Zenyum is a Singapore-founded consumer dental and oral-care company best known for its clear aligners (invisible braces). Founded in 2018, the company combines dentistry, digital technology, consumer products and e-commerce to make orthodontic and oral-care products more accessible across Asia. Zenyum describes the category it operates in as “Smile Cosmetics.” 1

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Zenyum started as a digital-first orthodontics company offering clear aligners as an alternative to conventional metal braces. The basic idea was relatively straightforward: use 3D scanning, digital treatment planning, manufacturing technology and a network of dentists to make teeth-straightening more convenient and potentially more affordable for Asian consumers.

Over time, however, Zenyum expanded beyond orthodontics. Its portfolio now includes:

• Zenyum Invisible Braces / ZenyumClear — clear aligners
• ZenyumSonic — electric/sonic toothbrushes
• ZenyumFresh — oral-care products such as toothpaste and floss
• ZenyumBright — teeth-whitening products
• Waterflosser products
• Replacement brush heads and other oral-care accessories

The company consequently moved from being primarily an “invisible braces” startup toward a broader consumer oral-care brand.

2018 — Founding

Zenyum was founded in Singapore in 2018 with the objective of making dental and oral-care solutions more affordable and accessible in Asia. Its initial product was its Invisible Braces, developed around digitally planned clear-aligner treatment delivered through partner dentists.

The company was co-founded by Julian Artopé and Frederik Krass. Artopé came from a technology, marketing and digital-business background rather than traditional dentistry. 5

Where does the name “Zenyum” come from?

The name is derived from “senyum,” the word for “smile” in Bahasa Indonesia/Malay. The founders added the “Z” to give the brand a younger, more distinctive identity.

2019 — Series A and regional expansion

Zenyum raised approximately US$13.6 million in Series A funding. Investors included RTP Global, Sequoia India (now Peak XV Partners), TNB Aura, Enterprise Singapore’s Seeds Capital, and others. The company also expanded beyond Singapore, with Malaysia becoming an early international market.

2020 — Moving beyond aligners

Zenyum began expanding from orthodontics into everyday oral care. One of its major launches was ZenyumSonic, a sonic electric toothbrush. The company also expanded into Hong Kong and Taiwan. 4

This was strategically important because it changed Zenyum’s potential relationship with customers. Instead of interacting with a customer only when they wanted orthodontic treatment, Zenyum could sell products that customers used every day.

2021 — Series B

Zenyum raised a further US$40 million Series B led by L Catterton, the consumer-focused investment firm associated with LVMH. Around this period, the company broadened its “Smile Cosmetics” portfolio with products including toothpaste, breath-care products, floss, and other oral-care products.

The funding brought Zenyum’s publicly announced major funding to roughly US$54 million across those two rounds.

2022 — Product ecosystem expansion

Zenyum continued expanding its oral-care ecosystem. Products introduced around this period included toothpaste, breath-care products, floss, and other oral-care products, as well as the Zenyum Waterflosser Pro, ZenyumSonic Go, and ZenyumBright Invisible Whitening Strips.

KPMG and HSBC’s Emerging Giants in Asia Pacific report profiled Zenyum as a Singapore-based emerging company in the cosmetic-dentistry market.

2023–2025 — Broader orthodontic offering

Zenyum subsequently expanded its clear-aligner portfolio to handle a wider range of dental conditions. The company’s range has included products such as ZenyumClear Plus, Extra and Pro, with the more advanced systems designed for cases requiring additional orthodontic techniques. 5

Zenyum’s treatment model remains dentist-directed rather than simply shipping generic aligners to consumers. Customers undergo assessment and dental evaluation, while partner dentists participate in treatment planning and monitoring.

2026 — Strategic merger with MakeO Toothsi

One of the biggest recent developments in Zenyum’s history occurred in February 2026. Zenyum announced a planned strategic merger with MakeO Toothsi, an India-based consumer dental company. The companies said the transaction was expected to create a major consumer-dental group spanning markets from the Middle East to Japan. 6

The combined business is intended to offer:

• Clear aligners
• Digital dental solutions
• Oral-care products
• Consumer dental services
• Online and offline customer experiences

Reuters reported that the transaction was structured as a merger between equals, with MakeO’s Arpi Mehta expected to lead the combined group, while Julian Artopé would continue leading the Zenyum division. Singapore was expected to remain an important hub for Zenyum’s Southeast and North Asian operations. 6

This is potentially a major transition for Zenyum. Instead of remaining primarily a Southeast/North Asian consumer-dental startup, the business is becoming part of a much larger Asia-wide consumer dental platform.

