This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on January 21, 2016.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prince Abdul Qawi, the nephew of Brunei’s ruler Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, has invested in BookDoc, a Malaysian healthcare technology start-up.

BookDoc was founded by Datuk Chevy Beh, the former managing director of BP Healthcare Group, together with Groupon Malaysia founder and former chief executive officer of Groupon Asia Pacific Joel Neoh.

The Brunei prince, who hails from one of the world’s richest royal families, is no stranger to the investing fraternity. He is the non-executive chairman and a major shareholder of Singapore Exchange-listed KLW Holdings Ltd, which is involved in property development and investment in Melbourne, Australia.

In a statement on Monday, BookDoc said it had concluded its seed funding round, led by the prince’s investment, but did not state the amount that it has raised, which will go towards expanding its workforce, funding the second phase of its technological development and strengthening the infrastructure to support regional growth.

“It’s a record-breaking feat for BookDoc, by achieving the highest pre-seed and seed funding valuations ever in the technology start-up history of Asia,” read the group’s statement.

In the same statement, Beh said the BookDoc team is inspired by the confidence that the investment community has placed in them.

“The latest funding round is really a shot in the arm. The record valuation of the seed round is a resounding endorsement of the execution track record of the team and will spur us on to strive forward with more innovative partnerships while perfecting our solutions.”

BookDoc is an online healthcare platform that connects and unites patients and healthcare professionals, bringing forth timely access, resource optimisation and informed choices.

Founded in July 2015 and officially launched in October the same year, it has been growing rapidly, having established strategic tie-ups with several healthcare providers.

Besides Malaysia, BookDoc has also ventured into Singapore and Hong Kong. It plans to roll out its services in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines over the next few months.

To improve access to healthcare, the group recently tied up with ride-hailing start-up GrabTaxi (or MyTeksi) in Malaysia to extend user convenience from virtual booking to physical transportation.