't handle.Leaving behind her background in the fashion industry, Sarah founded Cuura—a beauty and wellness brand built on gentle, effective, and innovative skincare designed specifically for busy working mothers. Today, Cuura has scaled into a 7-figure, highly profitable, and 100% bootstrapped business that includes both physical retail stores and the Cuura Skin Spa.Sarah talks to us about the operational reality of building a beauty brand from scratch, the financial discipline required to bootstrap a physical retail and spa business, and the deeply emotional, often lonely "messy middle" of trying to scale an empire while navigating motherhood.

The Messy Middle: Bootstrapping Cuura to 7 Figures

Most F&B founders measure success by the number of retail outlets they open. But Christine Tham and Leong Hoo Yin quickly realised that relying solely on retail is a "single-layer" business model that inevitably leads to a plateau. Founded in 2022, Gelatomania started as a retail brand but quickly pivoted to a much larger ambition: building an integrated, end-to-end gelato ecosystem for the Asian market. Recognising that Southeast Asia was heavily dependent on expensive, non-localised European brands for ingredients and equipment, Christine and Leong began offering Professional Gelato Training, B2B wholesale supply, and custom recipe development. To date, their academy has graduated over 5,500 "Gelato-maniacs" and helped launch several competing retail brands.



The co-founders join us to share the strategy behind their ecosystem play, the operational nightmare of competing against legacy European ingredient giants, and why true F&B defensibility comes from controlling the supply chain, not just the recipe.

Most F&amp;B founders measure success by the number of retail outlets they open. But Christine Tham and Leong Hoo Yin quickly realised that relying solely on retail is a "single-layer" business model that inevitably leads to a plateau. Founded in 2022, Gelatomania started as a retail brand but quickly pivoted to a much larger ambition: building an integrated, end-to-end gelato ecosystem for the Asian market. Recognising that Southeast Asia was heavily dependent on expensive, non-localised European brands for ingredients and equipment, Christine and Leong began offering Professional Gelato Training, B2B wholesale supply, and custom recipe development. To date, their academy has graduated over 5,500 "Gelato-maniacs" and helped launch several competing retail brands.The co-founders join us to share the strategy behind their ecosystem play, the operational nightmare of competing against legacy European ingredient giants, and why true F&amp;B defensibility comes from controlling the supply chain, not just the recipe.

The Ecosystem Play: Why Gelatomania Is Building More Than Just Outlets

Is it possible to run a highly profitable retail business in premium shopping malls by selling products for just RM5 on the honour system?



Adrian Ung, a seasoned commercial leader with 30 years of corporate experience, believed it was. In 2022, he co-founded Books For A Better World (BFBW), a social enterprise dedicated to giving pre-loved books a second life. Sourcing books from public donations and organisations like The Salvation Army, BFBW operates a network of affordable bookstores across the Klang Valley—including IPC, Avenue K, and 1 Mont Kiara. To keep overheads low, BFBW relies heavily on a self-service QR-code payment system and a dedicated workforce of senior citizen volunteers. Today, the bootstrapped social enterprise generates six-figure annual revenues while donating a portion of its proceeds back to charity.



Adrian joins us in the studio to unpack the operational tightrope of running a hybrid social enterprise, retail theft, the logistics of sorting thousands of donated books, how to negotiate with premium mall landlords, and why purpose-driven businesses actually command stronger community loyalty.

Is it possible to run a highly profitable retail business in premium shopping malls by selling products for just RM5 on the honour system?Adrian Ung, a seasoned commercial leader with 30 years of corporate experience, believed it was. In 2022, he co-founded Books For A Better World (BFBW), a social enterprise dedicated to giving pre-loved books a second life. Sourcing books from public donations and organisations like The Salvation Army, BFBW operates a network of affordable bookstores across the Klang Valley—including IPC, Avenue K, and 1 Mont Kiara. To keep overheads low, BFBW relies heavily on a self-service QR-code payment system and a dedicated workforce of senior citizen volunteers. Today, the bootstrapped social enterprise generates six-figure annual revenues while donating a portion of its proceeds back to charity.Adrian joins us in the studio to unpack the operational tightrope of running a hybrid social enterprise, retail theft, the logistics of sorting thousands of donated books, how to negotiate with premium mall landlords, and why purpose-driven businesses actually command stronger community loyalty.

Can AI Save Malaysia’s Overstretched Hospitals?

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