TECH TARIK KL: Futures of Wellness & Wellbeing

Connect with fellow leaders in the 'Wellness and Wellbeing' sector over teh tarik, meaningful conversations and sumptuous dinner. Join us at our next TECH TARIK - KL Edition on 1 Aug 2026 on the 'Futures of Wellness & Wellbeing'.

Hear from professionals, changemakers, entrepreneurs and leaders from Malaysia and Singapore making impact on the future of wellness and wellbeing through their work!

• KASUMI SHIRAHATA (INCANDI) on co-creation, place-based innovation and partnerships with indigenous communities
• KEN LEONG (GIRAFthepillow) on enhancing rest and productivity through SleepTech
• KOH SU YEN (Emotion Pod) on holistic wellbeing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and emotion regulation
• SURYAKENCHANA OMAR (James Cook University) on heritage medicine, birthing traditions and jamu research
• MD. IBNUR RASHAD (GUILD Asia) on sustainability invention, education and 5 Ways to Wellbeing

Hope to see you there 🤗

*Free afternoon reception and dinner provided with teh tarik thanks to SGN (Singapore Global Network). Musollah space provided. Venue will be at Mereka at Publika Shopping Gallery, Solaris Dutamas, KL.

Help us spread the word by sharing this rare assembly with your students, friends or family members, especially those in the wellness and wellbeing sector 👍🏽

Register for our next TECH TARIK on 'Futures of Wellness & Wellbeing' on 1 Aug (Sat), 5pm, at Kuala Lumpur. LIMITED SPACES. Share this link with others: www.techtarik.com

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OUR ENTRÉE OF ESTEEMED SPEAKERS

Ken Leong is a mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, and the visionary Founder and CEO of giraf® SleepTech. Driven by a mission to optimize human recovery, Ken spent more than 17 years researching, challenging, and ultimately reinventing one of the world's most ubiquitous but overlooked wellness products: the pillow. At giraf®, Ken merges engineering principles with sleep science to tackle the modern epidemic of poor rest. In a fast-paced, high-stress world, he champions the idea that the biggest breakthroughs in human performance don't come from another productivity hack, but from the restorative power of quality sleep. By dispelling common sleep misconceptions and redesigning how our bodies are supported at night, Ken is changing the way we think, work, and recover.

Kasumi Shirahata is a tri-sector leader with 16 years of experience across the United Nations, PwC, and social enterprises. She is currently a World Bank consultant and Founder & Lead Strategist of INCANDI, a Malaysia-based platform for urban co-creation and place-based innovation. Through arts-based and immersive methodologies designed to spark creative awakening, she reframes migrants, refugees, and indigenous communities as vital “Knowledge Partners,” connecting their lived experiences to organizational learning and unlearning in service of more inclusive, sustainable, and people-centered cities. Her Urban Living Labs have engaged more than 1,500 participants from over 20 countries across Japan and Malaysia. She aims to expand this methodology into community design and immersive talent development programs that foster resilience, well-being, and sustainable futures worldwide. Kasumi was selected as a 2019 Obama Foundation Leader and holds an MSc from The Bartlett, University College London (UCL). She has also completed Executive Education at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Suryakenchana Omar is a steward, custodian and practitioner of Javanese cultural heritage in Singapore. His primary practice is the safeguarding of Jamu Wellness Culture. He inherited the practice from his mother who lived as a traditional shaman and healer. Now, he guides his daughter in adopting the practice.

Koh Su Yen is a social entrepreneur and the founder of Emotion Pod, an organization dedicated to making emotional literacy an essential, accessible life skill across Southeast Asia. Motivated by her personal journey through burnout and grief, Su Yen transitioned from the corporate world to create safe spaces, support circles, and practical tools that empower individuals and organizations. She brings a deeply empathetic and grounded approach to mental wellbeing, consulting with executives, startup founders, and first-time managers to navigate workplace exhaustion and build sustainable resilience. Her impact is extensive, reaching over 1,000 individuals and forging regional partnerships with universities. Su Yen’s advocacy extends to the public sphere; she notably served as a featured guest on Astro Awani’s It’s About YOUth to discuss tackling youth burnout, where she championed systemic shifts in how we define productivity and wellness. Beyond her mentorship at Growth Charger Startup Accelerator, she co-hosts the Roots & Routes podcast and represented Malaysia at the 2025 ASEAN Youth Fellowship. By bridging personal experience with professional rigor, Su Yen continues to drive a necessary transformation in how emotional health is understood, taught, and prioritized throughout the region.

Md. Ibnur Rashad is an engineer-scientist, technopreneur and futurist trained at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Stanford University and the Institute for the Future (IFTF). As CEO and Chief Foresight Officer of GUILD Asia, he explores how the convergence of Nature, Technology and Community can improve human wellbeing and create more resilient futures. His work spans mental health and ageing research at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, healthcare and public sector innovation, robotics and AI education, and sustainability. An award-winning inventor and mentor to over 300 founders and innovators across Asia, Ibnur champions a human-centred approach to technology: one that strengthens wellbeing, inclusion and social connectedness while preparing communities for the future.

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ORGANISATION PROFILES

Singapore Global Network (SGN) is a global community that connects over 250,000 professionals, entrepreneurs, students and friends of Singapore across 175 countries. By fostering meaningful connections, knowledge exchange and collaboration, SGN brings together diverse perspectives to create opportunities for innovation, personal growth and positive impact. Through its events and partnerships, SGN champions inclusive communities where people can build authentic relationships, expand their networks and thrive together in an increasingly interconnected world.

GUILD Asia is a Singapore-based innovation collective advancing wellbeing, sustainability, inclusion and emerging technologies. Since 2016, it has partnered with Science Centre Singapore, schools, universities, government agencies and industry to deliver programmes in AI, robotics, STEAM, futures thinking and entrepreneurship across all 10 ASEAN countries, with digital learning reaching over 55 countries. Guided by the belief that the best innovations emerge at the intersection of Nature, Technology and Community, GUILD empowers people and organisations to build healthier, more resilient and future-ready communities.

ThinkX Global is Southeast Asia’s strategic venture architect, shaping the future of entrepreneurship, ecosystems, and NextGens. With offices in Singapore, Brunei, Thailand and Chongqing, we design, build, and scale profitable ventures and innovation arms, partnering with governments, corporates, and institutions to unlock regional growth. With over 1,000 startups supported, US$25 million raised, and 20+ innovation and ventures arms launched, we bridge the gap between validation and execution—transforming bold ideas into sustainable, revenue-driven businesses. From shaping policies through pilot programmes to guiding NextGens in turning inheritance into innovation, ThinkX delivers outcomes that last. From Ideas to Impact. From Vision to Venture. From Strategy to Scale. We do not just talk about innovation. We build it, together.

Mereka is a Malaysia-based social innovation and learning organisation that empowers individuals and communities with the skills, networks and opportunities to thrive in the future of work. Through AI, digital skills, entrepreneurship and creative education, Mereka brings together industry experts, makerspaces and community partners to foster lifelong learning, innovation and inclusive growth. Its work reflects the belief that meaningful wellbeing comes from enabling people to learn, connect, create and build resilient livelihoods.

This edition of TECH TARIK is co-organised by GUILD Asia, ThinkX Global and Singapore Global Network (SGN) at Mereka.