One North Stories

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Meet Vanessa Ding from SG Innovate

Recorded at SWITCH 2025, this episode features Reuben in conversation with Vanessa as they explore her journey from researcher at A*STAR to leading talent development in deep tech at SG Innovate.

Vanessa shares how programs like the Helix Immersion Program are helping biomedical tech talent transition into industry roles and why bridging the gap between research and commercialization is vital for Singapore’s innovation ecosystem.

The discussion dives into the challenges of building a strong ta...

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Meet Doreen Chai, Deputy Director at co11ab Noventa.

Recorded at SWITCH 2025, this episode features Peiling in conversation with Doreen as they explore Co11ab’s mission to accelerate biomed tech innovation through strategic partnerships with NHG Health, NTU, Singapore’s research institutions and of course, the startups they support.

Doreen shares how Co11ab’s state-of-the-art facilities and collaborative community create a launchpad for local and global startups—spotlighting why cross-collaboration matters and how Singapore’s ecosystem gives innovators a competitive edge.

The d...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Meet Pauline Tay, Director, National Health Innovation Centre, Singapore (NHIC)

Recorded at SWITCH 2025, this episode features Pei Ling in conversation with Pauline as they unpack the evolving landscape of healthcare innovation.

Pauline shares how NHIC empowers clinicians to turn ideas into impactful solutions—spotlighting breakthroughs like robotic surgical tools and novel eczema treatments.

The discussion dives into precision medicine, and why collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and tech partners is key to transforming patient care.

You’ll also hear Pauline’s pers...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Meet Rafael Alate Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) Entrepreneurship

Recorded at SWITCH 2025, this episode features Reuben in conversation with Rafael as they explore his decade-long journey championing entrepreneurship across different Singapore institutions and his current role at SUSS.

Rafael shares how SUSS is driving programs for social good and impact—spotlighting initiatives like dementia care services and inclusive education. The discussion dives into a 12-week intensive venture-building program, a 2.5-year partnership with Alibaba Cloud, and how these efforts empower aspiring entrepreneurs.

...

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Meet Jay Chandran from Singapore Management University (SMU) Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Recorded at SWITCH 2025, this episode features Reuben in conversation with Jay as they explore his journey leading SMU’s innovation ecosystem and shaping the next generation of entrepreneurs. Jay shares how SMU’s Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship operates on three pillars—cultivate, coach, and convene—to empower students and startups.

The discussion dives into flagship programs like Protégé Ventures, Global Innovation Immersion, and the Business Innovations Generator, which help founde...

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Meet Anuj Jain from NTU’s National Graduate Research Innovation Program (National GRIP).

Recorded at SWITCH 2025, this episode features Reuben in conversation with Anuj as they explore his dynamic career journey—from FMCG to entrepreneurship and venture capital—leading to his current role at NTU running National GRIP.

Anuj shares how National Grip is driving the commercialization of deep tech research and nurturing science entrepreneurs to bridge academia and industry. The discussion highlights strategic partnerships, including a recent collaboration with Activate US, aimed at hel...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Meet Professor Benjamin Tee from NUS Enterprise.

Recorded at SWITCH 2025 at the A*STAR booth, this episode features Reuben in conversation with Professor Tee as they explore his entrepreneurial journey, cutting-edge research in AI and sensor technology and guiding NUS Enterprise.

Professor Tee is a serial entrepreneur, founding multiple startups. He shares insights from his first venture, Preview Medical, and subsequent companies, highlighting the importance of turning ideas into market-ready solutions.

The discussion dives into his current role at NUS Enterprise...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Meet Winston from LG Nova, the venture studio of LG Electronics.

Recorded at SWITCH 2025, this episode features Reuben in conversation with Winston as they explore LG Nova’s mission to incubate and launch new software businesses in clean tech, health tech, AI and beyond that become subsidiaries of LG.

Winston’s journey took him from Malaysia to Silicon Valley, via Canada and Singapore.  He has been coming back to Singapore a bit more recently, looking for partnerships and technology synergies.

The discu...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Meet Kiewai from Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), a Japanese government-related organization that promotes trade and investment.

Recorded at SWITCH 2025, this episode features Gus in conversation with Kiewai as they unpack the growing synergy between Singapore and Japan’s Deep Tech ecosystems. Discover how JETRO is driving innovation by supporting both Japanese and global companies, and learn what it takes to collaborate effectively with Japanese firms.

The discussion explores JETRO’s role in opening Japan’s market to international startups, key focus areas such a...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Broken bone: Itchy cast?  Shower with your arm in a plastic bag?  Miss a flight to prevent swelling?

Meet Castomize, a Singapore Deep Tech company displacing traditional casts with 4D printed (that’s X,Y,Z plus Time) casts for today and tomorrow’s orthopedic teams.

