{"id":13146,"date":"2025-03-26T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/?p=13146"},"modified":"2025-03-26T17:20:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T09:20:02","slug":"pinkpharm-co-founder-kenny-lo-is-on-a-mission-to-increase-caregivers-accessibility-to-healthcare-products-no-matter-where-they-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dollarsandsense.sg\/business\/pinkpharm-co-founder-kenny-lo-is-on-a-mission-to-increase-caregivers-accessibility-to-healthcare-products-no-matter-where-they-live\/","title":{"rendered":"PinkPharm Co-founder Kenny Lo Is On A Mission To Increase Caregivers\u2019 Accessibility To Healthcare Products, No Matter Where They Live"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While at work one day, Kenny Lo<\/a> received a phone call that would change his life:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey, your uncle is choking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The call was from his uncle\u2019s nursing home. Being born with epilepsy, his uncle was heavily reliant on caregivers and was tube-fed. That day, though, he\u2019d managed to swallow porridge containing a piece of chicken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenny could hear his uncle choking. The nursing home had already called for an ambulance, but by the time Kenny and the ambulance carrying his uncle rushed to the hospital, his uncle had passed away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His family was devastated. So was Kenny, who had been his uncle\u2019s caregiver. At that time, his multi-year work project was also wrapping up soon, and he saw this as a sign for a career change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenny ended up tapping into his caregiving knowledge to co-found PinkPharm<\/a>, a Singapore online marketplace selling healthcare products that\u2019s now making its mark in Thailand<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: <\/em><\/strong>From Banker To Mental Health Advocate: How Joan Low Is Making Mental Healthcare More Affordable And Accessible With Her Start-Up ThoughtFull<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Helping Caregivers Buy Supplies Online<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kenny had been a caregiver \u201call the way\u201d since his teens. While other kids had only schoolwork to grapple with, he was learning how to manage his uncle\u2019s epileptic seizures. Over the years, he also cared for his mother and grandmother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenny\u2019s caregiving responsibilities continued after he started work. Some of the most common questions he would get from home were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you go buy diapers and wound care products?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you go buy Ensure Plus milk?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His go-to place for caregiving supplies was a shop in Balestier. But he worked long hours\u2014even as late as 2 am\u2014and the shop might have already closed by the time he got off work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neither could he shop online: it was the early 2010s, when e-commerce was in its infancy and the checkout experience was\u2014in Kenny\u2019s words\u2014\u201cbasic\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From these experiences, he decided his business would operate as an e-commerce marketplace, with no physical storefront, to keep rental and overheads low. It would also offer a wide range of healthcare products, from nutrition to incontinence diapers, wound care, over-the-counter medicine and more\u2014anything a person might need to care for their loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a doctor, I\u2019m not a physio and I\u2019m not a nutritionist,\u201d says Kenny, explaining how he positioned his expertise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut I\u2019m a caregiver.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: <\/em><\/strong>Grants; Subsidies; And Self-Care: Guide To Being A First-Time Caregiver In Singapore<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting Suppliers And Customers Onboard<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kenny pumped a modest $60,000 in capital to start PinkPharm in 2013. He rented a small 200 sqft office, set up a customer care line and had his website built. He then armed himself with a 54-page slide deck and began pitching to the large suppliers he was a regular customer of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposal was a tough sell. The suppliers would lose interest by the 20th slide or so. Even after he condensed his presentation into just two slides, they\u2019d tell him to his face that his business would fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was only after he persuaded them of his dedication to the business, and his website\u2019s credibility, that he acquired the rights to sell their products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To get customers, Kenny and his family printed thousands of flyers and distributed them door-to-door \u201clike property agents\u201d. He also ran simple Facebook ads that showcased his products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took months before PinkPharm received its first orders, but they began trickling in. According to Kenny, getting orders, and being able to ease caregivers\u2019 frustration in sourcing supplies, was \u201cfulfilling\u201d and \u201ca great experience\u201d. His phone notifications would go off \u2014\u201ccha-ching!