programming”, much to
her amusement.
She got to know
these programmers
through hackathons –
competitions where
participants create a
prototype of a sellable
product in one to two
days. After graduating
from NTU, she bought
a mini processor and
tinkered with it.
When that got “a
little boring”, she signed
up for the competitions.
“When I got to know the
community, they asked
if I needed help and gave
me a lot of guidance.”
The then 19-year-
old won second place
at her fi rst hackathon,
and clinched her fi rst
win at her second, the
IOT Hackathon 2015,
organised by A*Star.
After that, organisers
and sponsors were more
than happy to fund the
projects she undertook.
It was then that
people started to take
notice. She was scouted
to work on projects for
cable channel National
Geographic (she built
robots used in its shows).
Other job off ers
started pouring
in as well. But it
wasn’t just because
Annabelle’s products
were innovative – she
was savvy, too. At one
hackathon, she created
a smart shoe insole
to aid movement, and
that resonated with
the sponsor’s theme of
prioritising health.
In 2015, she landed
her fi rst corporate job
as an offl ine community
manager at tech start-
up Garena, where she
headed community
development for
e-commerce venture
Shopee.
A year later, sheYOUNG WOMAN
ACHIEVER
2019years, Annabelle has
been volunteering
at Make-a-Wish
Singapore, which grants
wishes to children with
terminal illnesses.
“The kids are the
resilient ones; it’s the
parents who break
down,” she observes.
“They are the ones who
need support, so I focus
on them as well.”
She is quick to
point out that as much
as she wants to help
others, the big picture
for Neuralbay is what
Annabelle describes as
a “Robin Hood model”:
taking from those who
have, and giving to those
who are in need.
She recognises that
AI has a recyclableleft and co-founded
hardware start-up
Smartcow. There, she
designed a plug-and-
play deployment device
called Tera, a circuit
board that could process
and store lots of data.
Annabelle went to
Canada to have it built
when she couldn’t get
the support she needed
in Singapore. Her return
to the city coincided
with the launch of
government-owned
innovation platform SG
Innovate, and Annabelle
used its offi ce space.
That was when Tera
got noticed. Companies
began knocking on
Smartcow’s door, and
the start-up became
known for off ering
hardware solutions
for companies and
businesses that were
keen on integrating an
AI system.
She left Smartcow
in 2017. A month after
her departure, she
started Neuralbay. The
diff erence between
the two: Smartcow is
focused on AI hardware,
while Neuralbay is an
AI software company
that specialises in vision
analytics.
Annabelle has
worked with big fi rms
in the aviation and
automation industries,
and one of her clients
is the multinational
Ferrero Group.
Asked how much
Neuralbay is worth, she
says: “Let’s just say that
we’re busy with projects
for the next two years,
and that will help bring
revenue to pay for our
operating costs and
grow the business.”
Neuralbay has
a team of fi ve in
Singapore, and a team
of mainly freelancersin Indonesia. The
Singapore team works
from the Pixel offi ce
at One North, while
Annabelle splits her
time at work between
home and Pixel.
Despite her busy
schedule, the go-getter
has always found space
for charity work, and to
pursue other interests.
She explains: “There
are many elements
to what I do. I run
a business. I create
tech. I have hobbies
to maintain my sanity
(she has a black belt
in taekwondo, and is a
licensed windsurfer).
When you do the
smaller things, you
develop better hand-eye
coordination. It does
something to your brain,
too – it keeps you alert.”
How to work the
mind and body the
Annabelle way? Join
the circus, of course.
She performed with
Singapore’s Bornfi re
circus troupe at the
Chingay Parade 2016.
Last year, the avid
runner took part in a
marathon in North Korea.GIVING
BACKWork and play aside,
the kid-genius says
sensibly: “When you
run a start-up, it’s easy
to have tunnel vision
and worry about money.
But when you do charity
work, it helps to put
life in perspective. It’s
a reminder of what’s
important.”
So for the last seven106 HERWORLD SEPT 2019