Abel Teo, CEO and Co-Founder at Castomize joined One North Stories at SWITCH 2025 to share their story so far. They’ve come a long way since we first met at SWITCH 2022.  They’ve deployed 1600 units across multiple countries w...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Where you at SWITCH 2025? One North Stories was there, recording podcasts morning till night, with both our overseas guests and our Singapore based 'extended colleagues'. We will release these ground level conversations over the coming weeks to months. In this preamble episode, get to know our team who ran the show. First episode from SWITCH 2025 drops tomorrow.

Thank you for listening. If you like what you’ve heard, please share with a friend. After that, please subscribe and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Meet Maxwell Nee of Untapped Energies, a deeptech company specializing in small turbine technology for the South East Asian Market.  Maxwell was looking for his next business opportunity and say an A*STAR ad on LinkedIn for founder matching.  

He met his founders and together, they are looking to bring their innovative turbine technology to market, generating electricity at low wind speeds, tapping on previously untapped energy sources.

With ambitious goals for growth and a potential $100 million valuation in five years, Untapped Energies aim...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Individual nudges to help those with mental health challenges get the support they need.

Meet Clara and Isabelle of Universal Health.  The Singapore Start-up uses AI models to analyze smartphone sensor data, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes, to create behavioral baselines and identify anomalies for mental health interventions.

Clara and Isabelle share their personal motivations and backgrounds that led them to start the company. Clara's experience with her mother's schizophrenia and Isabelle's background in elite sports psychology guided their commitment to improving mental h...

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Mountainhead, in real life?  Hopefully never.  

DeepFaic is working to prevent that.  Meet Omar and Alka from DeepFaic, a company focused on detecting and combating AI-based manipulation and fraud.

They discuss their backgrounds, the challenges of deepfake detection, and the technology behind their solutions. Omar talks about his journey from finance and tech to co-founding DeepFaic, while Alka shares her transition from Cisco to pursuing a PhD and working on federated learning. They explain how their multimodal approach and zero-shot learning models help defe...

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Meet Lennon Lee of Paeonia Innovations, a company specializing in miniaturized mid-infrared spectrometers.  Lennon shares his journey from his early work in photonics at Stanford to the Institute of MicroElectronics (IME) and then Paeonia Innovations.

The Singapore startup has brought an innovative, mid-infra-red spectrometer to market for identifying chemical compositions.  Paeonia’s hardware, in combination with ML enhanced software can do it in real time.

Why is this useful?  Process control for manufacturing.  Think pharma, chemicals and beyond, increasing yields with real time monito...

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From gunshot detection to saving lives in eldercare — the journey of SoundEye is one of impact-driven innovation.

In this episode, Mr Tan Yeow Kee, CEO of SoundEye, shares how a deeply personal story shaped his mission to use AI-powered sound and LiDAR technology for eldercare and safety. What started as a research project has now deployed over 2,000 devices, scaled to Japan and the US, and attracted the attention of governments, distributors, and investors.

Please do check out the socials of our guest:

...

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In this episode, we sit down with Daryl Lim, CEO of Augmentus, an A*STAR spinoff pioneering the world’s first no-code AI robotic programming platform.

From their first pitch at SLINGSHOT 2022 to expanding into 5+ countries with over 50 systems deployed, Augmentus has achieved 20x growth in valuation while securing global customers such as ST Engineering, Caterpillar Inc., and Applied Materials. Their platform enables even non-technical workers to program robots in minutes, accelerating adoption across industries.

Daryl reflects on why going global was a ne...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Massimo Alberti, CEO of REVIVO Biosystems, an A*STAR spinoff redefining the future of testing with human skin-on-chip technology.

What began with Massimo’s very first pitch at SLINGSHOT has grown into a global journey. With a mindset to win and the perseverance to scale, REVIVO has expanded into 9 countries through curated distributor networks. Now, the company is launching a new proprietary technology that could pivot its entire business model and unlock even greater impact.

Massimo sh...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Kush Agarwal, CEO of WaveScan Technologies, an A*STAR spinoff pioneering advanced imaging solutions that give industries a “new pair of eyes.” From aerospace to automotive, WaveScan’s AI-powered inspection systems are helping global players detect flaws earlier, improve safety, and cut costs.

Dr. Kush reflects on the marathon of building a deep tech company, sharing how persistence, balance, and trust are essential to scaling across industries and continents. He highlights the realities of industrial adoption — long cycles...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

In our previous episode with Matwerkz, we heard how passion and mission-driven impact drives global recognition. This week, we continue with Lucence, an A*STAR spinoff pioneering liquid biopsy technology for earlier, less invasive cancer detection.

Led by Dr. Tan Min Han, Lucence has since raised over US$70M, secured the first-ever US Medicare coverage for an Asian cancer test, and built a global hub-and-spoke model with labs in Singapore and Silicon Valley.

Dr. Tan shares what it takes to expand across borders...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

We're trying something a little new, a mini talk show series leading up to SWITCH 2025 . In this debut episode, we sit down with Dr. Leong Yew Wei, Grand Winner of SLINGSHOT 2024, who shares how a three-minute pitch turned into powerful validation from judges, investors, customers, and even his own team. What they saw was more than a product. It was proof of impact.

