A few months ago, we announced our investment in Dr Clear Aligners (DCA), a dental care company making clear aligners more accessible across Asia.

While we could explore more about the confluence of demand in aesthetic orthodontic care and advancements in dental technology, how DCA has tapped into this market opportunity with a presence across seven markets, or how its user experience boasts shorter duration, affordable pricing, and remote monitoring vs the industry status quo, what has been really interesting about DCA has been their growth from an initially unclear (pun intended) position.

(1) Not a first mover, but learned from previous players. Not being a first mover has actually put DCA in a position of strength. Given how nuanced the industry can be and how important trust and relationships are in the dental community, being the first mover could have been a lot more costly in terms of experimentation. DCA took learnings from predecessors and existing players in the space to develop a more sustainable operation. They focus on establishing themselves as a healthcare partner to dental clinics and creating a superior experience especially in post-treatment monitoring.

Computer modelling clear aligner based on patient. From Dr Clear Aligners YouTube (2023)

(2) Not experts initially, but working with a diverse ecosystem of dental care providers. While the founders started DCA from personal experiences in dental care, actually building in the space is a whole different ball game. In spite of being outsiders initially, they quickly built key relationships in the industry and developed not just their clear aligner product but more importantly an ecosystem of partner clinics and dental care providers that would make these clear aligners more accessible across markets. From being fresh players on the scene, DCA has become thought leaders in driving clear aligner adoption in the region.

One of Dr Clear Aligners partner dentists from the Philippines. Dr Clear Aligners YouTube (2023)

(3) Not VC backed, but scaling across seven markets and beyond. A combination of this ecosystem approach with their diverse supply chain and dental care partners (building the market instead of just building the product) and the quality of their product allowed them to reach several markets across Asia in a short amount of time without venture funding. With the recent funding they aim to grow their market reach even further, among other strategies.

This seemingly counterintuitive trajectory DCA has taken has made it even more exciting to be partnered with them on this journey moving forward. These paths they took to get to where they are today reflect the company’s execution ability in treatment dental care — a space that has more at stake than customer satisfaction. After all, they are in the business of smiles.