Zenyum’s orthodontic proposition essentially combines three components:

Digital technology

A customer’s teeth can be digitally scanned and represented as a 3D model. Treatment planning can then simulate the intended movement of the teeth.

Custom manufacturing

Instead of one standard product, a customer receives a series of custom-made clear aligners, with each aligner designed to move the teeth incrementally.

Dental professionals

Zenyum works with licensed dentists and orthodontic professionals who assess patients, prescribe treatment and monitor progress. This is an important distinction between Zenyum and a purely cosmetic e-commerce brand: the orthodontic treatment is doctor-directed.

One of Zenyum’s most interesting branding decisions is its use of the term “Smile Cosmetics.” Rather than positioning itself purely as a medical or dental company, Zenyum combines:

dental treatment + personal care + technology + consumer products

The idea is to make oral care feel more like a modern beauty/wellness routine rather than an unpleasant medical necessity. Its portfolio therefore extends from correcting tooth alignment to maintaining and improving the appearance of the smile. This gives Zenyum a positioning somewhere between Dental clinic × Health-tech company × Consumer brand × Beauty/wellness company.

Zenyum itself describes its mission as designing products and experiences that “spread smiles across Asia.”

A. Clear aligners

This remains the company’s flagship category. Zenyum’s clear aligners are transparent orthodontic appliances designed to gradually move teeth. The treatment process generally involves:

1. Initial assessment
2. Dental examination
3. 3D scanning and, where appropriate, X-rays
4. Digital treatment planning
5. Dentist review and approval
6. Production of custom aligners
7. Wearing successive aligner sets
8. Follow-up monitoring
9. Retention after treatment

Zenyum says its customers can track aspects of their treatment through its digital ecosystem and Zenyum app.

B. Electric toothbrushes

ZenyumSonic was Zenyum’s first major consumer-product category outside orthodontics. The current Singapore range includes products such as:

• ZenyumSonic 2.0
• ZenyumSonic Pro 2.0
• ZenyumSonic Spark
• ZenyumSonic Go

C. Whitening

Zenyum has developed a dedicated ZenyumBright line. Examples include:

• Invisible Whitening Strips
• Whitening Serum
• Instant Colour Corrector
• Whitening Pen

D. Toothpaste and daily oral care

The brand also sells toothpaste and related oral-care products, including formulations positioned around areas such as enamel protection, sensitivity/relief and whitening.

E. Flossing

The portfolio includes conventional floss products as well as Waterflosser products. This makes the brand’s product ecosystem increasingly comprehensive: brushing → flossing → whitening → alignment → retention.

Technology is central to Zenyum’s business model. Its technology proposition involves several layers:

• 3D dental scanning
• Digital treatment planning
• Computer-assisted orthodontic modelling
• Clear-aligner manufacturing
• Digital customer onboarding
• Treatment monitoring
• E-commerce
• Mobile/digital customer experiences

Zenyum has described its aligners as being produced using technologies including 3D printing and thermoforming.

The important strategic point is that Zenyum isn’t simply selling a physical piece of plastic. It is attempting to digitize a substantial part of the customer journey surrounding orthodontics.

Zenyum operates a hybrid model.

Consumer-facing

Customers can discover products and services online and purchase consumer oral-care products through Zenyum’s e-commerce channels.

Dental network

For orthodontic treatment, Zenyum works with locally licensed dentists and orthodontists.

Technology platform

The company provides technology and operational infrastructure connecting consumers, dentists, treatment planning, manufacturing and after-sales care.

This creates a model that can be summarized as:

Consumer → Zenyum digital platform → Dentist → Digital treatment plan → Zenyum manufacturing/service → Consumer

That model allows Zenyum to operate as more than a conventional dental clinic while retaining professional dental involvement.

Zenyum was designed from the beginning as an Asia-focused company rather than a single-country dental startup. The company says it expanded to nine Asian markets. Its markets have included Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong, among others.

Its Asian focus is part of the company’s differentiation. Instead of simply importing a Western clear-aligner business model, Zenyum has attempted to build a consumer brand specifically for Asian markets, including localized dental networks, payment options, products and marketing.

Julian Artopé

Julian Artopé is Zenyum’s founder and CEO. He has a background in technology, marketing and digital businesses rather than dentistry. Before Zenyum, he worked with companies including Skrill/Moneybookers, Ringier Africa and iPrice and had experience building and scaling technology businesses. 5

His background helps explain Zenyum’s unusual positioning: the company approached dentistry partly as a technology and consumer-experience problem.