But building impact does not stop at competitions. Dr. Leong reveals how Matwerkz is navigating global headwinds with agility, pivoting strategy, monetizing...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Eunice from Auristone shares her journey in the field of epigenomics and precision oncology.  The Singapore startup focuses on precision medicine for Asian cohorts,  particularly for late-stage cancer patients, using epigenomic profiling.  Their predictive models across cancer types deliver clinically actionable insights that complement existing genomic information.  Side note: Epigenomics studies how genes are turned on and off, providing insights beyond traditional genomics.

Eunice discusses the company's short- and medium-term goals, challenges in clinical adoption, and the importance of Asian biology in their research.  She also...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Get comfortable as we sit down with a panel of esteemed and experienced biomedical investors to explore the demand and dynamics of this ever-growing industry.

In this fireside chat, hosted by A*StartCentral, curated in partnership with A*STAR Global Network, we aim to guide Deep Tech ventures through the challenges of securing investment, and discuss how companies can position themselves to stand out and attract investor attention.

Feel free to check out our amazing panel of speakers and the work that they...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Turn all the knobs at once and use AI to figure it out.  This was the inspiration for Kedar Hippalgaonkar to bring AI into the scientific discovery process.  Kedar is a Materials Scientist at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR with cross appointment at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU).  Trained in thermoelectrics, he has been at the forefront of using AI for materials discovery in Singapore.

Kedar discusses the intersection of AI and material science, explaining how high-performance computing, machine learning, and...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

GAIA Tech joined the ARTC Startup Challenge Cycle 4, looking to improve and deploy their HyperCool Solution into manufacturing environments.  HyperCool uses an in-house developed AI model, along with GAIA’s proprietary iVAV controller appliance to achieve mesh optimisation air the HVAC airside.

Through the Startup Challenge, they embedded ARTC’s solution, ECMaS to take into account human comfort as the optimization target and deployed it in a manufacturing environment of an ARTC member company.  To date, estimated energy savings of the deployed solution is 8% in greenf...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

After deciding he wanted to do a start-up company, Shin spent two years hanging out in the start-up scene, learning as much as he could and then assembled his founding team.  Wanting to work at the intersection of Augmented Reality/ Virtual Reality and Robotics, he left the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre, A*STAR and started Augmentus with his two co-founders.

The team bootstrapped for around 1.5 years and found validation with ABB and with their ‘no-code’ robot arm movement software.  The team continues growing, opening an off...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Innovating to reduce battery pack fires.  Leong from Matwerkz Technologies in Singapore joins to share his founding story.  Leong spotted the opportunity for materials discovery and formulation as the COVID19 supply chain crisis hit Singapore.  He left the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR to start Matwerkz Technologies.

Reading in the news about battery pack fires, Leong wondered about a material that could dissipate heat during normal operations, but turn into an insulator in the case of thermal runaway.  Enter Thermorphous, Matwerkz' flag...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Data Interconnect.  The buzz is 15+ years old.  The problem still exists and the performance of compute systems is still following Moore’s Law.  Meet New Silicon Corp, a Singapore start-up working to usher in a new paradigm to connect memory and your GPU, TPU, CPU or other processing unit.  Interconnect channels enabled by Gallium Nitride (GaN) LEDs.

Professor Gene Fitzgerald Co-founder of New Silicon Corp (NSC), a start-up out of the Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) joins the show to share their exciti...

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Digitalizing waste?  As easy as emptying the trash bin in your computer?  Not quite.  But one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, especially if they meet each other on Circular Unite’s industrial symbiosis marketplace.

Emmanuel Tay, co-founder of Circular Unite joins One North Stories to share about his founding journey into helping companies with waste management and decarbonization.  Circular Unite aims to bridge traditional waste management with innovation by providing data-driven solutions for profitable sustainability. 

Emmanual also shares about their strategic p...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Creating Deep Tech Startups. Product market fit, building teams and getting technology ready to launch.  This is what the Venture Creation Team within A*STAR does on a day-to-day basis.  Who better to share the pulse of the trends going into 2025. 

Mayank Gurnani and David Sher join host Chia Pei Ling in a flowing conversation on MedTech, Digital Health, Pharma Bio and Nutrition trends.

Learn more about Mayank, David and the amazing work they are doing:

Mayank Gurnani (LinkedIn)

Dav...

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Digital biomarkers from human body motion.  Via an iPad. CareCam, a spin-off from the Instituteof Infocomm Research (I2R), A*STAR uses a single camera and 3D AI technology to provide unique insights across frailty, musculoskeletal and neurological diseases including cardio-ageing, stroke and Parkinson’s disease.

This episode is from an A*StartCentral fireside chat recorded October 2024.  Daniel Lim and Anthony Chong interview Elson Yong and Raman Pahwa, CareCam co-founders.

Learn more about CareCam, Elson, Raman and the amazing work they are doing:

...

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AI-for-X.  You’ve heard this story a hundred times over the past several years.  This one is different.  Qritive’s moat is that they’ve made it to market in a highly regulated industry. 