<\/em>\u201d\u2014every time an order came in, and he\u2019d excitedly stop what he was doing to check the new order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Slow To Supercharged Growth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Still, growth was slow for the first two years. Kenny even considered closing the business. But his father and father-in-law\u2014who were also entrepreneurs\u2014saw promise in PinkPharm operating in a growing sector and urged him to keep going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The business took off in its third year when e-commerce platforms like Shopee and Lazada entered the fray. Far from being competitors, they helped PinkPharm increase its online visibility and get more customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hospitals also began recommending PinkPharm to patients\u2019 caregivers as the site\u2019s variety of products was the widest available in the market. In fact, Kenny calls nurses the \u201cKOLs\u201d (key opinion leaders who have influence over a target audience).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because when your loved one is discharged from the hospital, the nurse will tell you the supplies you need and how frequently to use them. From there, you\u2019ll naturally ask \u201cWhere do I buy all this?\u201d\u2014which is when the nurse points you to PinkPharm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenny shares that the COVID-19 pandemic only \u201csupercharged\u201d growth, with caregivers staying home and ordering the products they needed online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a one-man show in the beginning, PinkPharm is now helmed by close to 20 staff and stocks around 600 products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tackling The International Problem Of Caregiving<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Kenny started exploring overseas expansion one to two years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always felt ageing is an international problem,\u201d he says. \u201cCaregiving is an international problem, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After shortlisting a few countries, he decided on Thailand for a few reasons. For one, the country was a leading medical tourism destination. Kenny shares that its hospitals are as beautiful as upscale hotels, and hospital transfer services from the airport are seamless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you land in Bangkok, there is a counter for the medical concierge to bring you to the hospital. Here, when you land [in Singapore], you see the Changi <\/a>Recommends<\/a> counter and can return your Wi-Fi router,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ageing in place is also a growing trend among the more affluent locals. Most importantly, the hospital-to-home service\u2014where hospital staff help patients transition from hospital care to being cared for at home\u2014is gaining popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenny made multiple recce trips to Thailand, chatting with locals and friends to learn about their caregiving journeys. He also visited the small independent pharmacies they bought supplies from, pretending to be sick so he could understand the customer journey of a patient in Thailand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took eight months for Kenny to set up PinkPharm\u2019s Thai operations. This included registering the business and establishing relationships with brands. He also had to list products on the Thai arms of Shopee, Lazada and other e-commerce platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Commitment To Support Caregivers All Over The World<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kenny isn\u2019t handing out flyers to get the word out in Thailand like he did in Singapore, but he\u2019s still running social ads and doing on-the-ground education at hospitals in collaboration with brand partners. He\u2019s also working with his suppliers\u2019 sales representatives to recommend PinkPharm and ease the transition from hospital to home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A team of three manages the Thai operations, and eight brands are currently on board. Sales have been encouraging, with PinkPharm receiving orders every day since it launched in Thailand<\/a> in August 2024. The business also launched its direct-to-consumer e-commerce site<\/a> in February 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kenny\u2019s immediate plans are to focus on the Thai market for the next two to three years before considering further international expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world is experiencing an ageing population, and this trend is expected to intensify over the coming decade or more. Having personally navigated the challenges of caregiving, I am committed to leveraging PinkPharm as a resource to support caregivers globally,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Also: <\/em><\/strong>One Army Career And COVID-19 \u201cWar\u201d Later, ALLWIN Founder Chua Jing Zhi Is Making His Mark In The Health Space<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Tapping into his lifelong experience as a caregiver to tackle the international problem of caregiving.\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":13149,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[94],"tags":[107,104,615,1966,2207,2206],"yoast_head":"\nPinkPharm Co-founder Kenny Lo Is On A Mission To Increase Caregivers\u2019 Accessibility To Healthcare Products, No Matter Where They Live | DollarsAndSense Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Kenny Lo co-founded PinkPharm to help caregivers conveniently buy healthcare products online. 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