Neural Drive
Neural Drive has been one of the most defining parts of my journey, where I stepped beyond learning and into building something real. Co-founding the company in October 2024 and taking on the role of Chief Technology Officer, I led the technical vision from the ground up, turning early ideas into working systems and products. Since then, Neural Drive has grown rapidly in scope, capability, and impact, and I have had the opportunity to work at the intersection of engineering, product strategy, and real-world problem solving. Seeing how far we have come in such a short time has been both grounding and deeply motivating, and the journey continues to shape how I think about technology, leadership, and responsibility.
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Won Batey Entrepreneur Competition 2024
1st Place (Championship)
One of Neural Drive’s earliest milestones was winning 1st Place at the Batey Entrepreneurship Competition, which marked our first major external validation as a startup. Beyond the recognition, this win provided our initial funding, which we strategically reinvested into product development, technical infrastructure, and early experimentation. This milestone became a turning point for Neural Drive; giving us both the confidence and resources to accelerate development and take the company from concept to execution.
Singapore Polytechnic had mentioned us in their website
Showing Case Neural Drive at
Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology 2024
Another key milestone for Neural Drive was presenting at Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology (SWITCH) 2024, where we publicly showcased our V1 prototype. At the time, the system was entirely built in-house, from a custom 3D-printed headset to a fully integrated wheelchair-based demonstration setup, allowing visitors to experience the concept hands-on rather than as a theoretical pitch.
Over the course of the event, we pitched Neural Drive to 100+ visitors, including industry professionals, innovators, and members of the startup ecosystem. These conversations provided early validation, technical feedback, and real-world perspectives that directly influenced subsequent iterations of the product. Presenting at SWITCH marked our transition from early experimentation to serious execution, reinforcing our belief that Neural Drive could evolve into a practical, scalable assistive technology.
Showcasing to Angel Investors and
Murata Semiconductor Representatives
Presenting Neural Drive to angel investors and representatives from Murata Semiconductor at MakerSpace was a meaningful milestone in our journey. The session pushed us to clearly articulate our technical decisions, product direction, and long-term vision, while receiving candid feedback from both investment and deep-tech industry perspectives. These conversations helped us identify gaps, validate key assumptions, and refine our roadmap, ultimately strengthening our confidence and clarity as we continued building Neural Drive as a practical and scalable assistive technology.
Invited to Medtech Actuator 2025
Achieved Top 10 Finalists
Neural Drive was invited to participate in MedTech Actuator 2025 Asia by the programme’s CEO and CTO, marking a major milestone for us as an early-stage startup. At the time, we were still a relatively young team, only months into building Neural Drive, and entering a space alongside many well-established medtech startups with years of experience behind them.
Competing against close to 40 seasoned startups and emerging as a Top 10 Finalist was both humbling and deeply encouraging. As beginners in the medtech startup ecosystem, this experience validated our vision, technical direction, and commitment to solving meaningful problems. Making it into the top 10 was not just an achievement, but a moment of genuine pride for our team, reinforcing our belief that Neural Drive had the potential to grow into something impactful.
Attended TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 in
San Francisco
Achieved Top 40 out of 500,000 Entries
Neural Drive was selected for the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 through a highly competitive, multi-round screening process, emerging from an applicant pool of approximately 500,000 startups worldwide. At the time, we were still a very young, early-stage team, only months into building Neural Drive. Our submission was evaluated on the clarity of our problem statement, depth of technological innovation, and potential for real-world impact. We presented our work on a non-invasive wearable system designed to empower locked-in and speech-impaired individuals to communicate through brain-driven intent, supported by functional prototypes and early-stage clinical insights.
Being selected as part of the Top 200 granted us exhibition space at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 in San Francisco, along with access to exclusive investor, mentor, and founder sessions. For a startup at such an early stage, this level of global exposure and validation was a significant milestone. Neural Drive was also featured in TechCrunch’s official announcement, “The 2025 Startup Battlefield 200 is here; see who made the cut,” recognising us among the startups chosen to showcase at one of the world’s most competitive technology conferences.
Following our participation, Neural Drive was further shortlisted as a Top 40 Finalist, advancing from the initial pool of 200 startups. For a young medtech startup still in its formative stages, reaching the Top 40 was a major achievement and a strong signal of confidence in our technology, team, and long-term vision. This milestone reinforced our belief in the impact of our work and marked a defining moment in our journey to build meaningful assistive communication technology.
Our start up mentioned in Tech Crunch Top 200 List
Tech Crunch Listing our Startup
Won 2025 Entrepreneurs Next Star & Million Prize Global Challenge in Shenzhen, China
Achieved 1st place Asia Pacific Region
Achieved 16th place worldwide
Neural Drive participated in the 2025 Entrepreneurs Next Star & Million Prize Global Challenge in Nanshan, Shenzhen, a flagship international entrepreneurship competition often regarded as one of Shenzhen’s most prestigious startup platforms. The competition attracts high-potential startups across AI, biomedicine, and hard-tech, and is supported by major national and municipal innovation bodies, with a combined prize and investment pool exceeding 40 million yuan.
We competed in the Asia-Pacific regional round, facing strong competition from startups across the region, and were awarded 1st Place in APAC, securing approximately SGD 130,000 in prize funding. This win advanced us directly to the global finals in Shenzhen, providing international recognition that our non-invasive brain-computer interface communication system is competitive on a global stage. With support from SPiNOFF at Singapore Polytechnic, our team travelled to Shenzhen to participate fully in the finals and engage with investors and ecosystem partners.
The global challenge brought together startups from over 30 countries and regions, with 40 teams advancing to the final stage after multiple rounds of regional selection. Competing against top-tier teams across AI, biomedicine, and emerging technologies, Neural Drive placed 16th out of 40 in the global finals. This result positioned us among the leading startups in the competition and validated our technology, execution, and long-term potential in the global medtech and deep-tech ecosystem.
Applied for Ng Teng Fong Centre
HealthCare Innovation Programme
Starting trials at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in 1st Jan 2026 with Funding Secured
As the Trials are on going, more details about this will be released once details confirmed.