The Singapore start-up is supporting pathologists to optimize patient outcomes.  Their clinical-grade AI-powered solutions support pathologists by improving the workflow for patient diagnosis of cancer. Their proprietary Pantheon platform allows the diagnosis process to be faster, more precise, and efficient, leading to better cancer patient outcomes and less stressed doctors.

Kaveh Tagh...

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Regenerative medicine to cure diabetes?  BetaLife is working to make that a reality. 

A spin-off the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR,  BetaLife is developing cell replacement therapy using human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) based pancreatic beta cells – cells in our body that secrete insulin.

This technology could dramatically transform and improve the lives of diabetes patients who are highly dependent on insulin injections. This therapy is targeted as a curative treatment for Type 1 diabetes, other forms of insulin-dependent diabe...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

One North Stories, an A*Start Central Podcast, was at SWITCH 2024.  To wrap up this early season interlude, we have a brief retrospective from the A*STAR Booth.

Did you miss SWITCH 2024?  Listen to our 10 micro-episodes to get a flavour.  Want even more, get in touch and we can connect you.

Learn more about A*STAR, A*Start Central and this episodes guests:

A*STAR (Website)

A*Start Central (Website)

Anthony Chong (LinkedIn)

Jiah Shin Chi...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

One North Stories, an A*Start Central Podcast, the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024.  We have 10 micro-episodes for you to meet the scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs working hard to bring tomorrow’s technology to market today.  We hope you enjoy!

To learn more, visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024.  Registration is free.

If you cannot make it, reach out and we will put you in touch.

Thank you for listening. If you like what you’ve heard, please share with a frien...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Ernest Tan of the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) joins to share about optimizing 5G networks for Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT).  They have developed a web based tool to evaluate a physical space and optimally design a wireless connectivity network fit for purpose.

Visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024 to find out more.  If you cannot make it, reach out and we will put you in touch.

Learn more about A*STAR ARTC, Ernest and the amazing work they are do...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Amol Amrute and Liu Yan from the Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE²) join to share about the technologies they’re working on towards our net zero future.

Amol and team are working on catalyst discovery leveraging AI.  Leveraging AI, automation and high throughput experimentation, they’ve significantly sped up the process.  One of the first outcomes of the program is now undergoing scale-up to produce Sustainable Aviation Fuel from CO2.

Liu Yan and team are working on resource circularity from in...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Huang Weimin of the Institute of Infocomm Research (I2R) and Zhong Liang of the National Heart Centre Singapore, join to share about Apollo, a ground breaking AI enabled physician assist to read and interpret 3D medical images.  This was developed in partnership with the Bioinformatics Institute (BII).

Visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024 to find out more.  If you cannot make it, reach out and we will put you in touch.

Learn more about A*STAR I2R, A*STAR BII, Na...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Sun Xianchong of the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) joins to share about a novel method to fabricate cooling structures for energy storage systems (aka battery packs).  In partnership with the Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC), they fabricate stainless steel micro port tubes (SS-MPT) to efficiently carry coolant away from the heat source.

Visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024 to find out more.  If you cannot make it, reach out and we will put you in touch.

Learn more about A...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Doris Ng and Weiguo Chen of the Institute of Microelectronics (IME) join to share about their AI trained gas sensor. They’ve developed a gas channel on a silicon chip and leverage a non-dispersive infrared (NDIR) measurement technique to quantify CO2.  This can also be used for CH4.  Through wafer-based fabrication, the device can be manufactured at scale.

Visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024 to find out more.  If you cannot make it, reach out and we will put you in touch.

Learn...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Liangli Zhen of the Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) joins to share about leveraging AI to help patients with eczema better manage their condition.  This disease affects 20% of children and 10% of adults worldwide. They have developed an app to help diagnosed patients better monitor their condition and seek appropriate treatment.

Visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024 to find out more.  If you cannot make it, reach out and we will put you in touch.

Learn more about A*STAR IHPC, Liangli an...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Chayaporn Suphavilai (Nok) of the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) joints to share about a new infectious disease diagnostics test kit.  Based on genomics, the kit enables both precision and speed.  This can be a game changer for immunocompromised patients who need accurate and timely diagnostics.

Visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024 to find out more.  If you cannot make it, reach out and we will put you in touch.

Learn more about A*STAR GIS, Nok and the amazing work they are...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Jake Berber and DJ Tan join to share a brief introduction and update on Prefer Coffee.  Their bean free coffee start-up has come a long way over the past year.  One North Stories had previously hosted Jake and DJ for episode 13 (Apple and Spotify).

Visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024 to try it out.

Learn more about Prefer, Jake, DJ and the amazing work they are doing:

Prefer Coffee (Website)

Prefer Coffee (LinkedIn)

Jake Berber (LinkedIn)

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Jiah Shin Chin, from the A*STAR Skin Research Labs joins to share about the hydrogel they’ve developed to accelerate the healing of chronic wounds.  This could be a game changer, especially for those facing amputation for non healing wounds.

Visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024 to find out more. If you cannot make it, reach out and we will put you in touch.