Frederik Krass

Frederik Krass is identified by Peak XV Partners as a co-founder of Zenyum alongside Julian Artopé. 2

Zenyum attracted a number of prominent venture and growth investors. Notable names include:

• L Catterton
• Peak XV Partners / Sequoia India
• RTP Global
• TNB Aura
• Enterprise Singapore / Seeds Capital
• Partech
• FEBE Ventures
• TEKTON Ventures

The US$40 million Series B from L Catterton was particularly significant because it gave Zenyum substantial backing from a major global consumer-focused investor.

Zenyum’s positioning can be understood through four major ideas.

1. Affordable

Traditional orthodontic treatment can be expensive and intimidating. Zenyum built its brand around making treatment more financially accessible.

2. Invisible

Clear aligners solve an important consumer problem: people can straighten their teeth without the highly visible brackets and wires associated with conventional braces.

3. Digital

The customer journey is designed around online assessment, digital treatment planning, apps, e-commerce and technology-enabled treatment management.

4. Lifestyle-oriented

Rather than presenting dental treatment solely as healthcare, Zenyum tries to make it part of a broader self-care and beauty routine. This is essentially what its “Smile Cosmetics” positioning represents.

Zenyum’s branding is deliberately youthful and consumer-oriented. The name itself comes from “senyum”, meaning smile, combined with “Z” to create a distinctive modern brand name.

The company generally avoids the visual language of a traditional dental clinic and instead presents itself more like a modern consumer-tech or personal-care brand. That distinction is important. A conventional dental company might communicate: “We provide orthodontic treatment.” Zenyum’s approach is closer to: “We help you achieve and maintain a better smile.” The latter makes the product emotionally and aesthetically appealing rather than purely clinical.

Because clear aligners are medical devices, Zenyum’s orthodontic business operates within applicable medical-device and healthcare regulations. Zenyum states that Zenyum Pte. Ltd. in Singapore is ISO 13485:2016 certified by the British Standards Institution (BSI). ISO 13485 is a quality-management standard specifically associated with medical devices.

The company also states that its clear-aligner treatments are conducted with locally licensed dental professionals. This regulatory/clinical component is an important part of understanding Zenyum: despite its startup and consumer-brand appearance, its core orthodontic service sits within a regulated healthcare environment.

Zenyum operates in several overlapping competitive categories.

Clear aligners

Its competition includes Invisalign / Align Technology, SmileDirectClub-style direct-to-consumer models historically, regional clear-aligner companies, traditional orthodontists offering in-house aligners, and local dental clinics.

Electric toothbrushes

It competes with established consumer-health brands such as Philips Sonicare, Oral-B, Xiaomi and other electronics-oriented brands, and numerous direct-to-consumer toothbrush companies.

Oral care

It competes with much larger established FMCG brands such as Colgate, Oral-B, Sensodyne, Listerine, Darlie, and other regional oral-care brands.

Zenyum’s advantage is therefore not necessarily that it dominates every individual product category. Its differentiation comes from attempting to connect orthodontics + oral care + technology + consumer branding into one ecosystem.

The evolution of the company can be summarized as:

2018
→ Singapore orthodontic startup

2019
→ Regional expansion + Series A

2020
→ Electric toothbrush + expansion into Hong Kong/Taiwan

2021
→ US$40m Series B + broader oral care

2022
→ Whitening, water flossing and additional consumer products

2023–2025
→ Broader clear-aligner portfolio + continued Smile Cosmetics positioning

2026
→ Planned/announced strategic merger with MakeO Toothsi

So the trajectory is:

Invisible braces → Digital dentistry → Oral care → Smile Cosmetics → Regional consumer-dental platform

If I had to describe Zenyum in a Wikipedia-style nutshell:

Zenyum is a Singapore-founded consumer dental company established in 2018 that uses digital technology and professional dental networks to provide clear-aligner orthodontics and a broader range of oral-care products, with a strategic focus on Asian markets.

1. About Zenyum | Here to make Asia SMILE MORE! Zenyum Singapore
2. Zenyum | Peak XV Partners Portfolio Company
3. Official Zenyum website
4. About Us | Zenyum Is Helping Asia Smile More | Zenyum MY
5. Zenyum’s Julian Artopé on How He Started a Dental Health Company With No Background in Dentistry
6. Zenyum, MakeO Toothsi to merge, creating Asian consumer dental group