Learn more about A*STAR Skin Research Labs, Jiah Shin and the amazing work they are doing:

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Nicholas Ng, CTO and Co-Founder of BotMind joins to introduce his new start-up endeavor.  Botmind works to integrate robotics and fleet management into company workflows.  They have integrated a cut-edge navigation stack to optimize resource management while reducing errors and thus costs.

Visit the A*STAR Booth at SWITCH 2024 to find out more.  If you cannot make it, reach out and we will put you in touch.

Learn more about Botmind, Nicholas and the amazing work they are doing:

Nicholas Ng (Lin...

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Vivek Ramachandran joins to share about his career in cybersecurity and his latest venture SquareX. The Singapore based start-up is focused on building web browser security tools.  SquareX has developed the code base.  They’ve tested its performance and are now selling into enterprise, looking to land a couple key accounts and then into a scale-up of operations.

Vivek also shares about his journey as an entrepreneur, the importance of solving real-world problems in cybersecurity, and how AI is transforming both the offensive and defensive side...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Making the previously impossible, possible.  Loong Wang joins to share about QDX. The Singapore based start-up is has built a massive compute platform leveraging hyperscaler level hardware for quantum molecular dynamics.  They predict and model how molecules move and interact through time and space. 

The first application is drug discovery.  They use AI to screen billions of candidate compounds down to thousands or hundreds.  Then, their quantum mechanical computation comes in, modeling the physical interaction of the protein and small molecule.  The whole point is to ‘ra...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

We are back with Season 2.  Our lineup is about half full.  If you’d like to partner on an episode telling part of Singapore’s Deep Tech Story, please reach out.

Thank you for listening. If you like what you’ve heard, please share with a friend. After that, please subscribe and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Check out A*START CENTRAL (Website, LinkedIn)

If you have future episode ideas, segments ideas or want to partner with us on this exc...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

It's been an exciting year at One North Stories. Launched April 2023, we've had 70+ voices across 38 episodes telling deep tech stories. We are regrouping for season 2. Enjoy this conversation between Reuben and Pei Ling as our season 1 wrap and brief preamble for season 2.

Thank you for listening. If you like what you’ve heard, please share with a friend. After that, please subscribe and review us wherever you get your podcasts.

Check out A*START CENTRAL (Website, LinkedIn)

If you have future ep...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Yang Liu and TY Shao join to share about MetaTrustLabs.  The Singapore based start-up is building security tools and code auditing services for Web3, protecting information, data and most importantly money as the web decentralizes across the blockchain.  Yang Liu represented the team through the Slingshot 2023 competition at SWITCH, making the finals in the Transformative Digital Technologies category.

Founded out of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), they have built AI based platform technology to assist developers understand vulnerabilities in their code (MetaScan) plus continuous security monitoring fo...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Gayathri Natarajan joins to share about KrossLinker.  The Singapore based start-up that is advancing insulation through materials innovation.  Specifically, they have developed a production platform for aerogel manufacturing which enables this amazing material to be produced more cost effective.  Their first application is for cold chain solutions and are also developing solutions for the Built Environment, first with surface paints and then looking to get into specialized applications. Gayathri represented the company through the Slingshot 2023 competition at SWITCH, making the finals in the Consumer Media, Goods & Services cat...

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Moores Law may be ending, but Richard Feynman told us: There’s Plenty of Room at the Bottom. Let me subtly add: there’s plenty of physics there too, both for silicon and beyond.

Where is the future of compute going? Silicon? Yes, that's the near future. Beyond Silicon? Beyond 2 states per bit? Workload specific compute? We're already there, somewhat.

This episode is trying something a little different. Deep Tech being cooked up in Singapore's labs. A new switching device, the Skyrmion Magnetic Tunn...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Jae Kim joins to share about Bering Lab.  The Korean based start-up is a language technology company with the starting niche of precision translation for the legal profession.  Their AI powered translations enable high precision translation between English and Korean, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Spanish and Bahasa. Jae represented the team through the Slingshot 2023 competition at SWITCH, placing second overall, coming out of the Transformative Digital Technologies Category.

Bering Lab, founded in 2020 has an absolutely fantastic back story, starting in 2012 with the founding of a le...

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Abhishek Agrawal joins to share about Kinexcs.  They are a digital therapy and wearables company looking to help healthcare providers and individuals measure, track and improve their musculoskeletal health.  Abhishek represented the team through the Slingshot 2023 competition at SWITCH, placing third overall, coming out of the Health and BioMedical Category.

Kinexcs, founded in 2017, brought their first product to market, KIMEA Recover, to help patients recover from knee surgery.  The wearable device has been developed into a full stack solution to help patients and their healthcare tea...

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William (Billy) Hanes, Wyle Solomon and Adam Williamson join to share about Somnial.  They have developed and are testing a bioelectronic, wearable device as an alternative to the CPAP machine.  Wyle represented the team through the Slingshot 2023 competition at SWITCH, garnering judges support as one of two finalists in the Health and BioMedical Category.

Somnial, founded in 2022 is undergoing clinical trials and the team is working to downsize the driving electronics.  This is envisioned as electronic patches for nerve stimulation driven by an electronics box. It...

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Rick Hodgeson joins to share about EMROD.  Rick joined EMROD in 2023 as Strategy and Commercial Manager and represented the team through the Slingshot 2023 competition at SWITCH.

Founded in 2019, in New Zealand, EMROD is working on long range power transmission with virtual wires.  Specifically, they convert electricity to microwave energy, beam it from one antenna array to another and convert it back to electricity with core IP in the beam forming and high efficiency transmission.  It’s proven over 10’s of meters.  They are planning pilot projects...

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Choon joins to share about ImmunoScape, a Singapore biotech start-up building a TCR discovery platform and therapeutics pipeline with a focus on TCRs to fight solid tumors.  Choon started his career in the Singapore Armed Forces.  He pursued his MBA at the University of Michigan after which he joined the pharmaceuticals industry, first in the USA and then back in Singapore and across Asia.  He joined A*STAR to lead the Pharmaceuticals and Biologics cluster.  After some time, the calling of industry came again, and he started look...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Jax Lee joins to share about Nanolumi.  Nanolumi is an advanced materials start-up delivering innovative luminescence solutions and products with a current emphasis on product authentication and supply chain security (via Reyal) and bio sensing/ imaging (via Luminicell).  Jax spent the first part of his career working in start-ups, learning the ropes.  He met his two co-founders and together, they started Nanolumi in 2018, originally looking to bring perovskite nanocrystal technology to market for displays.

5 years into the journey, Nanolumi is shipping SKU style products and del...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Hello Tomorrow Asia Pacific Summit happened on 27th September 2023 at the National Gallery in Singapore. This episode contains interviews with three finalists: Kepler Corp (4:43), Zero Error Systems (14:11) and Snap Robotics (20:28).

Yuta from Kepler Corp shares about their vision and technology for redefining display technology through information texturing.

KS from Zero Error Systems shares increasing the lifespan of satellite systems through radiation hardened electronics designed to protect commercial off the shelf integrated circuits that have become ubiquitous in many of today's satellites.

...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Hello Tomorrow Asia Pacific Summit happened on 27th September 2023 at the National Gallery in Singapore. This episode contains interviews with three finalists: Bioscan Research (6:24), OsseoLabs (14:40) and 6J BioTechnology (20:37) plus another company we met, Pending AI (31:10).

Shilpa from Bioscan Research shares about their technology for non invasive, early detection of bleeding in the brain.

Patcharapit from OsseoLabs shares about developing and scaling technology for 3D printed medical implants.

Qingru from 6J BioTechnology (Hong Kong) Ltd shares about the early stages of leading...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Valuable Software Services or a Generational Company?  That was the decision the founding team at Cosmos Innovation needed to answer.  Four years since departing the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), part of A*STAR, Vijay, Joel and team are still on track for building a generational company.  Born at the beginning of Covid, they’ve come out of stealth in October 2023.

What are they building?  AI for semiconductor device optimization.  AI for semiconductor process optimization.  AI for semiconductor device manufacturing optimization.  The laws of physics a...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Hello Tomorrow Asia Pacific Summit happened on 27th September 2023 at the National Gallery in Singapore.  One North Stories was there.  This episode contains interviews with three finalists:  Endua (5:50), Green COP (15:23) and TriNano (20:45), plus another company in the environmental space we met, TerraMatter (26:43).

Paul from Endua shares about their hydrogen energy storage solutions, linked to wind or solar as an alternative for diesel generators. 

Hanson from Green COP shares about upcycling biowaste into biofuels.

Rich from TriNANO Technologies shares about coating technology to i...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Hello Tomorrow Asia Pacific Summit happened on 27th September 2023 at the National Gallery in Singapore. This episode contains interviews with three finalists: EF Polymer (6:10), Repla (16:48) and Galderia (26:29).

Listen to Puran from EF Polymer share about their solutions for water conservation for soil-based crop farming.

Jenny from Repla is developing and scaling solutions for plastic recycling. Their technology takes in mixed plastic waste and eliminates all plastic types other than polypropylene, allowing high quality polypropylene to enter the circular economy.

Tadashi Tanimoto-San...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Does Chris have one of the best jobs in the world?  Listen and find out.  Chris is the Director of Portfolio and Prize at Earthshot Prize.  The Earthshot Prize is an independent foundation that’s spun out of the Royal Foundation in the UK.  They are building awareness, excitement with the goal to accelerate and scale solutions to help repair our planet.

After year 1 in the UK, year 2 in the USA, year 3, they’ve come to Singapore to announce their five winners for 2023.  The awards show is j...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Singapore's biggest TECH! and INNOVATION! week has happened!

What an international event! Slingshot 2023 start-up pitching competition featured front and center. Companies from across Asia, Oceania, Europe and the Americas.

The Second runner up is: Kinexcs

The First runner up is: Bering Lab

The Winner is: Thermalytica

There were international pavilions from Japan, Spain, China, Qatar, Austria, Brazil, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Korea, Canada and more. Plus a who’s who of technology and innovation in Singapore.

One le...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Singapore's biggest TECH! and INNOVATION! week is happening 31 Oct - 2 Nov 2023.

Cindy from SWITCH joins to share a bit about SWITCH and how visitors can orient themselves to get the most out of the three day extravaganza! Afterwards, we have Alvin from IPI to share about the partner event, Tech Innovation, co-located at the same venue, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center.

Tune in to find out about this amazing week. Come visit in person. If you cannot make it, look out...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Mark Wong joins to share about Occutrack. Occutrack is a medical start-up developing an eye movement tracking system for remote monitoring of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Building on intellectual property for vision assessment developed at the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R) and licensed from A*STAR, Occutrack has developed an AI based eye tracking platform that can be deployed on standard laptop and tablet computers. This allows for at home testing, reducing clinic visits and increasing testing compliance for those suffering from AMD.

Occutrack...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Fengru Lin joins to share about TurtleTree. TurtleTree is a 4 year old biotech company producing milk and milk ingredients through precision fermentation. They program microbes to produce high-value proteins, just like an animal would, but without going through the animal. In 2023, they are releasing their first B2B product, which is a powerful precision fermentation-derived lactoferrin, dubbed LF+. This is a bioactive milk protein that nutritionally enhances not only plant-based foods but every single food product.

Fengru shares about her founding journey, looking for high-quality...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Hello Tomorrow Asia Pacific Summit happened on 27th September 2023 at the National Gallery in Singapore. This is our first recap episode. We start with some quick recap thoughts and then sharing our interviews with the grand finalist of the Hello Tomorrow APAC Challenge, Psylo (8:10) and two runners up, Topologic (24:42) and XtaLight (31:37). Tune into future episodes sharing our interviews with more of the Hello Tomorrow APAC Challenge 2023 Finalists.

Learn more about Hello Tomorrow Asia Pacific, Psylo, Topologic, XtaLight and the great work they are doing:

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

This bonus episode presents audio from an April 2023 Fireside Chat with Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, Co-Founder and Chairman of Moderna. The themes of parallel entrepreneurship and preparing for failure are found throughout. Enjoy!

The dialogue is moderated by Prof Ng Huck Hui.

The event was presented by Flagship Pioneering. Hosted by A*STAR and EDBI. Supported by SG Innovate

Earlier parts of the event can be found on YouTube: Part 1 and Part 2

Thank you for...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Kathy He joins to share about Lerna Biopharma (formerly known as Cargene Therapeautics). Lerna is a 3 year old biotech founded out of the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), A*STAR. They are leveraging Small molecule RNA (SiRNA) technology to treat liver disease through regeneration, especially cirrhosis of the liver which is considered as untreatable. Lerna is preclinical, having tested on multiple animal models and now preparing to go clinical.

Kathy joined as CEO approximately 1 year ago. She chose Singapore and Lerna, wanting to build on...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Luuk Eliens joins to share a slightly different take on founding Deep Tech companies. He is co-founder and Managing Partner of Singapore Deep Tech Alliance. In operation for 2 years, they target to systematically launch 10 deep tech companies a year. This is done through an alliance model with Corporates, Investors, Research Institutions, Government and Regulatory Agencies, Founding Executive Teams plus their In-House Team. They are looking at the verticals of Energy, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Semiconductor with an umbrella of Sustainability.

Luuk started his career as a...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Hello Tomorrow Asia Pacific Summit is happening on 27th September 2023 at the National Gallery in Singapore. Tune in for a brief preview of the Summit itself, the investor day happening on 26th September 2023 plus interview with two participating tech companies: Insilico Medicine and Spring Bio.

Insilico Medicine is an AI company, a software company, a drug discovery company and now a clinical stage biotech company, revolutionizing drug discovery and testing through generative AI.

Spring Bio is redefining manufacturing and enabling resilient food systems...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Jake Berber and Ding Jie Tan join us to share the founding story of Prefer. Prefer is a food tech start-up working to bring a new twist on a classic. Coffee, without the coffee bean. They are upcycling day old bread, okara and brewers spent grain and through proprietary fermentation and then roasting, they are creating a coffee bean substitute with approximately 10x less CO2 than traditional coffee.

The two cofounders met at Entrepreneur First. Wanting to do something in the sustainable food space with...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Shigeki Sugii and Mandy Hon join us to share the founding story of ImpacFat. ImpacFat is a food tech company, looking to revolutionize the core-source of fish fat. Founded out of the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*STAR in Singapore, they cultivate cell-based fish fat in a controlled environment. The lab grown fish fat has zero pathogens, zero microplastics and much less heavy metal than those found in the wild. It can be used as a food ingredient, nutritional supplement and in cosmetic products.<...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Rishita Changede joins us to share the founding story of TeOra. Teora is a synthetic biology startup. They are designing nature's best factory 'the cell' to manufacture naturals that replace petroleum based synthetic products. They are using bioinformatics and material science to create vaccines delivered orally for their beachhead market of aquaculture.

Rishita found herself at a cross-road nearing the end of a successful post-doc at the Mechanobiology Institute. She chose the tech entrepreneur path over the academic route, wanting to bring science to society...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Yeow Kee joins us to share the founding story of Sound Eye. Sound Eye is a spin-out company from the Institute of Infocomm Research (I2R). They provide sound recognition solutions capable of classifying sounds. Deployment includes empowering elderly with fall risks to live more autonomously, assisted living environments, plus security and surveillance.

Yeow Kee, a researcher turned entrepreneur shares about the ups and downs of being a founder the hard knocks of finding the market fit and co-founders and now entering a growth phase...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Albert Dashi joins us to share the founding story of Sequential Bio. Sequential Bio is a spin-out company from the Genomic Institute of Singapore (GIS). They apply deep molecular analysis and DNA sequencing to understand the different parts of an individual’s microbiome.

Sequential Bio quantifies microbiomes, the collection of bacteria, fungi and viruses that naturally live in and on our bodies. Their balance is important for human comfort and health. Sequential has diversified from skin to now include scalp, oral and intimate areas. The bu...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

This Bonus Episode if from a June 2023 fireside chat hosted at A*START CENTRAL. Gustavo Liu moderates a conversation with Clarence Tan from Origgin Ventures and Zong Xi Sia from Cocoon Capital. The focus is on Deep-Tech Investing from the VC's perspective.

Learn more about our guests at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gustavoliu/

Origgin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/clarence1406/

Cocoon Capital

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zongxisia/

Thank you for listening...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Vincent Wei of Archisen joins us today to share about their founding journey. Archisen is an indoor farming company, originating from a venture co-creation with Origin Ventures, leveraging A*STAR’s BioInformatics Institute (BII) technology to assist with optimizing crop yields for precision indoor farming.

Archisen is bringing technology to urban farming. They design, build and operate crop growing solutions enabling fresh, ultra-local produce in cities. Often, allowing for same day harvest to table while still using traditional distribution methods. Their tasty, high yield, nutritious pr...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

William Temple of Ampotech joins us today to share about their founding journey. William came to Singapore on a tourist visa, looking for jobs in the classifieds. He started his career designing air conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems for buildings before becoming a research engineer at the Advanced Digital Sciences Center (ADSC, a joint lab between A*STAR and the University of Illinois), developing smart grid technology.

Ampotech is a spin out from the ADSC. They specialize in IOT hardware and AI-enabled software to help...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Levana (Levi) Sani, Astrid Irwanto, Alexander (Sandro) Lezhava and Jianjun (JJ) Liu of NalaGenetics joins us today to share about their founding journey. NalaGenetics is a spin-out company from the Genomic Institute of Singapore (GIS).

NalaGenetics is enabling personalized medicine through genetic testing with the goal of having your genetic information, and thus pre-deposition to certain reactions, as ubiquitously available as your blood type. They started developing a $5 test kit to test for adverse reactions to Dapsone which is used to treat leprosy. In addition...

This is One North Stories, an A*START CENTRAL Podcast

Gabriel Yee of Myrmidon Labs (MyrLabs) joins us today to share about their founding journey. Gabriel started his career as a research engineer, working on Complexity Theory, Internet of Things, Digital Twins and then Indoor Robotics. The team, yearning for more, decided to spin out a company to realize the full potential of their technology.

MyrLabs, a spin out from the Singapore Institute for Manufacturing Technology specializing in cutting edge hardware, sensors and algorithms for the future of robots. They want to enable robots to...

This is One North Stories, an A*StartCentral Podcast.

Jatin Kumar and Patrick Teyssonneyre of Xinterra join us to share about their founding journey. Xinterra is a spin-out company from the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) and Singapore MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART).

Xinterra has brought accelerated materials development to market. They combine artificial intelligence plus rapid prototyping and measurement for high quality data to feed back into the machine learning process. They develop real materials for our sustainable future. They partner with companies large and small, solving their material needs...

This is One North Stories, an A*StartCentral Podcast

Massimo Alberti of REVIVO BioSystems joins us today to share about their founding journey. Massimo came to Singapore as an early career researcher, saw the potential in the project he was working on and decided to spin out a company instead of staying in the research lab.

REVIVO, a spin out from the Singapore Institute for Manufacturing Technology and the Institute of Medical Biology specialized in 4D Human Skin models, built upon a microfluidics and measurement platform. This enabling technology allows ex vivo and in vitro...

This is One North Stories, an A*StartCentral Podcast

We are pleased to be launching a new podcast focused on deep-tech in Singapore.

Our purpose is to provide hyperlocal, ground based storytelling at the intersection of science, technology and business here in Singapore, with a global perspective.

This launch series is focused on technology start-ups with A*StartCentral as our anchor. This trailer features a brief conversation with Anthony Chong sharing about A*StartCentral’s role in the Singapore deep-tech ecosystem.

Thank you for listening. If you like what you’ve hear...